The modern wood pellet boiler, which is typically sized to heat an entire home (100,000 BTU/hr) or small commercial building, is nothing short of amazing. The boiler heats water to about 74ºC and the ignition and combustion control are controlled by a conventional-looking thermostat.

These boilers are designed to be an integral part of a normal hot water system, sharing the same plumbing and control systems.

Wood pellets are a clean, organic product manufactured using the by-products of sawmills and other mechanical wood processing plants. The manufacture of pellets therefore does not reduce the forest resources as such, but helps to further increase the utility ratio of the processed wood. Pellets consist of compressed sawdust, cutter chips and other such wooden material, which has been reduced into wood pulp and then shaped into smooth cylinders. No chemical substances are used in the manufacturing process and the lignin of the wood acts as a binding agent.

Pellet heating systems are ideal for small houses, even in built-up areas. Designs must allow for a suitable pellet store in the building. One cubic metre of loose pellets weighs approximately 650 kg. Each tonne of pellets requires approximately 1.5 m3 of storage space. In practice, the volume of the pellet store built in the house should be at least 6-7 m3.

Pellets burn cleanly – being a wood-based fuel, pellets do not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and therefore do not contribute to the greenhouse effect.

For more details on wood pellet boilers and to find UK suppliers then please click on the link below.

www.nef.org.uk/logpile