Price? cubic feet against Tonnes?

[luke_mclachlan]

Tim, I share your concerns about people asking for a price per tonne but here's partly the reason why.

 

We're in the process of installing a log gasification boiler linked to the RHI. All of the figures provided by heat engineersinstallersRHI calculations all show fuel usage in tonnes. So it's not surprising that people are asking for a price per tonne when they've been told "you need x tonnes of fuel per year".

 

I've always bought my wood by the cubic metre; usually 4 cubes per year to run two stoves. But now we're told 10 tonnes for a biomass boiler. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've worked this out at roughly 25 cubes of stacked seasoned hardwood or 43 cubes of loose. When I call firewood suppliers and ask of a price for 43 cubic metres it seems to throw them at that level of volume and THEY then ask for tonnage figures!

 

why don't you ask them for the kWh per year figure and work that way? or what moisture content that tonnage is based upon.

the conversion is dependent upon moisture content but i've worked this out to be approx 23 m3 stacked, 35 m3 loose (rounded up).