Biomass Heating | Renewable Heating | St Albans | Hertfordshire

The Renewable Heating Alternatives You Should Know About

According to Sky News, across the EU, 40% of all energy is consumed by buildings and is accountable for 35% of CO2 emissions however, energy consumption in households has dramatically declined over the past 50 years due to an increase in eco-friendly alternatives.

Renewable heating is a hot topic at the moment and has seen a significant increase in recent years due to the numerous attractive benefits to living a more sustainable and eco-friendly life. Renewable heating is an easily accessible option for an environmentally friendly house. Biomass boilers and air source heat pumps are sustainable central heating possibilities which will be explored further.

The UK Governments introduction of the Domestic Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) aims to increase the usage of renewable energy within England, Wales and Scotland with a financial incentive for the homeowner. The goal of the scheme is to convert 12% of UK homes to renewable heating forms by the end of 2020.

Biomass boilers

Biomass boilers are believed to be more efficient and cost effective when compared to a conventional household gas boiler and with them being renewable, they are included in the Renewable Heating Incentive.

Biomass boilers use wood pellets, chips or logs to power central heating and hot water in substitution for fossil fuels to prevent further effects on the environment. Around 8.5 million tonnes of wood go into landfill each year in the UK which could have been repurposed and converted into wood pellets specifically for the use of biomass boilers.

It is worth noting, it is always a good idea to have a collection of wood pellets readily available near the boiler for convenience when they need replacing. Every month the biomass boiler will need to be emptied of the ash which can be placed into a compost heap to fertilise soil which again reduces the amount of waste being produced annually.

Overall, despite installing a biomass boiler could see a large upfront cost, annually investing in a biomass boiler could save you up to £880 when compared to an electric heating system. This form of sustainable central heating would also cut carbon emissions by up to 15.4 tonnes every year compared to a coal fired or electric storage heating system.

Windhager Biomass Boiler installations | St Albans | Hertfordshire | London
Air source heat pumps

When considering an ASHP, it is common for customers to be unsure whether to go for an air-to-water or air-to-heat, heat pump. It is suggested that air-to-water heat pumps are well suited for new builds, this model is the most popular within UK households. Some other important questions to ask yourself before installing to ensure that you’re making the right decision for you and your home are if you have an outside wall available for the unit to be placed and whether your home is well insulated?

Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are an easy replacement for a gas boiler capable of meeting heating and hot water requirements in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. The two main types of ASHPs are air-to-water and air-to-heat whereby the pumps extract energy from the outside air and converts it into heating and hot water! ASHPs are extremely reliable and effective by still providing heat in temperatures as low as -15oC.

Similarly, to a biomass boiler the cost of installation of an ASHP is greater than a conventional boiler however, the maintenance costs after installation are significantly lower. ASHPs are energy efficient, easy to install and RHI approved.

Biomass boilers and ASHPs are both sustainable, economical and both easily accessible forms of renewable heating meaning that there is a choice for everyone to create a more sustainable way of life! If you therefore live in an area where you cannot be connected to a gas supply, renewable heating is the perfect option for you.