Heating
Biomass Boiler
Biomass is organic material derived from plants and animals. Burning these biological materials in a biomass boiler provides a renewable and sustainable source of heat. Biomass boilers work in a similar manner to conventional boilers, where water is heated up and then circulated to provide the heating requirements for a building. They can therefore easily be retrofitted into an existing system, as well as being installed as part of a brand-new heating system.
Whilst biomass heating systems will cost more than the equivalent fossil fuel boiler, there are significant financial benefits by opting for biomass with a typical installation seeing return on investment of around 20% for 20 years. The cost of a fully installed biomass system can vary depending on a number of things. If we are just considering the plant room then a biomass boiler will make up around 55% of the project cost, with the other components around 30% and finally labour will be about 15%.
A basic domestic installation with a 20kW system will cost around £15k, then larger more commercial systems will be around £32,500 for a 50kW, £42,500 for a 100kW, £80,000 for a 250kW, £160,000 for a 500kW and £250,000 for a 1MW.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air source heat pumps are a kind of renewable energy technology which take the warmth from the air outside (even when it’s quite cold) and use it to heat the home. You can also get heat pumps that do the same thing using the warmth in the ground, but air source heat pumps tend to be suitable for a wider range of properties. And because the air (or ground) is heated by the sun, the energy that heat pumps produce is still classed as ‘renewable’, even though the pump itself is powered by electricity. There are two types of air source heat pump. Air-to-water systems heat water which is then circulated around the home via radiators or an underfloor heating system. They can also be used to heat water in a storage tank for the bathroom or kitchen. Air-to-air systems typically use fans to circulate warm air around the home and cannot be used to heat water.