Wood Waste Case Study -
Astabridge Limited
Wood Waste Technology races against time to maximise RHI payments for customer
Wood Waste Technology has recently installed one of its new biomass hot water boiler systems into a Northamptonshire company that was looking to reduce its carbon footprint and lower its bills whilst benefitting from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.
The state-of-the-art boiler was installed into Astabridge Limited, a manufacturer and installer of specialist furniture, display, shop fittings and point of sale equipment that has supplied premium quality fixtures to retailers, beauty salons, international airports and commercial premises since 1989.
The management team at Astabridge was keen to embrace more environmentally friendly solutions, and had read about the benefits of biomass boilers in trade journals. When they calculated how much money was being spent each year on hiring skips to remove wood waste, and then on gas-fired heating to keep the 65 employees in the 30,000 sq ft factory in Corby warm during the colder months, they realised that the business could benefit financially from investing in a biomass boiler.
Whilst doing more research, the team learnt that the business could qualify for generous RHI payments by purchasing one of Wood Waste Technology’s new biomass boilers, which provide space heating for the factory, plus heating and domestic hot water for the rest of the building.
The Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) offers substantial financial benefits to companies who invest in new biomass technology. For example, companies with successful RHI applications could earn around £17,000 - £21,500 a year, for 20 years, with a 209kw boiler.
Wood Waste Technology’s revolutionary boiler is one of the most efficient wood waste boilers available in the UK, having been designed and tested to BSEN303-5-2012, the highest standard for efficiency and emissions. It has been independently tested at 92.4% efficiency, allowing it to qualify for the Energy Technology List. It was also the first in the UK to be declared fully compliant with the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme without the need for additional flue gas filtration equipment (significantly reducing the investment and on-going maintenance costs of a RHI compliant boiler). Wood Waste Technology boilers can also operate in clean air zones under the Clean Air Act, as the boilers meet the two highest standards in emissions regulations, so are able to be used in even the sternest of jurisdictions in the UK. Wood Waste Technology also has a 100% success rate in RHI applications for companies burning chipboard and MDF.
The boilers have been designed to be user friendly, and contain many innovative features that gives Astabridge flexibility of use. For instance, the boiler can run from 30% up to full capacity, so it can be turned down when the factory is empty, which makes better use of resources and gives the company a greater return on each kilogram of wood waste. The boiler can also work in ‘low fire’ mode if the business ever finds itself with limited wood waste to feed the boiler, or alternatively can be operated in ‘turbo’ mode to boost heat output if required.
Astabridge also purchased a GAZ82 shredder, to enable them to more easily store any wood waste they preferred not to use straight away. Wood Waste Technology is the official UK distributor for Gross Apparatebau GmbH, a German manufacturer of dependable, precision engineered shredders and briquetters, available in various size and specifications to suit all business applications.
The team at Astabridge purchased their boiler at a time when a drop in the RHI tariff was imminent. Although it was a race against time, Wood Waste Technology’s experienced engineers pulled out all the stops to finish everything by the deadline, to allow Astabridge to claim the highest rate of RHI possible.
Martin Pope, Finance Director at Astabridge says: “Buying a biomass boiler has helped solve our long term problem of expensive waste removal and heating costs in the business, and we’re pleased we’ve found this solution. The team at Wood Waste Technology has really helped us incorporate the new boiler into our usual working practices, and worked hard to help us maximise the financial benefits available from the RHI scheme.”
Managing Director of Wood Waste Technology, Kurt Cockroft says: “With any new technology there’s always a learning curve, which is why we’re always happy to help our customers in any way we can, even if that means jumping onto a video call to answer a question quickly.”
Wood Waste Technology’s years of expertise in wood waste solutions have helped many companies reduce their waste disposal and heating costs. As well as offering site survey, design, manufacture, installation and on-going maintenance for new units, the company also services all types of wood waste heaters and supplies genuine spares up to 60% cheaper than other suppliers.
In addition, Wood Waste Technology is also a distributor for Putzmaus boiler tube cleaning systems - a powerful but gentle routine maintenance solution that is quick and easy to use, and helps to increase boiler efficiency and lower operating costs.
Call Wood Waste Technology on 01785 250400 and start to recoup some value from the waste in your business, or visit www.woodwastetechnology.com, www.grossuk.co.uk or www.putzmaus.co.uk to find out more.