SEAI on SEAI

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SEAI Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland

did a Review - Survey of it's Results

Not to be outdone,

SEAI Sustainable Energy Author Ireland aka ME

Has also done a "Bit of a Review"

On the 23rd of February 2007 I sent a letter to the then SEI now called SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland). The purpose of that letter was to refuse the €4,200 grant that I previously had been awarded towards the cost of installing a wood-pellet central heating boiler.

Like SEAI, I am now doing a bit of reflection on how "effective" my actions were, and whether or not I am happy I took the action I did in cancelling my grant and intentions to install a woodpellet boiler. First here is my original letter:

My Letter to SEI 

Cancelling My Grant Application

23/2/2007

Dear SEI

I have done a great deal of research on wood pellet boilers, in terms of design, efficiency, and price. I have also looked into the supply situation for wood pellets in Ireland. My conclusion is that I am better staying with oil heating for now. I am therefore requesting that you cancel my application for now. When the marketplace is stabilised in Ireland, I would hope, maybe, to re-apply. I have given my reasons in detail below. Could I please ask you to have them advised to SEI policy makers, in the hope it might influence future planning.

1. Most wood pellet boilers do not have sufficient back-burn protection. Water quench is a fail-safe and simple method but is not fitted to most units. 
This could well be the cause of much trouble and litigation in the future.
2. Wood burning stoves and boilers produce creosote which can build up in the chimney and if ignited will burn fiercely causing much damage and great danger. The use of special dual walled high temperature stainless flues are required and these are very expensive, easily up to €1000. This is another possible time-bomb for the future.
3. Wood pellet supply in Ireland is far from stable. Disaster was barely averted this winter.
4. Wood pellet prices are far from stable. Prices not are close to oil prices, as oil has reduced and wood pellets have substantially increased in price.
5. Wood pellet quality varies a great deal. There is a great deal of sawdust in some pellets.
6. Storing wood pellets is a big problem, and costly, trying to keep them sufficiently dry.
7. Wood pellet stoves and boilers are overpriced in Ireland. There is a completely uncontrolled situation where major profiteering is taking place by some dealers. Most prices are well above those in Germany etc.
8. Some installers are way over priced. One quoted me €1000 for a boiler in an existing boiler house with flue and plumbing connection already there.
9. There is in-sufficient expertise among installers and service people in Ireland.
10. Spare part and warranty mechanisms are not fully established in Ireland.
11. There are some poor designs of boiler on the market, apart from the safety issues mentioned above. The good has not yet been separated from the bad in Ireland. Time only will tell.
12. Buying a wood pellet boiler now is simply subsidising the costs of future development. In a few years there will be standardised units from Danfoss and similar, and the whole thing will cost a half or less of the current crazy prices.

Regards,
Tony McGinley


My bit of a review:

1. Most wood pellet boilers do not have sufficient back-burn protection. Water quench is a fail-safe and simple method but is not fitted to most units. This could well be the cause of much trouble and litigation in the future. 

 (Now wasn't that true - all but the top of the range boilers had seriously poor or NO burn-back protection SCORE 1 Point)
 
2. Wood burning stoves and boilers produce creosote which can build up in the chimney and if ignited will burn fiercely causing much damage and great danger. The use of special dual walled high temperature stainless flues are required and these are very expensive, easily up to €1000. This is another possible time-bomb for the future.

(As yet -this has not presented as a serious problem and therefore remains open. NO SCORE)

 
3. Wood pellet supply in Ireland is far from stable. Disaster was barely averted this winter.

(At the time 100% the case, things have improved but no thanks to SEI. SCORE 1 point)

 
4. Wood pellet prices are far from stable. Prices not are close to oil prices, as oil has reduced and wood pellets have substantially increased in price.

(One of the HUGE selling points at the time for woodpellet heating was the VERY LARGE savings to be made over the cost of oil heating - what a load of bollix that turned out to be. SCORE 1 point)
 
5. Wood pellet quality varies a great deal. There is a great deal of sawdust in some pellets.

(Here again SEI didn't appear to care a dog's snot about the quality of wood pellets on the Irish market - a lot of problems were caused by poor quality pellets being freely sold on the market with no quality control or even a warning by SEI. SCORE 1 Point)

6. Storing wood pellets is a big problem, and costly, trying to keep them sufficiently dry.

(Ireland, apart from being famous as the RipOff capital of the whole world, is also famous fro being very green. Not only are the plants and trees green, everything, and I mean everything, goes green in Ireland. Why so? because Ireland is soo darn wet and humid. Now how would you keep a couple of tons of cornflakes crisp in your back yard in that climate? With great difficulty, do I hear you say? I would say it was almost an impossibility. Now did SEI forewarn the innocent and clueless public of this fact? No, at least not properly. SCORE 1 point.)

7. Wood pellet stoves and boilers are overpriced in Ireland. There is a completely uncontrolled situation where major profiteering is taking place by some dealers. Most prices are well above those in Germany etc.

( I proved this one so many times - I have not further need to restate the OBVIOUS. SCORE 4 points)

8. Some installers are way over priced. One quoted me €1000 for a boiler in an existing boiler house with flue and plumbing connection already there.

(Same as number 7 above. SCORE another 4 points)

9. There is in-sufficient expertise among installers and service people in Ireland.

(After just a few months of reading and asking around and with my bit of background in central heating technology, I was referred to an EXPERT. Expert my arse - but I knew a heck of a lot more that many in the business. Most retailers were CLUELESS about the technology. Many installers the same. SCORE 1 point)
 
10. Spare part and warranty mechanisms are not fully established in Ireland.

(Boy was I so right in this one - there were a few notable exceptions. The parts scarce and the price inflated. SCORE 1 point)

11. There are some poor designs of boiler on the market, apart from the safety issues mentioned above. The good has not yet been separated from the bad in Ireland. Time only will tell.

(I have been proved right here also. SCORE 1 point)

12. Buying a wood pellet boiler now is simply subsidising the costs of future development. In a few years there will be standardised units from Danfoss and similar, and the whole thing will cost a half or less of the current crazy prices.

(It is taking a lot longer than I anticipated for standardised and good designs to emerge. Much of the technology is still a load of rubbish cobbled together and costing stupid money. My advice stay away from wood pellets for a while yet. SCORE 1 point)



Now 17 Points out of 12 isn't bad is it?

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