heating with Biomass, have I got the figures right?

[Marko]

Only from a point of being an RHI approved biomass supplier and also from being involved to a greater or lesser extent in a number of enquiries (including my own).

 

For what it is worth the domestic RHI didn't stack up for our own home. The morso in the middle of the house, solar thermal and solar PV keep the gas and leccy bills to a minimum. Installing a log boiler would just about break even over the seven years BUT we would have had to get rid of the old cast iron gas boiler which, whilst seldom used, it is a great safety net.

 

On the commercial tarrif, for our big shed it worked out at a £25k investment to produce an income of £8k a year less of course the cost of fuel, labour and maintenance costs. I took the view that it is better to sell the wood it would consume and put a jumper on.

 

However, for a variety of good reasons it all added up for my brother and he (after sifting through many nonsense proposals of £20k-£30k got the job properly sorted for under £10k and is hopefully on the last lap of getting the (commercial) RHI tariff.

 

We have a lot of local horticultural businesses in the area and the numbers really do add up for heating greenhouses. No question about it. Perhaps it is all about scale.

[Marko]

Happened to be at the first delivery of chip to a new install this morning. It was for heating glasshouses for bedding plants - oil out - biomass in. Payback 5 years. The arrangement on this install is that Stobarts are paid off the RHI meter for actual heat produced rather than the load delivered. Hopefully the install will be finished and the boiler fired next week.

[difflock]

Just downloaded the latest Northern Ireland figures

Now 5.6p/kWh

sigh

and capped at an absolute Max of £2,000.00 per dwelling, regardless of circumstances.

sigh

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Just downloaded the latest Northern Ireland figures

Now 5.6p/kWh

sigh

and capped at an absolute Max of £2,000.00 per dwelling, regardless of circumstances.

sigh

 

 

Hardly an incentive to move away from traditional systems and fossil fuels - pretty poor show!

[difflock]

Indeed, so proceeding VERY cautiously!

Getting an EPC done tomorrow, hopefully £55.00 well spent.

To get some idea of the likely annual payback on the "deemed" basis, cos otherwise screwed with the much-loved Morso stoves not insignificent contribution to our heat demands.

I will hate to take the oil boiler out, but if that is what is needed, cough cough.

Looking at either a Froling or Herz installation, though the Froling is well expensive at about £7,500.00 for a 36Kw S3 boiler ALONE, plus other not inconsiderable costs.

PS

The Herz guy allows the NI scheme is "well generous", I did somewhat acidly state from the installers perspective, it could be, but NOT form a fuel-wood purchasers perspective.

Needabe stark raving bonkers to pay the capital install costs and then BUY the firewood!

cheers

M

Edited December 17, 2014 by difflock

[Marko]

The Domestic didn't stack up for us on our house (break even at very best). The house is in effect already heated with wood (but the gas boiler is there just in case) so the RHI proposal was to pump in a good chunk of capital and remove the safety net of the gas boiler in order to slowly get our own capital back. It made no sense at all to us.

 

Commercial was quite different, a similar time to break even but another 13 years of 'incentive' to be had after that. A decent return on capital that is guaranteed.

[difflock]

The Domestic didn't stack up for us on our house (break even at very best). The house is in effect already heated with wood (but the gas boiler is there just in case) so the RHI proposal was to pump in a good chunk of capital and remove the safety net of the gas boiler in order to slowly get our own capital back. It made no sense at all to us.

 

Commercial was quite different, a similar time to break even but another 13 years of 'incentive' to be had after that. A decent return on capital that is guaranteed.

 

Thank you Marko, a very sensible post indeed:thumbup:, and probably near enough our own model,

 

where if I were to sell the wood

 

I will require to burn

 

to replace the annual fill(Ok fill-n-a-bit) of oil.

 

Only break-even.

Without the hassle or capital expenditure

Sigh!

[treefolk]

We have nearly completed the installation of an 18 kw biomass boiler. Hoping to get it signed off and registered before january as payback is tipped to drop 10%. It's a big undertaking but I reckon well worth it. For us at least, we have no mains gas and apart from a big log burner all electric heaters. I have done most of the work myself which has saved a packet, though still a big investment. We stand to make back just over what it costs us to install. I'd be happy to answer any questions based on my experience of the whole thing.

[difflock]

We have nearly completed the installation of an 18 kw biomass boiler. Hoping to get it signed off and registered before january as payback is tipped to drop 10%. It's a big undertaking but I reckon well worth it. For us at least, we have no mains gas and apart from a big log burner all electric heaters. I have done most of the work myself which has saved a packet, though still a big investment. We stand to make back just over what it costs us to install. I'd be happy to answer any questions based on my experience of the whole thing.

 

Except to be accepted on the NI scheme, one is required to use an approved (MGS/MCS?, I think) installer, AND get Building Control certification etc etc.

Hoops n more hoops

Otherwise I would simply source a HERZ or FROLING boiler (an the other wheen o bits n bobs) for cold hard cash.

The scheme is quite seriously set up so as to benefit the installers, imho.

sigh

And quite seriously?

Can merely recovering the installation costs make any sense, with the added labour input and hassle of tending a log-burner on a daily basis and storing and moving the fuel-wood etc etc.

Compared to the simplicity of insulation and heating oil?

regards,

marcus

Edited December 17, 2014 by difflock

[treefolk]

It has to be certified by mcs installer here too. I think we are lucky in that we already knew the installer so trust him totally.