In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, it sometimes pays to stick close to home. Wood is a case in point. It’s available throughout the UK. All it needs are heating systems that can burn it.
Which is where Wood Energy comes in. It’s a business that sells wood burning boilers for commercial and residential use. Costing between £200 and £400 per kW, the boilers have outputs ranging from 15kW to 10MW. The emphasis is rightly on quality with the wood burning at 90% efficiency.
By early 2010, a total of 230 commercial boilers had been installed with a capacity of 64GW, together with a similar numbers of residential installations. 31,000 tonnes/year of CO2 is being saved. Users include hospitals, schools, local authorities and national parks – and the boiler system for the National Assembly of Wales.
And by promoting the use of wood, the company has encouraged the development of the wood fuel supply chain, creating jobs in the production and supply business as well as encouraging regular management of the woodland itself. As one proud owner said, “I always had an interest, and really felt that some idiot had to set the ball rolling.” Wood Energy has done just that.
