Berrygate Hill nursery in Hull relied on four 30 year-old oil boilers to provide heating to its ten acres of glasshouses. Initially Ebtech undertook an in-depth survey of the site’s existing heating systems to appraise how fuel bills could be reduced. Findings showed that the old boiler plant was running at maximum 70% efficiency, with an estimated 30% going to waste due to the boiler inefficiency.
Ebtech proposed a solution to install two 995kW Biomass boilers, fuelled by wood chip, supplied on a long term contract. The biomass solution not only dramatically reduces fuel bills but also allows Berrygate to take advantage of the Government’s renewable heat incentive (RHI), a subsidy to encourage growers to switch from polluting fossil fuels.
"By installing a biomass system we have significantly improved our profitability and consequently increased the value of the business." - Peter Overvoorde
Due to Ebtech’s specialist knowledge of glasshouse heating systems, the biomass plant was designed to take account of the high differential between the flow and return temperatures, as well as deal with the excessive heat demand at certain times of day. To facilitate this, the system incorporates 100,000 litres of stored hot water, which feeds 840 metres of 6 inch transport main pipe-work.
Matthew Blood, Ebtech’s Managing Director, also explained: “The new biomass boiler is set to reduce the overall annual energy costs, while the RHI will pay a guaranteed subsidy per annum for the next 20 years.”
Ebtech Energy Ltd. are specialists in the supply and installation of heating systems and mechanical and electrical services for the horticultural, agricultural and commercial industries. For more information please visit www.ebtechenergy.co.uk
