Wood Briquettes Eco and Eco-nomic Solution

Coal and peat products, including peat briquettes, will go up in price by about 10% in the New Year when the government imposes an extra carbon tax. The carbon tax with have the 13.5% VAT placed on top of it, so that is how the 10% comes about.

An €18.50 Euro bag of smokeless coal will become a €20.35 bag of coal, and a €3.99 bale of peat briquettes will be priced at €4.39.

Wood the answer?

Wood is carbon neutral and a 100% renewable source. Lump wood, like logs and blocks, is not the most convenient fuel to use. Also, the wood blocks that are touted door to door in fertiliser bags are VERY poor value for money. That is because of two things:

(1) They are generally soft wood – which has low heat output.
(2) Those block are not kiln dried and carry up to 30% moisture in them.

Wood that has more than 20% moisture uses a lot of the heat just to get rid of the moisture, and some very damp wood hardly gives any heat output at all!!

Wood Briquettes, on the other hand,  are VER LOW moisture only about 5%. This is especially true of the baked / cooked dark ones.

Wood briquettes are 100% wood and therefore DO NOT carry any carbon tax and will not be going up in price in the New Year. The price increase in fossil fuels will mean that the Eco friendly fuels like wood briquettes will become much more price competitive.

Peat and Wood Briquettes similar heat output

Kilogram for kilogram Peat Briquettes and Eco Wood Briquettes give about the same heat output. The differences are:

1.    Eco Briquettes burn better.
2.    Eco Briquettes leave much less ash.
3.    Eco Briquette ash is clean and a great garden fertiliser.
4.    Eco Briquettes do not cause the destruction of the last few bogs in Ireland.

Good quality coal has perhaps a 20% higher heat output to wood briquettes. However, coal leaves a lot of ash and clinker, which is partially toxic to nature, try sticking it on you garden! Coal is a dirty substance and the smell of burning coal is horrible. Burning wood smells really nice.

There are a number of suppliers for the good quality wood briquettes in Ireland. If you want a price that competes with coal on a heat value per Euro basis, you will need to purchase a large quantity.


Different Types and Qualities of Wood Briquette

In my last post I discussed wood briquettes briefly and said that I would avoid the type that looks like a block of sawdust or a lump of chipboard.

The chipboard type of sawdust block does not burn very well when compared to the highly compressed and heat treated type. Buy them only if you get a very very very good price!!

The type of wood briquette to look for are the 100% hardwood briquettes which are dark in colour because they have been “Cooked”. They are very hard and burn very well. The give way more heat than any type of logs you care to mention. The do not spark or spit. They burn fully down to a very fine ash.

Eco Wood Briquettes as cheap as coal

As you can see, I have been doing a bit of basic research on wood briquettes. In so doing, I came upon a supplier in Ennis County Clare who sells the high quality 100% hardwood heat treated briquette at really good prices. As it stands, these wood briquettes are close enough to the price of coal on a ton for ton. When coal goes up next year, these briquettes will be ahead in terms of value.

If you are lucky enough to live in Clare you can collect them directly from the supplier. If you don’t live in Ennis, there is a delivery charge, and it really only makes economical sense if you buy in bulk.

The best value is for a One Tonne 1000Kg pallet at €346 inc. 13.50% VAT but plus delivery. You might be able to split a load with friends or family if you don’t have space to store a tonne. Wood briquettes need to be stored in a dry place.

Eco Fuel Briquettes is a small company in Ennis Co. Clare run by Michael who I spoke to at some length. Talk to him yourself, he is very informative and helpful.

http://www.ecofuelbriquettes.com/buy-wood-briquettes

Read more at Sustainable Energy Author Ireland