From reducing carbon footprints to utilising waste wood, these boilers offer a multitude of benefits. Before investing, you want to be confident that switching from your current heat source will bring quantifiable value, whether that’s saving money on operating costs or contributing to your corporate sustainability goals. We’re looking at whether biomass boilers are worth it in this article, covering the advantages for businesses.
How can businesses benefit from biomass boilers?
Discover the notable benefits to help you decide whether these boilers are the right choice for your business.
High efficiency
One of the most compelling features of biomass boilers is their efficiency. With efficiency rates typically between 80% and 90%, these boilers ensure optimal fuel use, which translates into tangible savings on heating costs and reduced environmental impact.
Cost-effective
Compared to other fuel sources, such as gas, oil and electricity, biomass offers more affordable fuel sources.
Wood chip particularly jumps to mind. In some cases, this can even be sourced for free. Businesses that produce waste wood can use this as fuel. This includes timber and logs from agricultural or arboricultural works, and pallets or packaging from factories or warehouses.
This also reduces the amount of waste you need to professionally remove from your site, giving your recycling initiative a boost.
Even if you source outside your own waste resources, you can support the local economy with minimal expense.
If you replace your biomass boiler, you could retain your existing RHI tariff, so you can continue to receive money from the government depending on how much heat you require. However, as the RHI scheme has now finished for new installations, this relies on your business already owning a boiler or purchasing a second hand boiler with an existing tariff.
The above-mentioned points make biomass boilers a more cost-effective heat source than those that rely on burning fossil fuels.
Eco-friendly
Not many people know that biomass is a carbon-neutral energy source, as the fuel can be replenished.
Biomass significantly mitigates carbon footprints and reduces reliance on fossil fuels, combating climate change at its core. Moreover, by creating fewer emissions, these boilers help to work towards a cleaner, greener future. In fact, switching to biomass can save up to 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.Biomass significantly mitigates carbon footprints and reduces reliance on fossil fuels, combating climate change at its core. Moreover, by creating fewer emissions, these boilers help to work towards a cleaner, greener future. In fact, switching to biomass can save up to 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
As long as biomass is responsibly sourced, it can produce a range of environmental and socio-economic benefits. For many, biomass will be a locally-sourced resource, which makes it more accessible. With locally-sourced fuel, biomass boilers minimise emissions from transportation and support rural economies, embodying a holistic approach to sustainability.
Are biomass boilers worth it?
By embracing biomass boilers, businesses are investing in fuel efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness.
Businesses that could particularly benefit include those that have a high energy demand. Also, if your business generates a lot of waste wood, such as log merchants, factories or agricultural businesses, then biomass boilers are a great option to utilise this waste. It’s not just larger facilities that stand to benefit—as long as you have a demand for heat and enough space for a boiler, it could be a worthwhile investment. Instead of relying too heavily on fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gases and are becoming increasingly expensive, biomass could be a carbon-and-cost-saving switch for many.
To find out more about how they work and the installation process, contact the team at GlenFarrow.
