 Ecologically Sound and Economical
Heating with wood is good for the environment and helps you reliably plan your future energy costs.
The Energy Costs - the Basis of your Future Expenses
Energy derived from fossil fuels will unavoidably become more expensive. Future developments in the price of wood are manageable by comparison.
The price of fossil fuels has jumped in unpredictable leaps, yet constantly increased (something that was considered unlikely ten years ago). This situation will probably not improve in the medium term. The demand, particularly for crude oil, will continue to increase due to the growth of countries such as China and India, and the price inexorably along with it.
Log wood is a source of energy that is comparatively stable in price. With wood, you are heating on the safe side.
Sensible for Nature and for us
 Those who consider the impact on nature are acting to help future generations. Since without functioning natural systems, there wouldn’t be any beneficial living conditions for us. The increasing number of catastrophes due to storms and floods gives an idea of how expensive a disregard of nature can be to us. Wood is stored solar energy and heating with wood is in harmony with nature. This is because heating with wood only releases the quantity of CO2 that the tree removed from the atmosphere as it grew. With the burning of crude oil and natural gas, however, CO2 reserves that have been stored for millions of years are released into the atmosphere in great quantities. This CO2 increases what is called the greenhouse effect.
Wood has additional advantages: the burning of wood generates lower sulphur dioxide emissions as compared to heating with fossil fuels. Wood is transported over shorter distances from domestic woodlands and thus strengthens the regional economy. But don’t worry about disappearing forests, more wood is grown each year than we consume. Opt for renewable resources; choose wood.
A Healthy Cycle
Plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Through decaying and burning, they return exactly as much CO2 to the atmosphere as they previously removed. Heating with wood therefore contributes to a healthy natural CO2 balance in the atmosphere.
Useful facts regarding heating with wood
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Energy prices 2002 - 2006
Crude oil will become more expensive as an increasing number of countries require this raw material. An end to this upward spiral in price is nowhere in sight. By contrast, wood prices change only moderately.
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As an operator of a wood heating system, you can considerably influence its efficiency and emissions. A minimum of emissions can be achieved by burning well dried, split wood.
Waste wood or dirty, decayed and very wet wood requires energy for drying, produces less heat and reduces the service life of the boiler. You can only achieve maximum heating performance of the boiler (nominal output) and minimum emissions by using dry wood.
The huge influence of water content upon the thermal value is made clear by the following diagram.
Sources: Energy Information Centre, Stuttgart;
Wood Sales Promotion Fund, Bonn
Bavarian Regional Office for Agriculture and Forestry
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| Thermal value in kWh/kg according to water content (wet basis) |
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Useful Conversions
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Wood Moisture Comparison:
Water content (wet basis) 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%
Wood moisture (dry basis) 18%, 25%, 33%, 43%
Conversion Factors:
1 litre of heating oil generates 2.676 kg CO2
1 litre of heating oil corresponds to 2.5 kg of wood
1 kg wood (w = 20 %) generates 4.0 kWh/kg |
1000 Litres of Heating Oil Corresponds to:
Approx 5 - 6 rm hardwood, stacked log wood
Approx 7 - 8 rm softwood, stacked log wood
Approx 10 - 15 srm wood
Explanations and Abbreviations:
1 srm = 1 m3 of poured wood (loose)
1 rm = 1 m3 of stacked split wood (stere)
1 fm = 1 solid metre of wood (without gaps) |
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