20 January 2009
Businesses and organisations are not properly informed about biomass heating projects and many are therefore missing out on the benefits, according to a guide published today.
Biomass Heating, A Practical Guide, published by the Carbon Trust, says that the low take-up of biomass heating technology is down to “a lack of understanding of the technology and its potential benefits”.
Biomass typically offers carbon reductions of around 90 per cent relative to fossil fuel heating systems and can offer particular advantages for organisations are not covered by the National Grid.
A typical wood- or straw-burning scheme, can provide savings of between 2p and 4 p per kilowatt hour relative to heating oil according to the authors. This would equate to a £50,000 annual saving for a 1,600 million kilowatt hour heating system (the size that would be needed to serve a typical school).
Mark Williamson, director of innovations at the Carbon Trust, explained: “We’ve become so reliant on oil, gas and electricity that many businesses just aren’t aware of the cost and carbon benefits of turning to biomass for their heating supply. Growing the UK biomass industry can also offer other positive impacts, such as creating new green jobs in the UK and making use of certain waste products that would otherwise go to landfill.”
The Carbon Trust provides interest-free loans of up to £200,000 to help small businesses upgrade to more energy efficient equipment, including biomass boilers.
The guide provides an overview of biomass heating systems and fuels, plus a step-by-step guide to implementing and operating biomass systems.
To download a copy of the guide please go to the Carbon Trust website at:
www.carbontrust.co.uk/biomass
website
website
