Wood pellet stoves
- Thread starter Crackle
- Start date
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Tim Bennet.
Entirely Average Member
- Location
- S of Kendal
High set up cost.
High prices for fuel as demand is growing faster than demand and no real competition in supply chain.
No security of fuel supply as pellets are imported.
Produces same CO2 as burning any other fuel.
Some pellets have high ash content.
High prices for fuel as demand is growing faster than demand and no real competition in supply chain.
No security of fuel supply as pellets are imported.
Produces same CO2 as burning any other fuel.
Some pellets have high ash content.
Tim Bennet. said:
If pellets are imported then 'fuel miles' should also be a factor in any environmental considerations... (my coal man supplies logs from locally-felled trees)
I thought that some stoves can burn fuel more efficiently and completely, though. In which case you'd require less fuel? Also, stoves let less heat escape up the chimney than an open fire does ( er, if that's what you're comparing it with)
Well I don't have a couple of years, have to decide now as it's a new house refurb and I'm looking for the future rather than the now, Gas being finite and increasingly more expensive.
Used to be a wood pellet producer where I lived but not here. I suspect they all import at the moment but I'm sure it wouldn't take long to find a renewable producer.
There are also small grants available, not much but it all helps.
Used to be a wood pellet producer where I lived but not here. I suspect they all import at the moment but I'm sure it wouldn't take long to find a renewable producer.
There are also small grants available, not much but it all helps.
U
User482
Guest
The wood pellets are usually produced from waste wood so are close to carbon neutral. In terms of cost and availability of fuel, you'd be better off with an ordinary wood burner. Some come with back boilers so can provide your hot water. Combine this with a solar thermal panel for summer use and you'll substantially lower your carbon foot print...at a price.
Some of them are over 80% efficient (an open fire is 30% efficient) and come in a range of styles. You need to check if you live in a smoke control zone. If you do, you must make sure that your appliance is exempted for use (the shop or manufacturer will tell you).
Some of them are over 80% efficient (an open fire is 30% efficient) and come in a range of styles. You need to check if you live in a smoke control zone. If you do, you must make sure that your appliance is exempted for use (the shop or manufacturer will tell you).
Chris James
Über Member
- Location
- Huddersfield
User482 said:
Yes, but an open fire looks so much nicer!
(Sorry I am no help Crackle)
We having one installed (an Okofen), plus 3 solar panels. Expensive to install, comparatively, and finding a local & capable/knowledgeable installer proved difficult. We're lucky to have 2 manufacturers of pellets within 50km of us, but that really is luck and not representative of alls regions.
For us, it was a relatively easy decision. Being rural, we had options of gas or fuel supply in tanks, solid fuel, electricity or heat exchange pumps. If we had the available land space, we would have considered geothermal heat exchange. Air-air exchange pumps are popular here (and other European countries) but I wasn't convinced of their efficiency when the air temperature drops - which is when you most need them! It meant top-up from electric, kind of defeating the purpose.
Oil, gas and electric are expensive so it only really left us with solid fuel options. Pellets provide a more efficient heating system and with auto-feed are near as dammit fit and forget. We're having a silo for bulk storage and reckon a single delivery (by truck) will last us around 10 months.
If you haven't already spoken to someone, I recommend Organic Energy in Welshpool. They helped me out with some queries even though I wasn't buying from them (my French isn't up to asking/understanding our local supplier!) .
For us, it was a relatively easy decision. Being rural, we had options of gas or fuel supply in tanks, solid fuel, electricity or heat exchange pumps. If we had the available land space, we would have considered geothermal heat exchange. Air-air exchange pumps are popular here (and other European countries) but I wasn't convinced of their efficiency when the air temperature drops - which is when you most need them! It meant top-up from electric, kind of defeating the purpose.
Oil, gas and electric are expensive so it only really left us with solid fuel options. Pellets provide a more efficient heating system and with auto-feed are near as dammit fit and forget. We're having a silo for bulk storage and reckon a single delivery (by truck) will last us around 10 months.
If you haven't already spoken to someone, I recommend Organic Energy in Welshpool. They helped me out with some queries even though I wasn't buying from them (my French isn't up to asking/understanding our local supplier!) .
meenaghman
Guru
I've heard there's problems with the silos and rats/mice either clogging the autofeed mechs or peeing on the pellets and those sticking together and clogging the autofeed. I suppose one could always buy a cat !
Chris James
Über Member
- Location
- Huddersfield
Uncle Mort said:You get superb looking stoves!
Yes you can and a lot of the aesthetic depnds on what type of house / room it goes into.
My wife's old house had a wood burning stove which I liked lots. It was an 1860s cottage and the stove matched tehr oom really well.
However, when we moved house, in an eco vandalism moment we actually built a chimney on the side of our new home and installed a cast iron fireplace with a coal grate. I much prefer the open-ness of an open fire if that makes sense.
We had an open fire when we moved in to this place a year ago. Yes, an open fire is lovely and we had some excellent nights by the fire. Problem was, it's fek all good for heating the house! You loose a helluva lot of heat up the chimney and, when there's no fire, you have the equivalent of an eff-ing great whole in your house!
We recently installed what the French call an 'insert' into the chimney - basically a stove sealed into the existing fireplace. It is glass fronted so you can still see the fire but it is way more effective for heating. I miss playing with the open fire but that's a small price to pay for being warm!
We recently installed what the French call an 'insert' into the chimney - basically a stove sealed into the existing fireplace. It is glass fronted so you can still see the fire but it is way more effective for heating. I miss playing with the open fire but that's a small price to pay for being warm!
Thanks for that lead Yello, Welshpool is not far, though there are some closer by but I'm not sure if they install.
Well it's definetly a smokeless area so open wood fires are out anyway. Space is also an issue, it's a Victorian end terrace, so hoppers are a no, no. It's one of the things I'm trying to find out about is the cubic volume of half a ton of wood chips and how many times a week I'll have to fill it up. I was also looking at solar or rather preparation for solar as I doubt it will be affordable just now as we have a lot to do.
Yello, presumably even if you want hot water in summer, it's spewing out space heat as well or can you turn off the fans?
Well it's definetly a smokeless area so open wood fires are out anyway. Space is also an issue, it's a Victorian end terrace, so hoppers are a no, no. It's one of the things I'm trying to find out about is the cubic volume of half a ton of wood chips and how many times a week I'll have to fill it up. I was also looking at solar or rather preparation for solar as I doubt it will be affordable just now as we have a lot to do.
Yello, presumably even if you want hot water in summer, it's spewing out space heat as well or can you turn off the fans?
U
User482
Guest
I forgot to mention that there are wood burning stoves that are thermostatically controlled - they regulate the vents to achieve a pre-set temp, and damp down during the night so you don't have to re-light in the morning. Impressive stuff.
Sadly, the chimneys have been taken out of my house so installing a stove would be very complicated.
These guys have useful info: http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/
Sadly, the chimneys have been taken out of my house so installing a stove would be very complicated.
These guys have useful info: http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/
Crackle said:
Sorry, just realised you said stove - we're installing a water heater/boiler. We'll have a wet heating system - under floor heating in our case but it could equally be radiators.
In theory, it could be turned off over the summer and the solar panels could provide enough hot water but I suspect that won't happen in reality. The system is configured, odd as it may seem, to treat solar as the primar supply and the the wood pellet boiler as back-up - just that in winter it'll be providing back-up most of the time! The UFH is on a separate circuit and will probably be off during summer months.
