March 1, 2024 Wood Heat Conference
Insights from the Wood Heat Conference 2023
The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) hosted the 2023 Wood Heat Conference at the Chesford Grange Hotel on 24 and 25 October 2023. The conference brought together engineers, entrepreneurs, installers, regulators, and policymakers from the world of biomass heating.
On the agenda: the state of the wood heat sector, public perceptions of biomass, market developments on the continent, industry standards & regulations, and much more. Here are some of the highlights and things we learned.
Biomass is constantly overlooked as a source of renewable energy
Wood Heat Forum chair Terence McCracken opened the conference with a powerful call for government and regulatory support, and for the wood heat sector to advocate for itself to legislators and to Whitehall.
Terence reflected on the watering-down of the government’s Net Zero initiatives; delaying the oil boiler and ICE vehicle bans, the lack of replacement for the RHI, and the poorly administered and promoted Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
The Wood Heat sector, Terence explained, is constantly expected to justify itself, is unfairly singled out for scrutiny, and receives a fraction of the support that other renewables get. The government’s biomass policy lacked ideas (despite its verbal support) and green energy schemes still place undue weight on heat humps as the solution to renewable heat.
However, ending on a note of optimism, Terence noted that the future must look bright for bioenergy. Biomass is ‘always available and always cheaper’ and among the lessons from the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the reminder that we should be relying on home-grown chips and pellets and fuel, rather than importing our fuel.
In Scotland alone, there are 170,000 homes using high-carbon heating
The conference’s first panel session ‘Biomass Heat: State of the Sector UK’, illustrated the extent of the challenge by calculating the carbon impact of off-grid fossil fuel heating in Scotland alone.
170,000 homes off the gas grid in Scotland use high-carbon heating. Assuming those homes use oil (the least heavily emitting of oil, LPG, and coal) they will be emitting an average of 5,200kgs of carbon per year from heating. That’s 884 million kilos (or 884,000 tonnes) of carbon every year, just in Scotland.
The Scottish government plans to move off-grid properties onto heat pumps, but at least 40,000 homes are unsuitable for heat pumps which require excellent insulation and large radiators or underfloor heating, and which are less effective at lower temperatures.
The UK as a whole has almost 4.5 million off-grid homes. Without giving biomass the support it needs, the transition to Net Zero is doomed to fail.
Europe is taking bolder steps towards Net Zero
Silvio Spiess, Innasol, presented on the state of the wood heat market in Germany and Austria, where support for the transition to renewable energy is more robust and less partisan. In Silvio’s words, ‘Net Zero is not a matter of left or right — it is a matter of physics.’
The markets like Germany where (in)dependence on Russian fossil fuel is motivating change, energy security is a priority, and citizens are enthusiastic about reducing their carbon footprint, Net Zero is less controversial, and biomass installers are generally booked a year in advance.
Sales of biomass boilers, Germany, 2018-2022
In Austria, the incentive to replace fossil fuel heating is €10,000-€16,000, up to 50% of the installation cost, and in 2024 the grant is set to be increased. From 2020, Austria banned oil and coal heating in new buildings, and will ban gas heating in new buildings from 2024.
Can the UK follow the example of our neighbours, and take bolder steps toward decarbonisation by prioritising incentives and support?
As Silvio pointed out, progress comes from ‘political leadership, strong commitment, positive communication, energy security and independence, and government incentives’. It is hindered by ‘ideologically driven public debates, absent or unattractive government incentives, and ignoring the end customer’s concerns’.
What next for wood heat?
For the UK’s off-grid homes and businesses, bioenergy is the reliable, effective, and renewable alternative to fossil fuel heating. If the wood heat sector can unite its voice and provide clear, consistent advice to the government and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, then we can assist with the transition to renewable heat, and the UK’s legally-binding Net Zero commitments.
If your business is hoping to achieve energy independence and dramatically reduce your heating bills, Innasol can help answer your questions call 01621 892613 for a no-obligation conversation with a renewable energy expert near you.
