Pellet baskets work with your existing solid fuel stove or open hearth.

Efficient heating

• A Pellet Basket filled with 3kg of wood pellets corresponds to an energy value of about 15kWh, at a cost of about £1.00.
• It will keep heating for up to 4 hours depending on the kind of fireplace and the adjustment of the draw.
• The greater the efficiency of the burner the greater the burn efficiency of the pellets.

Easy to handle

• The Pellet Basket is easy to use and handle. It can easily be put into and taken out of the fireplace.
• The small quantity of ash generated is easily shaken out through the grated bottom of the basket.

Relaxing and decorative

• A Pellet Basket filled with wood pellets will burn for half the time with real flames, after which it becomes a bed of hot embers.
• The grid for the air intake on the sides of the basket gives a warming and relaxing light.

First introduced in the United States in the 1980's, pellet burning stoves have rapidly increased in popularity around the world.

They have many of the advantages of fossil fuel heating systems but without the associated environmental damage. These include:

• Temperature and timer controls
• Fans that distribute warm air around the room
• Automatic ignition
• High efficiencies (up to 90%)

Pellet stoves feature a hopper to hold enough fuel for 1 to 3 days of operation and an ash pan that needs to be emptied no more than once a month to once a year (depending on the model and the frequency of use) so they are much more convenient to use than a traditional open fire or stove.

Pellet stoves look similar to traditional wood burning stoves but use modern microprocessor controls to ensure an efficient and clean burning fire.

Because they use thermostatic controls and fans to distribute warm air around the room they are safer than traditional stoves, which rely on radiated heat to warm the room, making the room's temperature uneven and the body of the stove dangerously hot.

Heating with a pellet boiler is almost as convenient as using oil. No supervision of the equipment is required, and if a pellet storage tank is installed fuel delivery to the boiler is automatic, just as with an oil or LPG fired boiler. Likewise the fuel is delivered in bulk by lorry, which blows the pellets into the storage tank.

Unlike some other types of wood fuel heating, pellet boilers are well suited to meet variable load demands and can be operated on a timer.

The ash will need removing about once a month, although the quantity is small as wood pellets burn very efficiently. Ash removal takes a matter of seconds and the ash can be used in the garden compost, so there is no wastage. To see how a bolier works click here

Installers

It is particularly important when installing a wood pellet boiler that the installer works with the pellet supplier from an early stage. This ensures that the specifications of the fuel store and other elements of the fuel delivery and supply are adequately dealt with during the installation.

As a wood pellet supplier Harvest Wood Fuels work with several wood pellet boiler installers and can recommend an appropriate installer for your installation. Please contact us with details of your needs.

Click here for a list of certified installers under the Low Carbon Buildings programme, through which you can access a grant of up to £1,500 for the installation of a wood pellet boiler.

Equipment costs

The cost of installing a wood pellet burner is higher than conventional burners. However, with the price of oil and other fossil fuels rising rapidly, wood pellets have become much more competitive, and are now significantly cheaper than oil or LPG, and are on a par with mains gas.

This means that the extra cost of installing a wood pellet burner is usually paid back within 5 years, and the running costs will only continue to become more competitive against fossil fuels.

Within each category of boiler (gas, oil, wood etc) there is a wide range of costs depending on size, efficiency, make, model etc.

The following is therefore given as a general indication only of what one might expect to pay for the type of boiler that would heat a typical three bed semi (around 15kW), excluding VAT:

Grants

A grant for the installation of pellet stoves (up to £600) and boilers (up to £1,500) is available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme – click here for more information.

For a database of further grants available for the installation of renewable energy technologies click here (Energy Savings Trust).

Also in the UK wood combustion equipment qualifies for Enhanced Capital Allowances and a number of UK suppliers of pellet equipment have registered with the Inland Revenue so that customers can benefit from this allowance.