Wood-fuelled heating systems, also known as biomass systems, use wood pellets, chips, or logs to power central heating and hot water systems. When correctly managed, wood is a sustainable fuel that offers significantly reduced carbon emissions in comparison with fossil fuels. As the wood source grows, it removes CO2 from the atmosphere at a higher rate than it releases when burnt, making it a carbon-neutral fuel source, unlike fossil fuels like oil and gas.

Wood that is sustainably sourced from within the UK represents a very secure long-term fuel supply as opposed to oil and gas fuel sources, and its supply supports local businesses and the rural economy. What’s more, for the consumer, wood pellets and wood chips are a comparatively very cheap energy source and are not easily affected by world market prices. Biomass boilers are eligible for government grants under the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme and the Renewable Heat Premium Payment.

A wood-fuelled boiler can save hundreds of pounds a year if used to replace other traditional energy sources. It also dramatically reduces the amount of carbon dioxide produced by using other combustion energy sources and therefore makes a valuable contribution to global efforts to reduce global warming.

The table below shows the financial savings and carbon dioxide reducation that could be made on a typical three bedroom house with basic insultation (Source - The Energy Saving Trust) by replacing different types of traditional energy sources with a wood-fuelled system:

Choosing wood-fuel instead of:	Approx. annual saving:	Approx. carbon dioxide reduction:
Electricity	£580	7.5 tonnes a year
Oil	£280	4 tonnes a year
LPG (Propane)	£720	3.5 tonnes a year
Coal	£300	7.5 tonnes a year
Gas	£100	3 tonnes a year

In terms of maintenance, wood-burning boilers will need to be regularly cleaned and swept, however, other boiler systems have a self-cleaning mechanism to collect ash from the grate and tubes. Biomass boilers will need an annual maintenance check and service.