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All about pellets!

Why heat with pellets?

 

The future belongs to heating with wood pellets 

Pellets are the most convenient and modern way to heat with wood in an environment-friendly way. They are economical, convenient, environmentally friendly and crisis-proof.

Heat sustainably and conveniently

The sawdust and wood shavings arising in sawmills are pressed into pellets at high pressure (without using any chemical binding agents). They are characterised by a high energy content, an excellent calorific value and environmentally friendly combustion.

 

 

Not interested in pellets?

Don't want to heat your home with pellets? Here you'll find a few reasons why you may want to consider getting a heat pump instead. 

All about the GreenFOX 9/14

8 good reasons for pellets

 

Here are 8 reasons why pellets are the best energy source.

Wood is not only a naturally renewable fuel, but also the best solution for a reliable and sustainable heat supply. Pellets are the most convenient version of the naturally regenerative energy source that is wood. Waste material arising from wood processing in the form of sawdust is compressed to make small wood cylinders that are an ideal fuel for combustion. This protects the environment, spares the climate and saves resources.

Pellets are a renewable natural product and, unlike oil and uranium, they will still be available to future generations.
Conclusion: Wood pellets are future-proof!

Pellet combustion is CO2-neutral. During the course of their growth, trees absorb CO2 that is released again during combustion – just like natural rotting in the forest.
Conclusion: Wood pellets are a CO2-neutral fuel!

The price comparison makes it clear: Wood pellets, the ecologically clean way to heat, are also economically attractive. Compared with fossil fuels such as fuel oil and natural gas, wood pellets are significantly cheaper. They are not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet.
Conclusion: Wood pellets save money!

No additional trees are felled to make pellets. Residual wood from wood processing is used for this purpose. Furthermore, more wood grows back in Austria and Europe every year than is taken out of the forests.
Conclusion: Wood pellets make optimum use of the raw material wood!

Pellets are a home-grown natural product. With wood pellets, you are independent of international crises and global developments.
Conclusion: Wood pellets are always available regionally!

When purchasing wood pellets, the added value remains in the country. This boosts the domestic economy and creates new jobs.
Conclusion: Wood pellets strengthen our economy!

The pellet boiler is supplied with pellets automatically by an auger or vacuum suction system. The comfort ash box only needs to be emptied approx. 2 times a year – completely dust-free.
Conclusion: Wood pellets are the convenient way to heat with wood!

Pellets require only half as much space as logs and only a quarter of that for wood chips. A year's supply for a modern detached house can be stored in an area of approx. 4 m².
Conclusion: Wood pellets are a genuine space miracle!

Pellet myths

 

How exactly are pellets produced and does a tree really need to be felled for this purpose?

Pellets have been regarded as a natural fuel made from renewable resources for some 30 years now. Nevertheless there are still numerous myths concerning the origin of pellets. We would like to clear up the fairy tales surrounding these wood pressings and explain precisely where and how wood pellets are produced.

This fallacy is unfortunately very prevalent, but it is definitely incorrect. Wood is processed in sawmills in several steps. First the bark is removed, then the trunk is cut into sawn timber. The main product of a sawmill is therefore sawn timber. However, a spruce weighing 4 tonnes does not yield 4 tonnes of cut timber. The production of sawn timber gives rise to so-called “sawmill by-products” – above all wood chips and sawdust. In total, some 40 percent of the wood is turned into sawmill by-products and 60 percent into sawn timber.

The by-products/waste of the sawmill industry are processed into pellets, which are then used for generating energy. In brief, this means that only by-products of the sawmill industry are used for producing pellets. No trees are felled specifically to make pellets.

After drying and crushing, the chippings are pressed at high pressure – in a similar way to a meat mincer – through the holes of a die in a pellet press. This produces cylindrical bolts with a length of approx. 3 cm – the wood pellets. Pellets are manufactured from untreated sawdust and wood shavings. Small amounts of corn starch (max. 1.8%) are added solely to simplify the pressing process. A natural product with no harmful contaminants.

If you consider the price development of other energy sources, such as heating oil or gas, then the cost benefit of pellets is clear: Not only are they economically attractive and ecologically clean, their price has also been stable for years.

The following factors can contribute to the price development of pellets:

  • Raw material supply: Pellets are produced at a regional level. The basic pellet price is therefore not tied to the global market. The decisive factor for the pellet price is the distance to the nearest supplier and the general supply situation on the timber market.
  • Seasonal fluctuations in demand: Over the course of a year, the pellet price mainly varies seasonally. It is lower in spring and summer due to lower demand.

HERE you’ll find information about the current pellet price in Austria.

Combating the climate crisis with managed forests

How our forests help us fight climate change

Functionality of a pellet heating system

International Contact:
ÖkoFEN Forschungs- und Entwicklungs Ges.m.b.H.

Gewerbepark 1 · 4133 Niederkappel · Austria
Tel. +43 7286 - 7450
E-Mail: oekofen@pelletsheizung.at

Contact for UK & Ireland:
Organic Energy UK Ltd

B3 Greenwood Court Ind Est.
Cartmel Drive
Shrewsbury SY1 3TB UK
Tel: +44 1938 530 070
e-mail: info@organicenergy.co.uk