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News Release from: Forestry Commission | Subject: Community heating
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 April 2005
Woodfuel hots up in Oban
Oban will be the home of the largest woodfuel based community heating development in Britain.
Oban will be the home of the largest woodfuel based community heating development in Britain The high-tech system, currently being installed by West Highland Housing Association at its development in Glenshellach, Oban, will supply heating and hot water from its clean and efficient communal boiler plant, through a distribution network of insulated pipework to each of the new homes
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 15 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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By August 2005, 44 of the Association's homes will be served by the system with an additional 46 homes being added by 2008 bringing the total to 90 houses.
An individual intelligent heat meter is installed into each of the houses which will calculate how much heat has been used.
Residents will each be issued with a pre-payment card which can be used to purchase heat units from a local shop outlet and then transfer the credit into the heat meter within their home, ensuring that residents will only pay for what they have used.
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Latest national statistics on timber price indices, and the latest national statistics on UK wood production and trade (provisional results), produced by Forestry Commission
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Woods near to towns and cities are set to get a new lease of life, thanks to a further GBP24m cash injection from the Scottish Government.
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The heat source for the system is supplied through waste wood derived as a bi-product of tree felling or saw milling.
This not only helps local industry but also the environment through the use of a sustainable renewable energy source.
Ken MacColl, Chairman, West Highland Housing Association, said " The heating system being installed by the Association on this development, demonstrates that we are dedicated to the use of sustainable renewable energy sources to help the environment and provide our tenants with an efficient, green form of low cost heating".
"We welcome this visit by Forestry Commission Scotland today and look forward to working with them towards creating a sustainable long term local supply of wood fuel for the system." Forestry Commission Scotland is leading the way in promoting the development of woodfuel systems in the country.
During a fact-finding visit to the site, the Commission's Director, Dr Bob McIntosh, said "Scotland's wood supply is growing and there is considerable capacity to expand the use of wood for fuel".
"Wood fuelled heating is a tried and tested technology quite commonly used in Scandinavia and Austria, but it is now starting to grow in Scotland".
"Wood from sustainably managed forests is a renewable energy source".
"Replacing fossil fuels with wood energy is contributing to the Government's targets for reducing carbon emissions.
"The Commission is very keen to help stimulate more renewable projects such as this one at Glenshellach.
We can play an important role in the development of woodfuel heating systems by ensuring there is a steady and available supply of wood for heating".
""The visit has been very worthwhile and it's been invaluable to find out how all the partners involved have worked together to bring the project to fruition".
"I wish the project every success." As well as chips, wood fuel can take the form of pellets made by compressing sawdust and small wood particles.
The use of wood fuel is an important element of the Scottish Executive's drive to increase the country's energy production from renewable sources to 40 per cent of the total by 2020.
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