Converting from oil to wood pellet

L

lastbuilders

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Hi,

I am doing a self build currently and my plumber is installing OFCH. I was wondering how difficult would it be to convert this in 4 or 5 years time to a wood pellet boiler system when I think it would be more economical. I am installing the boiler in an outisde garage of 5.5m * 5.5m * 4m so there should be enough space for a wood pellet boiler and storage container. I know there are grants available now for wood pellet boilers but it is too late now to change what I am insalling currently as the plumber is almost finish his first fix.

Lastbuilders
 
What with the grant for the wood pellet boiler at 4200 euros and the scheme only lasting for a year maybe you should chat to your plumber about holding of with the installation??
 
The plumbing for your house would be the same for an oil boiler or a wood pellet boiler so it is not too late to change now. The grant scheme is a five year programme.
 
I talked to the plumber and he is happy to go with the wood pellet boiler. The scheme is for 5 years but I would not say that 27 million euros will go that far. The SEI said once you fit the criteria you are "almost" gauranteed getting the grant so seems like the best option. Will still be more expensive initially but thhe price of oil is only going one way.
 
ALL energy prices are going up. Huge powerplants are build all over Europe that would consume any combustable material. The powerplant owners want to avoid the carbon tax, so they are willing to pay a little bit extra for the renewable fuel. What would eliminate any price difference between renewable and fossile fuels for the small buyer.Think logical when deciding to spend money on the future. Insulate your home down to zero energy demand. Use solar energy, there is no competition for it.
Sure your plumber will tell you the opposite....
 
Yes all energy prices are going up. Farmers in Ireland are dying to grow biofuel of any type for any customer. But you can be sure they know the value in comparison to oil and in terms of carbon credits saved. You will still be paying for your fuel on an open market and there is no guarentee on the price just because wood pellets ( or any other renewable) are environmentally frieldly.
 
Have you thought about the supply of pellets. If enough people start installing pellet stoves is there 1. enough reliable suppliers & 2. more importantly perhaps, is there a sufficient quantity of wood/pellets into the future. I would recommend that you check this out as I wasn't convinced myself when I had thought about converting. Roxymusic
 
Think logical when deciding to spend money on the future. Insulate your home down to zero energy demand. Use solar energy, there is no competition for it.
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i think my next move is to build a passive house. Does anyone know about cost per sq.ft of this type of house?
 
I am putting in lots of insulation in the external wall (140 mm ) as wellas haing a 2 inch service cavity which will be insulated and also putting an airtight membrane on the external wall. I am also using a Heat Recovery Ventilation system so overall the amount of pellets/oil I will be using should be relatively small.

Regarding the supply of pellets I appreciate that there is only one main supplier at the moment but I think if more people start installing pellet boilers as is inevitable with the new grant then demand will naturally go up which will bring more players into the market which should reduce the cost and give people more options.

Lastbuilders
 

Any ideas about insulating a cavity-block wall? I had insulation pumped into the cavities years ago but I think that's a hit-or-miss method. Can the walls be insulated in any way on the outside?

Thanks

Pat
 

This may be partly true but not fully. Firstly I presume the power plants you refer to are co-firing with coal, there are a limited amount of these and co-firing is not without its problems. There are power plants running on biomass but not on any huge scale.

The main difference between fossil fuels and renewable fuels apart from green issues is that it is renewable, so you can burn as much as you like in theory and still get more. So the supply and demand situation reaches equilibrium as opposed to chasing constantly rising oil prices. In fact as more of our energy comes from renewable / alternative sources it will slow the upward trend of oil prices, causing a plateau. This is years away yet admitedly. The point is prices of renewables will rise somewhat but not infinitely which would happen if oil was the only heating source.

In practice there is enough supply of waste wood in Ireland to heat 500,000 homes, now thats apart from growing trees specifically for the purpose. All our energy comes from the sun so in theory solar heating is best, but in practice burning wood is the most efficient way of capturing the suns energy for heat with current technology. Couple this with the fact that Ireland has the best wood growing climate in Europe and you've got some compelling reasons to switch to wood heating.
 
The world's wood prices are in the rise because the globe's forrests are diminishing. Also the amount of agricultural land is in decline. Fuel pellet prices have increased by 20 % or 30 % within two years. Increasing the demand even further by burning the harvest straight away in power plants or stoves instead of using it in the long term for building and furnishing would push the prices through the roof.
Would badabing please give some references to the statement that Ireland has "enough supply of waste wood to heat 500.000 homes" ? Does that include hazardous waste(treated timber)? I doubt that number very much. Most timber and timber products consumed in Ireland are still imported - as far as I know, no references.
 
I think opportunists are pushing up the wood pellet prices in line with Oil as it increases, I think as the market matures and grows more suppliers will enter and the market will become more competitive and prices will also drop, i think the availabilty of land is not a major issue.

David
 
the wood pellet grant is now 3k. we did not know we had to apply for grant approval first!! so we have lost 1400 euro!! as it went down in 08..
 
poppy1 said:
the [broken link removed]grant is now 3k. we did not know we had to apply for grant approval first!! so we have lost 1400 euro!! as it went down in 08..
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Yes unfortunately this is the case, all grants must be pre approved..

Sorry m8.
 
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