Property Type and Location
Mr and Mrs Craig live in a detached cottage in rural Carmarthenshire. The house and hot water were heated from an old but still functioning oil boiler in an attached utility building. Concerned about their impact on the environment, the Craigs were looking to make the transition to a biomass boiler. They also had an empty alcove in their kitchen which had previously been home to a range cooker, which they wanted to make use of.
Birds’ Hill Solution
Nick Cater from Birdshill Biomass discussed a number of options with the Craigs. The convenience of wood pellets appealed to Mr and Mrs Craig. There would have been space in the utility building for a large system with the advantages of auto-refueling and less-frequent cleaning. However, the Craigs decided on the striking new 23kw Klover Smart 80 biomass boiler-cooker in order to make use of the empty alcove and to bring an attractive heat source and an additional hob into their kitchen – the heart of their home.
The added bonus of making the switch to biomass in this instance was a return from the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) over 7 years of more than double the cost of the installed biomass boiler.
New Renewable Heating System Benefits
- More than 2x the installed cost of the biomass boiler to be recouped over 7 years under the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
- By moving away from fossil fuels, Mr and Mrs Craig have significantly reduced their carbon footprint.
- A new attractive feature boiler with hotplates takes pride of place in the previously empty alcove.
- Up to 5kw of heat is delivered to the room by the boiler
Installation
Birds’ Hill Biomass decommissioned and removed the old boiler from the outbuilding and installed a Klover Smart 80 biomass boiler-hob in the kitchen alcove. By working with the existing plumbing the team at Birds’ Hill Biomass was able to keep installation costs to a minimum. Some work had to be done to bring the floor of the alcove down to the same level as the rest of the room. This was time well spent because it enables installation of the alcove kit that allows the wood pellet boiler to be rolled out for essential maintenance. Some additional radiators were also installed and the services of local electricians employed so that the biomass boiler could be wired up in accordance with regulations. A final tricky job was relining the awkward chimney with a flexible liner – but no problem for the experienced team from Birds’ Hill
Running the System
The system is automated, allowing the owners to programme the time the heat and hot water come on. It is also cleaner and much easier to operate, saving them plenty of time and dirty, hard labour.
The wood pellets are delivered in 10kg bags by Forever Fuels on a pallet to their home once a quarter, and then stored in an outbuilding. The bags of pellets are far cleaner and easier to handle than the coal, substantially reducing the amounts of both work and the dirt.
Funding
The switch to Biomass delivered cost-savings from the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to boot. An additional benefit is the recouping of more than double the installed cost of the biomass boiler over 7 years in the form of payments under the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
