Biomass Heating System helps to Cut Costs for Welsh Manufacturer

Thermal Earth (UK) has helped reduce the fuel cost of a neighbouring business by installing a biomass boiler heating system. Industrial GRP, a South Wales manufacturer of glass reinforced plastic products, had three Ponast wood pellet boilers installed in a cascade arrangement by Thermal Earth to provide 186 kW of energy efficient heating for the warehouse and offices.

The biomass boiler system will lower running costs and ensure that Industrial GRP reduce its carbon footprint whilst saving on money on heating bills and gaining an estimated £21,000 annually through the non-domestic RHI scheme.

As one of the UK’s largest glass reinforced plastic manufacturers, Industrial GRP has grown to employ over 80 staff since it was founded in 1999 and serves customers globally in the industrial and commercial sectors. Designing and building a variety of GRP products including kiosks, cabinets and enclosures, the market spans a wide range of areas from water and electric companies to gas infrastructure contractors, renewable energy and large construction projects.

Being an environmentally conscious organisation, Industrial GRP is keen to minimise any impact on the environment its facilities may have. In evaluating its heating system it was quickly identified that changing to a biomass boiler system would significantly increase green credentials. Thermal Earth installed the Ponast KP63 wood pellet boilers, recommended for their manufacturing quality and ease of use. The cascade arrangement ensures that while one boiler is undergoing maintenance or repair the other boilers can still run and meet the majority of the building’s demand.

The automatic KP63 Ponast boiler is a new product based on the previous KP62 model but with additional features such as the modern control unit with easy to use touch screen monitoring. The sophisticated controls allow up to five heating circuits including domestic hot water, accumulator tanks and solar system to be run from one device. Furthermore, the new burner construction comprising a cast-iron exchangeable burner surface and improved insulation allows for higher combustion efficiency and therefore an increase in fuel savings.

A new radiator system along with fan coil units into the warehouse were installed to enhance the efficiency of the new heating system. Payback through the RHI payments is estimated at around five years, with further savings being made on the reduced running costs. The initial costs of £110,000 will be recovered in five years, with £21,000 pa RHI payments coming in for a further 15 years.

The versatility of the Industrial GRP products has resulted in a collaboration between Thermal Earth and the product manufacturers on biomass installations where outbuildings are needed to be found to accommodate the heating system. A brick structure would be time consuming, costly and involve the application for necessary planning permissions. Industrial GRP can build bespoke GRP kiosks to house biomass boilers and fuel storage with fire rated partitions, emergency door access and ventilation, achieving all safety standards and providing a quick, cost effective solution.

Industry GRP site manager, Darren Tancock, commented, “Having worked with Thermal Earth previously they were our first choice to install biomass boilers in all of our factories. Their service was very professional and the whole installation process was seamless. We are so pleased with everything we are bringing forward the final phase of the installation from September to March. Thermal Earth will definitely be our first port of call for all our future energy needs.”