Testimonials

I first looked at Earthfire energy boilers as a way if reducing my diesel use during grain drying. I put one 300 kw boiler in and saw a noticeable drop in fuel costs. Then the RHI came in, I realised that there had been good savings made by burning straw instead of diesel and that now there was to be an income stream as well.

I therefore decided to stop using diesel and added a 600 kw straw burner as well. We dry our grain slowly and at a reduced temperature so that we end up with cool grain. The boilers work full time during the harvest period (day and night). It is constantly manned with the operative also filling lorries, tidying up, moving grain etc. His cost is more than covered by the consistent production of RHI income. The obvious benefits are reduced cost and an alternative income stream but the main benefit is actually how we farm. We like to keep the boilers running and so tend to take fields maybe slightly earlier and wetter than we otherwise would.

This has massively increased our combine capacity and we are able to keep taking fields and so tend not to end up with a massive pile up of fields ready at the same time when the weather is finally good. It also means we can get started with putting in the following crop a day or two earlier which always helps.

We have installed an Ekopal RM 40 180kw biomass boiler with 20,000 litre accumulation tank all containerised in a single unit. It arrived on the farm the night before and the Straw4Biomass team were on site sharp the following morning and within a day we had a completely assembled boiler with chimney erected and fully supported by the end of the day. It was very efficiently put together and could have been filling with water that night and fired the following day if we had wanted to.

We started looking at biomass as the demand for heat on the farm was set to increase. The first decision was the fuel, we thought we should be in control of the fuel cost and supply. We have some wood on the farm but not enough for a year on year supply. The Ekopal which can burn wood and meets the emission for the RHI for several different straw types was, we think, the answer.

We prepared a concrete pad and took delivery of the boiler with control room, accumulator tank and flue. The Straw4Biomass team, being farmers, spoke in a language I understood, they were fantastic right from the advice at the beginning though the instillation, and now helping to get the most from our boiler.

I was very keen to buy a simple well made boiler that would burn just about anything. I had considered the idea of wood chip however the farm having plenty of straw and timber it made little sense to me to pay a lot of money for chip.

I was able to see two other units that while larger in output had similar footprints so had an idea what was coming. With the base constructed all arrived on time it was connected very quickly and then the detailed work of fitting the various pipes commenced. I can still see Robin and Campbell digging a ditch over the lawn in an area that the digger could not access.

The boiler is well constructed the company is always improving the systems and it was interesting to see that suggestions were always welcome, all buyers have their own idea what they wish to see in their systems. Value for money is very important. I consider I have got a very good system at a very good price, this is my second major purchase into sustainable energy equipment and I think I can face the future with more assurance than in the past.

I can recommend Straw4Biomass Energy to any interested party – they do what they say they will, and were I to do the same again, they would get my order.

At Glensaugh we wanted to install a robust and simply engineered boiler which would burn a mixture of waste-wood and unprocessed roundwood in metre lengths, to replace three existing LPG fired residential heating boilers in a mini district heating scheme. In the summer of 2010 we commissioned an Ekopal RM20 biomass boiler. Since then we have burned a mixture of tree prunings, spruce roundwood, split tree trunks, garden waste and a fair quantity of waste timber. The boiler, which we fire every second or third day, requires only minimal routine maintenance and we are particularly pleased with the “burn anything” concept which sets the Ekopal boiler apart from some of its more “Hi Tech” competitors.

Straw4Biomass is a company which through its two directors gives excellent personal service. It is also well supported by a team of professional tradesmen to cover specialist areas like plumbing, electrical and insulation. The Straw4Biomass team works in co-operation with their clients to design systems which meet particular needs and make use of resources which the client has to offer. At Glensaugh the building of the boilerhouse and installation of services was client led.

We have been satisfied enough with our investment to be able to show our boiler to members of the public, confident that our investment has been well made and the technology is robust. We would be pleased to recommend Straw4Biomass and their products to other potential installers.