Forestry Commission Wales is turning to wood to keep staff warm in two of its offices after installing biomass boilers to provide heating.
FC Wales is constantly seeking to improve its environmental performance, and now its offices at Resolven and Welshpool are set to become much greener.
The 40 staff at the district office in Resolven, near Neath, will be kept warm by wood fuel thanks to the installation of a new plant room and biomass boiler to replace the existing electrical heating plant at the site.
The 600m2 building will be heated by a newly installed 40kW Gilles wood pellet boiler supplied by Energy Innovations Ltd. As a result, the site will make carbon savings of over 22 tonnes per year, as well as significant financial savings.
A similar system will replace the existing gas boiler at the Commission’s office in Welshpool. The 408m2 two-storey building will be heated by a 40kW Gilles biomass boiler, fuelled by wood pellets, resulting in carbon savings of eight tonnes per year plus financial savings.
The wood fuel heating systems were more expensive than equivalent fossil fuel heating systems, but new subsidies for renewable heating systems in England, Scotland and Wales announced last week by the government as part of its Renewable Heat Incentive will provide long-term tariff support for the energy produced by renewable technologies, including biomass.
Cardiff-based renewable energy consultancy Sustainable Energy Ltd helped FC Wales with the design and installation of the boilers.
Managing Director Dr Gabriel Gallagher said, “We were delighted to help Forestry Commission Wales achieve its goal of using wood heating to reduce the carbon footprint of these sites.
“We hope that these schemes will encourage others to consider using wood heating.”
Alex Welnitschuk, FC Wales Business Sustainability Advisor, said, “I believe we have achieved our aim to heat some of our offices with fully automated wood fuel heating which will help us achieve our CO2 reduction targets.”
FC Wales is proposing to install similar systems at more of its offices across Wales.
Financial support is also available from the Commission’s own Wood Energy Business Scheme (WEBS) to encourage other businesses and community groups to follow suit and consider installing a biomass heating plant.
This offers capital investment to small and medium enterprises for woodfuel heating systems and processing equipment to develop the sustainable and renewable wood heat market across Wales.
For more information on the WEBS grant scheme, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/woodenergywales
To contact Sustainable Energy Ltd visit www.sustainable-energy.co.uk
