Pellets of Wood

I have been learning a little bit about wood pellets and I would like to pass on what I have learned so far.

Wood Pellets are made from essentially sawdust. They come in different qualities. In Denmark there are 3 different qualities available.

What Makes a Good Pellet

1. Good quality raw material. (no bark, or other rubbish, or oily timbers)
2. High compaction. (Nice hard shiny pellets)
3. No or little loose dust or bits. (Dust will clog up the system)
4. Very dry with less than 8% total moisture. (Pellets die, literally disintegrate, from moisture or any dampness)


What's Happening in Ireland?

Here is what worries me a lot: PRICE. With the other Irish style rip-offs in this business, I am afraid, that like the supply and fitting situation, there will also be abuses on the price of pellets. So far the situation seems fairly good.

Balcas is the only national player at the present and they offer fair prices. There are a number of other players coming onto the scene. Czech-Direct is a Kerry based company which is importing pellets, as yet prices delivery arrangements etc. haven't emerged. There are other start up situations around the country but I do not have details as yet.

What really needs to happen is for Ireland to grow its own needs rather than use waste or imported materials. I hope that there will emerge many schemes to encourage farmers to plant large areas with fast growing trees that can be harvested on a regular basis. Local industries which will process the materials also need to be encouraged. I am not up to speed on what is happening on this level.

Delivery and Price

Delivery is in essentially two forms; Bagged or Loose. The bagged pellets are reasonably safe from moisture but should be stored in a fairly dry situation anyway. The loose pellets really need a VERY dry place in which to store them.

Loose pellets are cheapest at about €170 per tonne for a 3 tonne delivery. Bagged are quite a bit more expensive at €210 and upwards a tonne delivered on pallets. Smaller quantities of bagged pellets are dearer again. It would pay you to have bulk storage if you have a suitable space to make it.

WARNING; WOOD PELLETS TURN TO SAWDUST WHEN DAMP.
A pellet stove or furnace will not work if the pellets get damp, so be warned. You will also lose a lot of pellets and money if they get damp. They are only good as garden mulch, but even then what would you do with say two tonnes of mulch?

The following was a complete surprise to me given Ireland performance on the Internation Rip-Off tables: For the moment Ireland is a bit cheaper for wood pellets than Denmark.

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