Biomass heating systems praised by The Times

The Times newspaper has today published an article on the benefits of wood pellets for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). This is due to a combination of reduced carbon emissions and financial benefits for public sector businesses.

The RHI offers incentives to encourage the installation of biomass boilers, heat pumps or solar thermal units. The payments are based on the metered amount of heat generated and will be paid quarterly for the next 20 years. The article refers to biomass boilers are the most popular route to take for public sector organisations, due to the ease of installation.

Tim Minett, CPL Distribution Chief Executive, commented: "There has been a huge investment in the manufacture of wood pellets. Production capacity in the UK is around 600,000 tonnes a year and we are consuming one tenth of that."

The Government are predicting that 112,000 biomass installations will be made in the commercial and public sector by 2020, cutting carbon emissions by an estimated 43 million tonnes.

Public sector businesses have been encouraged to take advantage of the generous tariffs on offer now, as these aren't expected to remain for much longer. Tim Minett added: "For a typical school or hospital, you'll get payback within three to four years. So, given the fact that the RHI lasts for 20 years, once you've paid off the initial outlay you are making savings."