What you need to know about pellet boilers
What can I heat with a pellet boiler?
Wood pellet boilers like Easypell can provide water heated up to 85°C. The system is primarily designed to run central heating with radiators and/or underfloor heating pipes. You are free to choose any radiator or underfloor pipe system, or even acombination of heating systems that works best for your house design. The pellet boiler output will not restrict your central heating system design. The boiler is compact and can be installed with or without a very small buffer tank (generally 200L) so there is maximum flexibility for your house plans.
The pellet boiler will heat all your domestic hot water for showers, baths and washing. It can also be used to heat a spa pool, hot tub or swimming pool. Easypell pellet boilers are also available in two sizes and can be programmed to run at exactly the heat load required to suit your home – 10kW to 20kW and 21kW to 32kW.
If you care considering a pellet boiler for commercial purposes such as schools, hotels, apartments and businesses then a ÖkoFEN pellet boiler is the best choice for fully automatic pellet refueling, remote monitoring and the highest output.
What is so great about wood pellets?
Wood pellets in NZ are exclusively manufactured from waste timber from sustainable forestry, using waste sawdust and wood shavings that would otherwise go to landfill. This makes NZ wood pellets a 100% a renewable resource with the lowest carbon footprint of any heating fuel available in NZ.
During their growth, trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere as CO2 and convert it into stored carbohydrates (energy). When a tree is felled and made in to timber products there is always waste product from milling and finishing. These are materials are often sent to landfill and wasted, whereas pellets use these wastes to make a viable and sustainable heating fuel.
When you burn wood the stored carbon from the tree is released. This carbon is released if the tree dies and decomposes in the forest. Any wood not used to manufacture something residue is going to turn into CO2 whether it is burned or allowed to rot, therefore using it as a fuel makes a lot of sense. Especially when wood pellets replace a fossil fuel which would otherwise release carbon that has been buried underground for millions of years after being removed from the atmosphere by trees in the first place!
Wood pellets are an affordable energy source in NZ with prices per kWh very similar to gas, coal and diesel and approximately half the cost of electricity. The pellets have a guaranteed energy content and are easy to handle. In large residential and commercial systems the pellets can be delivered by blower truck, meaning absolutely no manual handling of the pellets is required.
How are wood pellets made?
The wood waste is milled to a similar particle size, dried, and compressed in a long pellet shape. The high pressure and temperature activates a natural glue-like substance within the wood that holds the pellet together. The product is therefore a completely natural product with no additives. A cutting blade chops the long pellets into standard lengths so they work reliably in the boilers.
Where can I buy wood pellets?
Over 100,000 tonnes of pellets are manufactured annually in New Zealand. The pellets are distributed through-out NZ with 10 to 20kg bags of pellets available at Bunnings, Mitre 10, Carters, Farmsource, and other retailers. These retailers will often give lower prices for bulk delivery in half and tone loads of bags on a pallet.
How much will the pellets cost in comparison to the energy output?
10-20kg bags are usually 58c to 67c per kilo. There are 5 kWh of energy in each kilo of fuel so the cost is 12c to 13c per kWh. Bulk delivery of pellets is available for a lower running cost of 8-10c/kWh, depending on your location. On average during winter an Easypell boiler will need refueling every two weeks, with ten to twelve 15kg bags. This gives a monthly running cost of around $240 for all your central heating and domestic hot water needs.
