Wood Pellet Fire Boilers: A Simple Guide to EfficientPellet Heating

The increasing price of oil and gas has caused many homeowners to look at different heating methods. This leads us into an introduction of wood pellet fire boilers which heat your home by heating the water that you will be using and burning wood pellets made from compressed wood fibres.

While pellet heating systems are more automated than traditional appliances that burn real wood logs, there are still things that need to be considered by the homeowner such as how to store the fuel, how to install them, how to maintain them and what the overall cost to run them will be in the long run.

What Is a Wood Pellet Fire Boiler?

A wood pellet boiler uses small pellets made from compressed sawdust and other wood waste to heat your home. The pellets are delivered to a storage unit area (hopper, bulk bin or silo) to provide heating when needed.

Once there is a need for heating, the fuel feed system automatically feeds Wood Pellet fire boilers to the boiler as required. Radiators, underfloor heating and hot water can be supplied by the heat generated by a wood pellet boiler.

Unlike log stoves, wood pellet boilers do not require the addition of fuel multiple times each day; the fuel supply is automatically managed by the boiler. However, the boiler still needs to be cleaned and have its fuel supply checked fairly regularly to ensure it operates efficiently.

How Do Wood Pellet Boilers Compare to Other Wood Heating Systems?

With traditional wood heating systems, including wood stoves and log fires, users perform significantly more manual labor. The logs must be transported to the home, stored, regularly added to the fire, etc. Wood Pellet fire boilers are typically cleaner and more user-friendly than other types of wood heating because they use dry, uniformly sized fuel that is automatically added to the fire. Wood pellet boilers also tend to provide more consistent heat output.

As you can see, both wood stoves and log burners and pellet boilers require proper storage space for fuel as well as regular maintenance. In addition to the need for regular maintenance and adequate space for storing wood, a pellet boiler requires an electrical connection to power the control panel and fuel feeder.

Key Benefits of Choosing a Wood Pellet Fire Boiler

If Wood Pellet fire boilers systems have been properly sized and installed they may offer numerous benefits:

• Homogeneous heat distribution in the house
• Automatic fuel feeding system
• Less work than log burning systems on a day to day basis
• Can be considered a renewable source of fuel if harvested responsibly
• Generally have lower ash levels than many traditional wood fuels
• Potential cost savings vs oil or gas over time

Savings will vary based upon the cost of pellets, your home’s insulation level, home heating demand, and system efficiency.

What Affects Wood Pellet Boiler Prices in Ireland?

The price will vary based on the size of your building/flat, how much heat you require for your boiler and whether or not your existing heating system is in bad condition or not.

You may also have to pay for extra things, such as:

• Storage for pellets
• A proper flue
• Pipework modifications
• A buffer tank
• Installation and commissioning
• Regular servicing

The overall cost of a system may be impacted by any grants or available financial aid you may be able to access. Therefore, it’s best to check your eligibility for grant or financial aid prior to ordering a system.

Conclusion

If you have enough space for storing wood pellets. You can get good quality wood pellets & your current heating system is suitable, then a Wood Pellet fire boilers can be an option.

While it may require less work to operate than other forms of Wood heating systems, wood pellet boilers still require maintenance from time-to-time. 

To determine if a wood pellet boiler system would work for you, you should take a look at the installation cost, availability of fuel, storage requirements, and how much heat you need in your house. 

The best person to consult with regarding this information will be a trained professional in heating.