We have now had our biomass boiler for just under a year and have been looking over our pellet usage to compare with what we might have used had we stayed with oil.
In the last 50 weeks we have used 3,390kg of pellets, which have cost us £805 (inc. delivery). Weekly usage has varied from 15 bags a week (150kg) in the cold of February to 2 bags a week in mid summer. We estimate that at current oil prices of around 60p/l we would have spent around £750 on oil so the pellet boiler has cost us slightly more, but has improved our Environmental Impact (C02) Rating from D to A. The cost of 960kg of delivered pellets has risen from £225 to £245 in November, but we hope to use less pellets in 2013 as we are continuing to improve the insulation in our home and around the heating pipes.
Other benefits of switching to biomass include freeing up space round the side of our house for the plethora of wheelie bins the council supply, enjoying a quieter, less smelly boiler in the garage, and five minutes exercise every Sunday to refill the hopper!