Wood chips, pellets, and logs are all examples of biomass — organic plant and animal matter that can be used to generate energy to heat your home. While a fireplace may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of using these materials for heating, technology has made it possible to use biomass as a sustainable and cost-effective way to provide central heating to an entire home or building.
Biomass is considered a carbon-neutral form of energy because the carbon dioxide released during the burning process is about the same as the amount later reabsorbed by plants as they grow, a cycle that significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with heating.
If you live in an area with easy access to biomass resources, using biomass can be much more budget-friendly than heating your home with fossil fuels since the cost of biomass fuels like wood chips, pellets, or logs is often lower than that of oil or gas. Biomass boilers tend to be much bigger than fossil fuel boilers, so you’ll need a lot of storage space to use them.
As with many energy solutions, there’s a significant upfront cost with boilers for domestic use starting at around $11,000. However, given the amount of savings over the life of the boiler, it can more than makeup for the initial expense. You should also keep in mind that biomass boilers may require more maintenance than gas or oil boilers, including ash removal and flue cleaning.
