Outside of the major metropolitan areas of Scotland most of the country is not on the gas grid. In fact, in the Highlands and Western Scotland between 55-85% of buildings are off gas grid. Meaning many of these areas rely entirely on non-gas heating.
In the past, the primary alternative to gas heating across the UK was oil heating. Generally provided through on-site oil tanks supplying an oil burning boiler.
But what if you wanted an alternative to oil heating in Scotland?
When it comes to off-gas grid locations (such as Scotland and the Scottish Isles), typically the options for heating tend to be limited. Oil heating is a very bad solution as burning fossil fuels is highly carbon emitting, expansive and old fashion. Another solution would be an electrical heating system, which is the most expansive one and running on electrical power with low efficiency, high costs and not rated as renewable. In some instances a heat pump could be a good solution, but only if a low temperature heat distribution is available as underfloor heating.
In most cases biomass is the only reliable, viable and consistent oil heating alternative.
Biomass burns wooden fuel, most commonly pellets made from waste wood or sustainable, managed forests. This means that it produces heat at a consistent level regardless of the time of day or atmospheric conditions. Furthermore, the wood pellets are the energy store, so no wasted excess energy is produced, the boiler simply heats as required, when required, burning as much fuel as needed to produce the required heating and hot water demand.
The efficiency of energy production from a biomass boiler is comparable to that of a gas boiler, so you are not compromising on quality or efficiency. In fact, it can be cheaper to run than an oil boiler.
Better still, unlike oil heating, biomass heating qualify for the government’s renewable heat incentive scheme. This means that you can be paid for each kWh of energy your boiler produces for up to seven years for domestic installations or even twenty years for commercial installations. With the lower fuel costs and the RHI payments, most biomass boilers pay for themselves within five years of installation.
If you are looking for an alternative to oil heating in Scotland please contact us today and arrange your free heating survey.
