Wood, Biomass, Wood Pellet & Coal

Wood, Biomass, Wood Pellet & Coal Boilers

Heatsmart has installed boilers from the above pictured manufacturers (clockwise from top left ~ Attack-Slovakia, Greenwood-USA, Atmos-Czech Rep, McKenzie-New Zealand, HDG-Germany, Fu-Wi-Poland, Ecomax Pellet-New Zealand, Ecomax Coal-New Zealand)

If you are looking for a system with low running costs or if you want an option with more renewable credentials then Heatsmart can find, supply and install the best fit for your home.
 

Wood / Logs

New Zealand grows a 'lot' of trees... it is a fairly renewable resource, the price for logs/split logs is still relatively low in NZ, good quality dry wood can yield power at around 8c (NZD) per kWh. Wood Boilers of this type are not clean air approved so you need to be semi-rural to seriously consider them as an option, at least if you do live on a decent plot of land you can grow your own trees and get the fuel for free in a few years. There are a number of solutions available for powering your system from wood ~ a simple log burner with a Wetback (see our Stove and Log Burner page) right through to full gasification Log Burners that will run on split and non split logs. Large Wood Boilers typically require a Buffer Tank installing with them, buffer tank systems allow for storing energy from a previous run cycle or just absorbing the excess energy created. Although most wood gasification boilers are fairly automatic in controlling the combustion they do require filling & in most cases lighting, they do burn most of their own ash however, they will still need regular cleaning.
 

Wood Pellet

Heatsmart installs a number of Wood Pellet Boilers & fires, some of the smaller units are clean air approved and can be installed in urban environments. The Ecomax & McKenzie units are New Zealand made and come in a range of outputs up to approx. 30kWh. Most Pellet Boilers are self igniting and self fuelling from a hopper, however, they do require regular user maintenance (especially cleaning of Ash Pans & flue ways). Pellets are widely available and running costs are typically around 12-14c / kWh.
 

Coal

Coal is still a viable option for running a central heating system, good quality 'pea/pellet' coal burns relatively clean (although not clean air approved) and at approx. 5c / kWh is one of the cheapest options available in terms of running costs. Most Coal Boilers are automatically fed from an outdoor hopper, however do require manual lighting and regular cleaning. Due to the way these boilers operate and contrary to some manufacturers guidelines Heatsmart now recommend using these boilers with a Buffer tank.