biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating ed suttie

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1 biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating ed suttie

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3 biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating ed suttie

4 ii biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating This work has been funded by BRE Trust. Any views expressed are not necessarily those of BRE Trust. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and quality of information and guidance when it is first published, BRE Trust can take no responsibility for the subsequent use of this information, nor for any errors or omissions it may contain. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. The mission of BRE Trust is Through education and research to promote and support excellence and innovation in the built environment for the benefit of all. Through its research programmes BRE Trust aims to achieve: a higher quality built environment built facilities that offer improved functionality and value for money a more efficient and sustainable construction sector, with a higher level of innovative practice. A further aim of BRE Trust is to stimulate debate on challenges and opportunities in the built environment. BRE Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (no ) and registered as a charity in England (no ) and in Scotland (no. SC039320). Registered Office: Bucknalls Lane, Garston, Watford, Herts WD25 9XX BRE Trust Garston, Watford WD25 9XX Tel: secretary@bretrust.co.uk BRE Trust and BRE publications are available from or IHS BRE Press Willoughby Road Bracknell RG12 8FB Tel: Fax: brepress@ihs.com Requests to copy any part of this publication should be made to the publisher: IHS BRE Press Garston, Watford WD25 9XX Tel: brepress@ihs.com Printed on paper sourced from responsibly managed forests FB 36 Copyright BRE 2011 First published 2011 ISBN

5 contents iii contents 1 introduction 1 2 biomass technologies and options The technologies Sources of biomass Renewable energy: scale of opportunity for forest-based biomass Types of wood fuel Grade, wood species and moisture content Integration into buildings Boiler types Supply chain 6 3 case studies from commercial, domestic and industrial buildings Commercial buildings using biomass energy Public and educational buildings using biomass energy Domestic buildings using biomass energy (local and district) 21 4 economics and future options The financial landscape Regulation and drivers Economics Costs of biomass boilers and stoves Grants Standards Regulations and planning Biomass energy and carbon Strengths and weaknesses of biomass energy A look to the future 30 5 conclusions 31 6 references, further reading and sources of information 32

6 iv biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating

7 1 introduction 1 1 introduction Biomass is a growing source of energy in the UK (Figure 1). The hierarchy of energy use shown in Figure 2, indicates that the adoption and utilisation of renewable energy technologies for space heating and water heating is an attractive option. UK energy generation is expected to continue to be diverse and renewable energy is expected to make an increasingly valuable contribution. Currently, the UK obtains less than 1% of heat from renewable sources and this will need to increase to approximately 12% if targets set by the UK Government for 2020 are to be met. Renewable technologies presently are not capable of being the complete solution unless avoidance of the need for energy and more efficient use of energy are substantially and radically improved. What is renewable energy? Renewable energy is sourced from the naturally present phenomena of the earth, whether it is ground source heat, wind and wave energy or solar energy direct from sunlight or indirectly stored in plant biomass. In buildings, the embodied energy of the materials and systems used in construction is small by comparison with the operational impacts and energy use during the life of the building. Thus, energy sources have a key role in underpinning the sustainability of our buildings and communities. What is biomass energy? Biomass energy focuses on solid biofuel, not liquid biofuels such as biodiesel. Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant-based material, but biomass can equally apply to both animal- and vegetable-derived material. There are six categories of biomass for energy: virgin wood recovered wood energy crops agricultural residues food waste industrial waste and co-products. Figure 1: Delivering wood chip to Barnsley Council offices and library for space heating and hot water Avoid the need for energy Use energy efficiently Use renewable energy Use clean fossil fuel Figure 2: Basic hierarchy of energy use The focus of this report is on the use of wood as biomass energy (the first three categories above) and specifically as log wood, wood pellets and wood chips.

8 Other reports from BRE Trust Subsidence damage to domestic buildings: lessons learned and questions remaining. September FB 1 Potential implications of climate change in the built environment. December FB 2 Behaviour of concrete repair patches under propped and unpropped conditions: critical review of current knowledge and practices. March FB 3 Construction site security and safety: the forgotten costs! December FB 4 New fire design method for steel frames with composite floor slabs. January FB 5 Lessons from UK PFI and real estate partnerships: drivers, barriers and critical success factors. November FB 6 An audit of UK social housing innovation. February FB 7 Effective use of fibre reinforced polymer materials in construction. March FB 8 Summertime solar performance of windows with shading devices. February FB 9 Putting a price on sustainability. BRE Centre for Sustainable Construction and Cyril Sweett. May 2005 FB 10 Modern methods of house construction: a surveyor s guide. June FB 11 Crime opportunity profiling of streets (COPS): a quick crime analysis rapid implementation approach. November 2005, FB 12 Subsidence damage to domestic buildings: a guide to good technical practice. June FB 13 Sustainable refurbishment of Victorian housing: guidance, assessment method and case studies. September FB 14 Putting a price on sustainable schools. May FB 15 Knock it down or do it up? June FB 16 Micro-wind turbines in urban environments: an assessment. December FB 17 Siting micro-wind turbines on house roofs. May FB 18 Automatic fire sprinkler systems: a guide to good practice. June FB 19 Complying with the Code for Sustainable Homes: lessons learnt on the BRE Innovation Park. November FB 20 The move to low-carbon design: are designers taking the needs of building users into account? December FB 21 Building-mounted micro-wind turbines on high-rise and commercial buildings. March FB 22 The real cost of poor housing. February FB 23 A guide to the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM): what it does and how it works. April FB 24 Vacant dwellings in England: the challenges and costs of bringing them back into use. April FB 25 Energy efficiency in new and existing buildings: comparative costs and CO 2 savings. September FB 26 Health and productivity benefits of sustainable schools: a review. September FB 27 Integrating BREEAM throughout the design process: a guide to achieving higher BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes ratings through incorporation with the RIBA Outline Plan of Work and other procurement routes. November FB 28 Design fires for use in fire safety engineering. December FB 29 Ventilation for healthy buildings: reducing the impact of urban pollution. January FB 30 Financing UK carbon reduction projects. February FB 31 The cost of poor housing in Wales. April FB 32 Dynamic comfort criteria for structures: a review of UK standards, codes and advisory documents. April FB 33 Water mist fire protection in offices: experimental testing and development of a test protocol. June FB 34 Airtightness in commercial and public buildings. 3rd edition. May FB 35

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10 biomass energy Wood fuel for space and water heating Biomass is a growing source of energy in the UK. This report investigates the opportunities for using wood fuel for space and water heating in commercial, public and domestic buildings. It outlines the fuels and boiler options and discusses supply chain, planning and regulations, economics and costs. Case studies illustrate 24 applications of biomass energy in a range of housing and commercial, educational and leisure buildings. The report concludes with a review of the case for renewable energy and the drivers that will influence the development of biomass fuel. related titles from ihs bre Press integrating breeam throughout the design Process a guide to achieving higher breeam and code for sustainable Homes ratings through incorporation with the riba outline Plan of Work and other procurement routes FB 28, 2010 energy efficiency in new and existing buildings comparative costs and co 2 savings FB 26, 2010 a guide to the simplified building energy model (sbem) What it does and how it works FB 24, 2010 sustainability in the built environment an introduction to its definition and measurement BR 502, 2009 IHS BRE Press, Willoughby Road Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 8FB FB 36 ISBN