What is 'biomass'
Although 'biomass' technically refers to plant and animal matter on the Earth's surface, at GSN Renewables we are using the term to refer to wood-fuelled heating systems, which can burn wood pellets, chips or logs to provide heat to power central heating systems and hot water tanks.
A boiler burns logs, pellets or chips, and is connected to a central heating and hot water system. A wood-fuelled boiler could save you nearly £600 a year compared to electric heating. The savings against oil-fired systems can also be considerable, even without considering the ever-increasing cost of oil and the environmental effects of burning it.
A low-carbon fuel
Using biomass as a fuel means that carbon dioxide (CO2) which was absorbed from the air while the plant was growing, is released back into the air when the fuel is burned. The system is said to be carbon neutral. Providing the balance is maintained between the plant growth and biomass use, the system is sustainable and helps combat climate change.
This is why the government are very keen to encourage the use of biomass as an alternative to fossil fuels. The UK also has a huge, underused supply of low-grade sustainable wood suitable for biomass applications.
Clean, low-maintenance technology
Modern wood pellet burning boilers have the benefits of automatic feed, easy to use controllers and very little waste. They work on a 'fill and forget' basis with thermostatic controls and timers. The pellet fuel is clean, ready to use, easy to handle and does not require lengthy drying and seasoning.
There are many versions of pellet burners from attractive feature units for domestic use, right up to large commercial burners for business and industrial use. For more information on these systems, please see our domestic biomass, business biomass or agricultural biomass sections.
Available funding
For domestic customers grants are available until 3rd March 2012 for the purchase of approved systems.
For non-domestic use there are very generous incentives already available.