Burning wood to fuel power stations can create as many harmful carbon emissions as burning coal, according to a government report. UK taxpayers subsidise energy firms to burn wood to meet EU renewables targets. But the report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) shows sometimes much bigger carbon savings would be achieved by leaving the wood in the forests. This suggests power firms may be winning subsidies for inadvertently making climate change even worse. The report has caused controversy within DECC as it indicates the initial subsidy rules were much too simplistic. The government has now promised to strengthen the regulations on burning wood, and to make standards mandatory. Environmentalists applauded the move but said they wanted to see details and a timetable for the new rules. They insisted that the proposed new regulations must be based on the new document. Whole trees v wood waste Burning biomass – such as wood – is not a zero-pollution option. It creates greenhouse gases to cut and transport the wood, and when the wood is burned. But supporters say that so long as the burned vegetation is replaced by new plants to absorb CO2 that should confer a significant advantage over using fossil fuels. And it counts as renewable energy because new trees soak up the CO2 emitted by the burned trees. The DECC report says a key error in the government’s previous calculations was a failure to acknowledge the different types of impact that can be created in different types of forests when wood is removed to burn. Burning whole logs from natural forests would be counter-productive, the report says, whilst generating power from wood waste that would otherwise be burned at the roadside could provide benefits for the environment overall.

  Tip 1: If you intend to get an automated wood heating system to replace a your existing boiler and heating system, forget using a log boiler or a woodstove. These won’t be for you. If you don’t object to a little daily loading up with logs and de-ashing, and if your lifestyle permits you to regularly tend to such tasks, then this is a good option for you. Tip 2: If you are lucky enough to have your own healthy supply of logs and you fit the criteria of Tip 1, a log boiler can be a really worthwhile investment with return rates of between 12-20% IRR. Tip 3: An important biomass tip is to always begin with the fuel when looking at getting a wood heating boiler. A key first step is to decide whether you want to use logs, wood pellets, or wood chips. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Pellets are the most convenient and compact of the three, and they are still made and delivered in a carbon-friendly way. They are, however, more expensive than the other two options. Also consider whether you can get your fuel delivered simply and economically. If the only way to get fuel into a storage silo is via a chipper (£35,000 or £250 per day), manually, or via a pallet truck and builder bags, prices can bump up significantly and become quite considerable. Tip 4: Make sure to get advice on wood fuel handling, choice, and design from an independent and experienced person. Around half of wood heating system issues arise because a mistake has been made in relation to the fuel used. Tip 5: Almost all wood boiler systems will operate better if they are linked to an accumulator tank. This aids to balance out the peaks and troughs of demand and to provide a little more gusto during the peak loads.

D-ENERGi from now on offer free fruit and cereals to help support all its staff healthy eating habbits. This provision is for all staff and has been well recieved. As an investors in people organisation D-ENERGi is commiteed to providing creating a modern caring,  productive working enviroment.

  The energy industry is making key changes to the way gas is transported. All suppliers have to split aggregated meter points by 1st July 2015. Aggregated gas meters are created when two or more meter points are joined together to form one supply point. They are billed and priced together. The de-aggregation process will help support the introduction of advanced and smart metering between late 2015 and 2020 which will allow more accurate usage data to be recorded. The industry believe that this will lead to more cost-reflective transportations charges for all meter points and therefore for all customers.   How will this affect Gas Customers?   Only customers with aggregated meter points will be affected by this. This change will not affect your gas supply but it will change how you are billed. Instead of being charged per site you will charge by meter point. There could be an increase in transportation costs after the supply points have been split. Once these changes are complete, we will be contacting those customers who require a smart meter at no extra cost to you. You will also be given the option of accessing a web portal which will allow you to view your consumption and keep an eye on costs.   Why does this need to happen?   The current system is outdated and this is an industry-wide gas initiative which all Shippers & Suppliers have been mandated to adopt, so there will be no way to avoid the change if you have gas meters that are aggregated. It is important for all customers currently who have aggregated meters to plan ahead for de-aggregation of these supply points and understand the future billing impacts. We will be informing you as soon as possible of any changes to your contracted rates and monthly amount and we will be working to keep your invoices simple to understand for all of your sites Removing aggregation will allow accurate data on all UK gas meters to be held in a single database, an important step in the overall goal of moving all UK gas customers onto Smart meters by 2020.   Find out more   Call 0161 237 3333 or email customerservices@d-energi.com