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Wood Pellets
Did you know Wood Pellets are up to 3 x more efficient than firewood?
How do we calculate that?
Let's compare Seasoned 'dry' Firewood with Wood Pellets
Seasoned Firewood:
3000Kg of Seasoned Firewood has a moisture content of 25% and a Calorific of 12Mj/Kg, which = 36,000 units of energy
On average, combustion heaters have an efficiency rating of 60%, meaning 60% of the firewood is used to gain heat and the other 40% disappears up the chimney or flue.
Therefore 36, 000/0.60 = 24, 000 effective heat units are achieved from 3000Kg of Seasoned Firewood.
Pellets:
To generate the same 24,000 units of energy using pellets at 90% efficiency requires us to produce 26, 666 units of heat energy (10% disappears up the flue). Pellets have a much higher energy content with a Calorific value of 18Mj/Kg.
Therefore only 26, 666/18 = 1481Kg of pellets are needed.
Less than half of the amount of firewood needed to reach the same heat energy!
Now, let's compare Unseasoned 'wet' Firewood with Wood Pellets
Unseasoned Firewood:
3000Kg unseasoned "wet" firewood with a moisture content of 45% and Calorific value of 9Mj/Kg = 27, 000 units of energy
27,000/0.60 (60% efficiency) = 16,200 of effective heat energy
Pellets:
To generate the same 16, 200 units of energy using pellets at 90% efficiency, requires us to produce 18,000 units of heat energy (10% disappears up the flue). Pellets have a much higher energy content with a Calorific value of 18Mj/Kg.
Therefore only 18, 000/18 = 1000Kg of pellets are needed.
Only 1/3 of the number of pellets are needed to reach 27, 000 units of energy compared to firewood!
Cost Difference
Cost of dry firewood cut, split, delivered and stacked is $320 / Tonne x 3T p.a. = $960 / p.a. (if you can actually buy it that is – getting very hard to source)
Equivalent cost in pellets is $990/T x 1.48 = $1332 / p.a.
Cost of unseasoned (wet) firewood cut, split, delivered and stacked is $290 /Tonne x 3 = $870 / p.a.
Cost of pellets is $990/T x 1.p Tonne = $990 / p.a.
Pellets vs Seasoned Firewood: $1332 v $960 p.a Fuel Cost Difference is $372 p.a.
Pellets vs Unseasoned Firewood $1000 v $870 p.a. Fuel Cost Difference is $130 p.a.
