How many of you run chip boilers at home?

[skyhuck]

And another thing to bear in mind is that the follow on from the new feed in tariffs on electric generation at home is going to be a "renewable heat incentive" so you might - and I say might 'cos I don't want to end up getting in trouble for telling someone a porky - get paid a bit for producing your own domestic heating from woodchips. It's due to get announced over the summer I think...

 

Renewable Heat Incentive - Department of Energy and Climate Change

 

Watch how the market for woodchip and pellets opens up a year from now!

 

I am hoping that some domestic combined heat and power chip boiler become available in the near future.

[Jon Lad]

our gas bill came in and it was £410 from feb to now, i live in a 2 bedroom semi, and i now have an open fire that heats the living room and dining room, so those radiators are off, we never have the thermostat over 19 during the day and it gets set to 16 from 10pm to 8 am it is a joke:thumbdown:

 

how does that compare to you mate:confused1:

 

When you say from Feb to now, do you mean Feb '09 to now?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I love the idea of a chip boiler, my boss had a rough estimate for his three bed barn 5k there abouts, youd have to have it a long time to reap it back but it has to be worth it.

[armchairarborist]

chap i keep bumping into runs local stove shop and swears by chip boilers, think we'll be talking prices next time i see him.. keep ya posted

[bushy]

I looked into a biomass boiler but went for a charnwood boiler stove that runs 10 radiators in the end. I'm afraid you need woodchip with a moisture content below 20%. The commercial biomass suppliers chip seasoned timber with the exception of a few very efficient boilers. You could always go down the route of a log fired boiler in an out house, big fire box that you load up once a day then hot water stored in a 1000 litre accumulater tank. We worked out that a woodburner with built-in back boiler was best for us. We paid under 4k including the plumbing. These biomass boilers are more likely to be 10k. I hope this helps.

[djbobbins]

I am hoping that some domestic combined heat and power chip boiler become available in the near future.

 

Can't be long until someone knocks one up in a shed somewhere... the problem is how to get sufficient pressure of steam to drive a microturbine or a sterling engine from wood I suppose.

 

I've got a welder in the garage; I might have to look into it!

[skyhuck]

Can't be long until someone knocks one up in a shed somewhere... the problem is how to get sufficient pressure of steam to drive a microturbine or a sterling engine from wood I suppose.

 

I've got a welder in the garage; I might have to look into it!

 

If you need some one to try out a prototype give me a shout:thumbup:

 

I have a couple of 500,000 BTU wood burning boilers, could one of those be adapted??

[Stephen Blair]

When you say from Feb to now, do you mean Feb '09 to now?

 

i wish, feb 10 till now.:thumbdown:my house is well insulated, snow on the roof for months this year.no drafts either. double glazing. i live in the town so no reason for an expensive tarrif. electronic meter, what can you do:confused1:and i will have my electric bill onto that aswell.

 

big logburner time down the basement i think linked into the central heating, i would just disconnect the gas, they say its a nightmare trying to get a combi and burner to work together, i dont have an overhead tank anymore in the house, so that would be an added ball ache:sneaky2:

[njc110381]

Steve, my old boss runs a large wood burner with a gas backup. I can ask him how it works of you like? He said it wasn't easy to set up but now it runs a treat. If his burner temp drops too low the gas boiler kicks in. It does hot water and radiators.

 

On the moisture content thing the boilers I looked at could run (not at full efficiency mind) at up to 45% moisture. I think that problem could be got around by chipping year old cord wood in the summer and dry storing it in a shed.

 

The calculations on chip vs gas usage were very good. Thanks to whoever posted that info. By the look of our gas bill 10m2 of hardwood chip or 16m2 of softwood should do us a winter?

[Stephen Blair]

thanks mate that would be great, as for dry chip, just chip dry wood as you need it. i would get a little gloria or the cheapest chipper with an engine i could lay my hands on, incorporate it with a shed storage hopper combo, just chip as you go once a week or daily. or if you can easily get a chipper leave room for it to be put in place and blast right in the hopper