With the European Union’s push for renewable energy as part of the ambitious 2030 climate plans, In Ireland 60% of our energy is produced from fossil fuels. Biomass will play a big role in decarbonising our heating! Biomass is a renewable and sustainable fuel, and is plentiful in Ireland. Biomass is becoming more and more popular to reduce reliance on more expensive fossil fuels. It is also a carbon neutral fuel source – trees and other plants absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere, and emit no additional CO₂ during combustion. Wood Pellets are becoming increasingly popular as a source of fuel for domestic and commercial heating.

Wood Pellets in Ireland

Wood pellets are made from compressed sawdust, usually waste produced in the wood processing industry (such as sawmills). They are cylindrical in shape, held together by lignin which is naturally occurring in wood. Pellets are uniform in size – around 6mm in diameter and 25mm in length. The pellets are very dry, with less than 10% moisture content. Wood Pellets should have the ‘ENPlusA1’ quality assurance mark indicating the pellets are of high quality.

Pellets can be purchased in bulk, or in individual bags from co-ops, hardware stores or fuel supply stores. Another way people get pellets, is blown into a silo or hopper, or the supplier can deliver bagged pellets on a pallet. Woodco also supplies pellet storage solutions – i.e. hoppers and silos – for residential and commercial applications. It is important that the pellets are kept dry, to keep them intact. The solutions also allow the fuel to be automatically fed to the boiler, for a more hands-off experience.

Advantages of Wood Pellets

• Renewable Fuel.
• 20-30% cheaper than oil or gas.
• Exempt from Carbon Tax.
• Widely manufactured in Ireland.
• Made from waste wood.
• Wood pellet boilers are a simple switch from oil/gas (Plugn’Play).
• Using silos/hoppers you can enjoy a ‘hands off’ experience.

What do wood pellets in Ireland cost?

Cost of wood pellets may vary, depending on the supplier. It is often significantly cheaper to buy the pellets in bulk (blown into a hopper/silo). Shop around to find the best deal. Woodco’s pellet boilers require pellets of EN-Plus A1 standard, for optimum efficiency.

There are three main distributors of pellets in Ireland, Balcas, Laois Sawmills & Leinster Pellets!

Most homes in Ireland get pellets by the pallet of small bags (10kg/15kg) which usually come in one tonne.

• 1 tonne of pellets in small bags cost approx. €500.
• One tonne of pellets in one large bag costs approx. €460
• 1 tonne of pellets delivered in bulk costs approx. €430

Calorific Value Comparison to Oil or Gas