Pellet powered heat: A sustainable alternative

Apricus Eco Hot Water & Heating strives to deliver quality heating products to Kiwi homes that are affordable and good for the planet, and ÖkoFEN boilers are just one of its products that delivers on this.

In 1989 ÖkoFEN were one of the originators of pellet boilers, and the technology has proven itself since then – with over 100,000 ÖkoFEN boilers installed worldwide. A safe, eco-friendly, easy to use and efficient option for your home, they have the ability to connect to any central heating system as well as provide heat to hot water cylinders, hot tubs and swimming pools.

Locally made from 100% waste products, wood pellets make ÖkoFEN boilers a great alternative to fossil fuel boilers, says Marcus Baker, managing director of Apricus Eco Hot Water & Heating.

“The wood pellets are a fuel of the future available today, made in New Zealand from waste sawdust, wood shavings and offcuts, and are 100% renewable.

“The carbon emissions are the lowest for any fuel available in New Zealand at 0.003 kilograms per kilowatt hour (kgCO2e/kWh) of heat,” he says, with this being a 60% reduction compared to using an electric heat pump, a 98% reduction compared to burning gas, and a 99% reduction compared to diesel or coal.

“The reason for this is because they are using a waste material to make the pellets, so in essence the carbon is free because otherwise it would just be returned to the atmosphere through biological processes or wasted in a landfill.”

Adding to the sustainability of ÖkoFEN boilers, is their “extremely clean burning” nature –with combustion exceeding all European regulations, and also meeting the strictest requirements in New Zealand from Environment Canterbury.

The pellets are extremely price stable as well because they are made in NZ from waste materials and not a globally traded commodity like oil and gas.

The boilers are modular, making them easy to install in different situations – from a large home with a swimming pool, to a multi-storey apartment building or University building.

Introducing an ÖkoFEN boiler to any of these spaces is stress-free as Apricus is able to offer support throughout the entire process.

“We’re a specialist designer and distributor of these systems and so we provide full system design and support from the beginning to end of the project – from conceptual design, through to detailed design, and then implementation, delivery and post-install customer support. We’ve been operating since 2014 and enjoy building great relationships with our customers.”

Apricus provides the complete package including the ÖkoFEN boiler, flexible fuel storage options, fuel transfer system by vacuum and connections for fuel delivery by air blower truck. A nationwide network of installers is available, along with the company’s in-house specialist design and post install support team.

When it comes to maintenance, ÖkoFEN’s automatic cleaning feature means that cleaning and servicing is only required on a yearly basis.

So how does an ÖkoFEN boiler work?

“A pellet boiler is a direct replacement for any fossil fuel boiler, and can be used instead of a heat pump,” says Marcus. “It provides high temperature water for central heating through radiators and through underfloor pipework.”

This means that you’ve got complete flexibility on your heating system design, getting all the heat wherever you need it in your home, no matter how cold it gets outside.

“And it’s a direct, plug & play replacement to a fossil fuel boiler, with fully automated fuel feed and operation. There’s zero intervention required – they are entirely self-fueling and start automatically. The handy external ash container just requires emptying maybe once every two or three months, straight on the garden as an organic potash fertiliser.”

Self-fueling works by having a bulk hopper within 25 metres of the boiler. Essentially a bag on a frame, this has connections to it that the fuel is blown into, and depending on the size of the hopper, the amount of fuel and frequency of delivery varies. In most cases it’s only once a year.

The pellet hopper can be inside or outside the home with cover options available, says Marcus.

The boiler automatically lights and runs whenever there is demand for heat – so whether it’s for heating the home in winter, warming up a swimming pool or hot tub, or refilling the cylinder after a shower, the ÖkoFEN boiler will always have hot water ready to go.

Apricus have a range of sizes and models from ÖkoFEN to meet all household and commercial needs. Pellets are available in most areas of the country by blower truck and as a back-up in bags of 15kg and 20kg from Bunnings and Mitre10.

Learn more about ÖkoFEN boilers available from Apricus Eco Hot Water & Heating on ArchiPro.