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Suitability
This is a brief guide to check whether your property could be suitable for a biomass installation.
To discuss your property’s biomass potential with our expert team, click here to contact us.
Space Requirements
Biomass boilers are generally larger than conventional boilers, thus needing more space.
- Commercial installations will require plant room space similar to conventional gas and oil counter parts.
- Domestic installations are generally smaller but significant space is still required for the boiler, buffer store and fuel store.
A large dry area close to the boiler is required for fuel storage. The property must also have suitable access for bulk fuel deliveries.
Property Requirements
A vent which is specifically designed for wood fuel appliances, with sufficient air movement for proper operation of the boiler is required. An existing chimney can be fitted with a lined flue at a relatively low expense.
If the property is located in a smokeless zone, then wood can only be burnt in certain exempted appliances. Designated smokeless zones are listed here: UK Smoke Control Areas.
Planning permission will be needed if the flue will extend 1m above the height of the roof, or the property is in a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site and a flue is to be installed on the principal elevation visible from a road. Planning permission applications for biomass boilers are generally considered ‘Permitted Development’.
Checks must be undertaken to make sure that the current plumbing system will be compatible with a biomass boiler and to establish whether any alterations are needed.
Multiple Properties
Biomass boilers can be used within district heating systems supplying multiple premises with heat from a common shared boiler. For example, a row of terraced cottages or a block of flats could invest in one shared biomass boiler.
Where one building is split into multiple properties with different commercial or domestic purposes (home or barn conversions), a biomass boiler could supply the multiple properties and still qualify for the RHI.
