Ecoliving are in the process of installing a 130kW wood pellet boiler in a North Lincolnshire 18^th century country house; an elderly oil boiler is currently providing heating and hot water for the 1400m² property.

The customer has two key reasons for investing in a new wood pellet heating system:

• The age and condition of the existing boiler
• The return of investment generated through fuel cost savings and qualification for the Government's Renewable Heat Incentive scheme under the criteria of multiple residential dwellings.

Having conducted a detailed survey and design it was decided that the best solution would be a high temperature biomass (wood pellet) boiler using the existing radiator system due to the size and high heat loss of the Grade II listed building.  A large ground source heat pump was another option considered but was ruled out mainly due to the length of ground collectors/boreholes required and the higher cost.

Whilst the existing oil boiler is in the basement of the Hall, this was agreed to be an unsuitable location for the wood pellet boiler.  Consequently the boiler is to be situated in one of the outbuildings, now to be converted into a plant room.  The plant room will house the pellet boiler, a block built 30m³ fireproof pellet silo, two 1100L buffer tanks and other components such as pumps, expansion vessels, heat meters, etc.

Other key features of the design include:

• Separation of the existing vented heating system in the Hall and the pressurised installation in the plant room using a flat plate heat exchanger
• Heat transfer from the plant room to the Hall using 35meters of Uponor Ecoflex Thermo Twin pre-insulated pipework
• Installation of a 500L hot water cylinder in the Hall basement
• Decommissioning of the old boiler and hot water cylinder, cleaning and power-flushing of the existing heating system and reconfiguration of the heating control system to meet current building regulations
• A bespoke pellet silo, designed by Ecoliving and jointly constructed by the customer and ourselves
• The heating control system which will provide integration between heat demand from the Hall and boiler operation in the plant room

Over the last few weeks the customer has been preparing the plant room, carried out the ground works for the Ecoflex and built the block work for the pellet silo.  The first major component, the Ecoflex, has been installed, navigating the appalling weather and taming the unruly pipework with assistance of a forklift truck. 

The next few weeks will see the installation of the boiler and other plant room components and installation and commissioning of the wood pellet boiler boiler. Please check back for further updates as the project progresses.

Technical details

ETA Hack 130kW Wood Pellet Boiler

Dimplex WWSP 500L Hot Water Cylinder

2 x ETA 1100L Stratified Buffer Tanks

ETA Pellet Auger

Uponor Ecoflex Thermo Twin