Biomass Heating Boiler System

Burning biomass can be considered carbon neutral, since the amount of CO2 released is equal to the amount that was absorbed by the plant during its growth. The two main biomass heating systems are stand-alone stoves which may also have a back boiler to provide hot water, and boilers providing central heating and hot water. There are three main types of fuel supply, logs which must usually be loaded by hand, wood chips and wood pellets which can both be automatically loaded from a storage hopper. The automation of loading these burners means less hassle and mess. Wood pellets are a denser form of energy than wood chips and can therefore be stored in a smaller hopper. Modern wood burning boilers have an efficiency of around 90%, a far cry from traditional open fires which have an efficiency of around 20%.