A wide choice of sophisticated biomass combustion equipment that offers a range of features, efficiency and convenience equal to the best fossil fuel fired systems, is currently available on the market. Timers, auto-ignition, automatic fuel feed, de-ashing and sophisticated building management systems all contribute to meaning that using biomass as a primary heating fuel can be as straightforward as using fossil fuels.
Summary of the issues to consider
For many people, biomass as a fuel was associated with inefficient, smoky, open fires and carrying heavy baskets of dirty logs. More recently, the rise in popularity of domestic wood burning stoves has helped to make the use of woodfuel a fashionable lifestyle option.
There are, however, a number issues that must be considered when planning a biomass installation:
Biomass is not piped directly into buildings on demand
Fuel quality must considered during planning of a system and fuel purchase
Domestic and light industrial biomass boiler systems tend to be physically larger and more expensive than their fossil fuel equivalents
The biomass energy market in the UK is much less mature than either the fossil fuel market, or than the biomass market in many other countries.
