Pellet Heating
Despite various forms of heating being available in Australia, many people overlook wood pellets as a cheap and renewable form of heating for home and business.
Pellet heaters are widely used in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Tasmania but have struggled to get a foothold in Victoria. As a result, skilled repair, servicing, and pellet fuel supply can be hard to find.
Pellet heating brands we cover
And also all Chinese made brands including Ziggler & Brown
So, what is a pellet heater you may ask? How does it work and what does it burn?
The answer is a wood pellet heater which produces similar heat to a wood fire but is fuelled by compressed waste sawdust in the form of 6mm pellets, derived from the milling of plantation timber which would otherwise have been burned in years gone by. This means that native trees are not cut down just to provide home heating and as the fuel comes from plantation timber only, and we know that new trees are being planted all the time, so the carbon emissions from burning pellets are brought back by the new trees as part of the carbon cycle.
This can be measured and audited and thus the use of this fuel is carbon neutral!
In fact, it is better still, because these fires produce up to 24kw of heat which means that the equivalent amount of gas and coal stays safely underground thus reducing emissions even further.
Wood pellet fires also offer the benefits of self-feeding, self-igniting and produce no smoke except for a small amount during the initial ignition process. Added to this are programmable timers, thermostatic operation, and the added benefit of less ash to remove which in the case of wood heaters gets into your home potentially causing breathing problems even when adding new wood, pellet heaters however have a handy ash bin which can be taken outside and spread over the garden.
So how much does it burn?
Typical consumption of wood pellet fuel in Victoria is one tonne per year which is far more economical and a lot less work than handling 5/10 tonnes of firewood. Fuel can be purchased by the tonne or by the 15kg bag and can also be delivered by courier. Wood pellet fuel may qualify for the Victorian Government Winter Energy Concession.
66 bags approximately = 5 tonnes of red gum!
Our recommended suppler is Eco Pellets Tasmania, The Victoria agent for EPT is located at 2 Price Street Oakleigh South VIC 3167 – Ph 0418766882. Call them before attending or for pricing and mention us when you call for a potential discount!
Fuel price is $10 per 15kg bag or $660 per ton (66 bags).
Rest assured Western Thermotechnics Air Conditioning Services are one of the very few businesses with the skills to maintain or repair pellet fired heaters and hydronic boilers in Victoria.
Pellet Heating Fact
Like a wood heater, Pellet heaters require a flue clean out yearly however where they differ is they require the heat exchanger, combustion fan, auger, fire pot and burn chamber to be cleaned out properly each year to operate efficiently, a dirty burning pellet heater will smoke excessively, gum up with “creosote” like deposits, produce very little heat, potentially release carbon monoxide into the room and could even lead to a potential house fire!
For a flat rate fee including 3 hours labour we can carry out a comprehensive service (clean out) of your pellet heater, advise you on the best care and cleaning you can do during the winter season, put you in touch with our recommended pellet supplier based in Clayton, and with a detailed service report provided upon completion, fee does not cover any electrical or mechanical items found to be faulty during the service, if the heater has faults please let us know when booking a service so we can investigate, repairs requiring parts replacement will be quoted separately.
For further information or to book in a service please don’t hesitate to give us a call for a friendly chat.