Pop legend and third-world campaigner Bono –aka Paul Hewson – is installing a subterranean wood pellet boiler at his Killiney mansion home.

The U2 singer is having a room converted to create a large plant room which will accommodate the eco-friendly and energy efficient boiler. The installation of the boiler will be accompanied with a €2,500 Irish Government grant. Paid through Sustainable Energy Ireland, these grants are not means tested. The newly created boiler room – which includes pellet storage and loading facilities – is situated underground and completely hidden under the front of the house.

The new boiler is party of a major redesign of Bono’s mansion.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

In terms of gas reduction, Stansted Airport is leading the way with a new biomass boiler which has cut their bill by some 40%.

And its all down to its new, state of the art biomass boiler which was installed as part of the Essex airport’s new £50 million terminal extension.

A BAA spokesman said that the boiler, which is powered by wood-chips, had performed beyond expectations in what was one of the coldest winters for 13 years.

Austrian firm Giles Energie manufactured the 2 Mega Watt boiler and it was supplied by Broag U.K. The biomass boiler helps the terminal achieve its ambition of being carbon neutral. It represents one of the largest boilers currently in use to heat a commercial premises. It replaced gas-fired boilers which were in use since 1990

The biomass boiler uses around 2,500 tonnes of wood chip each year; all of which comes from Forestry Commission Certified Sources.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

British Gas may be hedging its bets about future energy sources, having bought a near 20% share in Econergy – a specialist in biomass heating systems – for £1 million.

The deal gives British Gas the option of acquiring the whole business over the next four years.

Econergy, which designs, manufacturers and installs a range of biomass heating systems for the domestic, commercial and public sectors, reported sales of around £5m for the year to June, 2008.

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, bought Econergy for its British Gas New Energy Division and this adds to previous purchases of Solar Technologies and Semplice Energy; an agreement with Ceres Power Holdings; and, partnerships with Baxi, Disenco and vPhase.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

As many companies and householders consider the option of a eco-friendly biomass boiler, the Environmental Agency has warned they could actually be harmful to the environment.

But it’s not so much the process of burning wood and similar fuels that is the problem. It comes down the planting and growing of the biomass crops in the first place. The main issue centred on the fact that the ploughing up of pasture for the energy crops would create more CO2 than their actual use would save.

The report, called ‘Biomass: Carbon Sink or Carbon Sinner’ also stated the gas emissions from different types of biomass fuels varied enormously. Some of the best fuels represented a huge advance over say coal, producing 98% less emissions of CO2 per megawatt hour. But other biomass fuels faired less well; some even worse than fossil fuels.

Waste wood and MDF were some of the best performers; oil seed rape, poplar and willow, not so good.

And the report called on producers to take into account the effect of emissions from all stages of the process, from ploughing to growing, to cropping and use; not just the final stage, in order to get an accurate picture.

With the popularity of biomass boilers increasing daily, there are also worries about the sustainability of the fuel source. The agency further warned that by 2030, the production of biomass fuels will have to be as efficient and as low in emissions as possible, otherwise the good work achieved will have been wasted.

It reiterated the fact that biomass fuels are a limited resource and their use should not be wasted without thought for the future.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Getting individual homes to consider eco-heating measures is bad enough, yet alone a whole village, but one community in Scotland has grasped the nettle by seeking out low carbon heating options.

Fintry has already been dubbed the greenest village in Scotland and they are now considering biomass boilers and heat pumps to heat their 330 properties. The village already owns and operates a wind turbine which produces enough electricity to power 1,800 homes.

The profits from the wind turbine, from selling excess electricity to the national grid, has already allowed many of the residents to afford cavity wall and loft insulation for their houses. This in turn, they estimate, has meant that electricity and heating consumption has dropped to 10,000MWh from 13,000.

The biggest problem for the village, like many rural communities, is that it has no access to mains gas. Consequently, residents have to use expensive heating oil, or Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).

So, they have tasked the Fintry Development Trust, which administers the wind turbine project, to consider other projects which will keep their carbon footprint light. Amongst other heat generating techniques, they are looking at wood-pellet driven boilers and heat pumps.

Fintry is being held up as a beacon for those communities that wish to help themselves when it comes their own carbon footprint.

Guest Article by Neil Camp