Biomass Boiler Ireland: Guide and Prices

By Cormac Breen

Content Manager

Cormac is Selectra.ie's energy expert along with being the chief content and editorial manager for the website. His aim is to help find the best deal for you and your home energy needs so that you save money on your annual bills. His knowledge and experience of the Irish energy market allows him to offer the best advice and insight into current prices, emerging trends and overall energy saving tips.

The cost of a biomass boiler generally ranges from €3,000 to €25,000 depending on the size, brand and any specific features. A biomass boiler is a type of heating system that uses biomass fuel to generate heat. Biomass fuel is any organic material, commonly wood chips or pellets, that can be burned to produce energy.

How Much Does a Biomass Boiler Cost?

For a domestic property, the cost of a biomass boiler generally ranges from €3,000 to €25,000.

The cost of the biomass boiler depends on the following factors:

• The type of biomass boiler
• The fuel type
• The storage size

Before buying a biomass boiler, you should request quotes from different companies to compare prices. In addition to the boiler itself, you should also get a quote for how much it will cost to deliver and install the biomass boiler.

Below you will find a table that show the average estimated prices for some popular biomass boiler brands:

How Much Does Biomass Boiler Fuel Cost?

The cost of a bag of wood pellets for a biomass boiler varies depending on the quantity purchased and the supplier. Typically, the prices for wood pellets when bought in small bags (10kg or 15kg) range around €500 per tonne.

When buying in larger quantities, such as a tonne delivered in one large bag or bulk, the cost can be slightly lower, around €460 for large bags or approximately €430 for bulk deliveries.

Biomass fuel can typically be purchased from suppliers that specialize in renewable energy solutions or directly from companies that produce biomass fuels like wood pellets, wood chips, and logs.

Here are a few options and considerations for purchasing biomass boiler fuel in Ireland:

• Local Fuel Suppliers: Many companies across Ireland supply biomass fuels. These can often be found by searching for local renewable energy or biomass fuel suppliers in your area.
• Wood Pellet Suppliers: Companies like Balcas Energy, which is one of the largest producers of wood pellets in Ireland, offer biomass pellets specifically designed for heating.
• Agricultural Suppliers: Some agricultural supply stores may offer biomass fuels, especially in rural areas where these heating systems are more common.
• Online Retailers: There are online platforms where you can order biomass fuel to be delivered directly to your location.
• Renewable Energy Specialists: Companies that specialize in renewable energy solutions often supply the necessary fuels or can direct you to a reliable supplier.

What Is a Biomass Boiler?

A biomass boiler is a type of boiler that uses biomass fuels to generate heat.

Biomass fuels are renewable energy sources derived from organic materials such as wood, agricultural residues, and waste.

The following are the most common fuels for a biomass boiler:

• Wood (logs, chips or pellets)
• Straw
• Animal waste
• Agricultural waste
• Crops

These fuels are burned in the boiler to heat water, which can then be used for space heating, domestic hot water, or industrial processes.

Even though a range of fuels can be used, different biomass boiler types require different biomass fuels. If you use the wrong type of biomass fuel, it could result in the following:

• Safety issues
• Boiler damage
• Boiler inefficiency
• Excessive emissions
• Blockage in the feed hopper

Biomass boilers tend to be much larger than other types of boilers. This is because the boiler needs to be large enough to hold a large amount of fuel, such as wood pellets.

You may also choose to install an automatic feed hopper, which would take up even more room.

How Does a Biomass Boiler Work?

A biomass boiler works by burning biological materials, such as wood or crops.

Here is a break-down of how a biomass boiler works:

1. Biomass materials are fed (either automatically or by hand) into a combustion chamber, where they are burned.
2. This burning process produces hot gas and air.
3. The hot gas and air pass through a flue.
4. They then pass through a heat exchanger. This transfers the heat to the water used in the central heating system.
5. Any excess heat is stored in a thermal tank.

If you have a manual hopper, you will need to refuel it every one to two days during the winter months and every two to three weeks during the summer.

Biomass boilers are designed to last around 20 years comapred to high-quality electric and gas boilers will typically last 15 to 25 years, with regular servicing, and an oil boiler usually lasts 15 to 20 years.

Regular maintenance will help your biomass boiler last longer and avoid the need for replacement. You should get a standard boiler service every year (or every 2,500 running hours) and an extended service every two years.

A service can also help you with bleeding your boiler and will protect you from accidents such as carbon monoxide leaks.

How Efficient Are Biomass Boilers?

When properly installed and maintained, biomass boilers have an efficiency of around 80% to 90%.

With an efficiency rating of 90%, around 10 cents are wasted for every euro spent on heating.

For comparison, electric boilers have an efficiency rating of 99 to 100% and gas boilers typically have a maximum efficiency rating of 93%. Biomass boilers also use a lot less water than combi boilers.

What Different Biomass Boiler Types Are There?

These are the most common types of biomass boilers:

1. Fully Automated Biomass Boiler
   With this type of biomass boiler, the wood is automatically fed from a hopper (or sometimes a silo) into the boiler’s combustion chamber.
2. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Biomass Boiler
   CHP boilers generate both heat and electricity. These are more suitable for larger businesses.
3. Semi-Automated Biomass Boiler (Residential)
   These boilers are smaller and designed for residential properties. Their appearance resembles a standard log burner, and they have recently become much more popular in smaller homes.
4. Semi-Automated Biomass Boiler (Industrial)
   These boilers come with a hopper that can hold a reasonable amount of fuel. It will, however, need to be manually replenished more often. These boilers are cheaper than fully automated units.
5. Log-Fed Biomass Boiler
   These units are appropriate for those with access to firewood. They can be rather time-consuming as they must be fed by hand. They are generally cheaper than automated boilers.
6. Wood Stove
   Besides an open fire, this is the most basic form of a biomass heating unit. It is, however, much more efficient than an open fire and can be used to heat the whole home and provide hot water.

What Are the Advantages of Biomass Boilers?

Although biomass boilers are a more environmentally friendly means of heating your home, their high upfront cost, similar to that of condensing boilers, and the large space required to store them may lead people to choose more conventional boilers for their homes.

Here are some of the pros and cons of biomass boilers:

By Cormac Breen

Content Manager

Cormac is Selectra.ie's energy expert along with being the chief content and editorial manager for the website. His aim is to help find the best deal for you and your home energy needs so that you save money on your annual bills. His knowledge and experience of the Irish energy market allows him to offer the best advice and insight into current prices, emerging trends and overall energy saving tips.