Guidance for Biomass Installers

Biomass installers require a broad range of competencies and these need to be continually updated as technology, markets and regulations evolve. Some of the key considerations that installers might consider are found here.

The advice in this website for biomass installers is primarily aimed at those companies that are new to the sector or hoping to acquire expertise. The sector is complex and clearly this website only provides a general introduction and links to other sources of useful information.

Biomass installations are fundamentally different from the fossil fuel systems which they are usually replacing. For the successful installation and operation of any biomass installation, a detailed technical design must have been commissioned or produced at the outset of the project.  This should be based upon a sound understanding of the clients needs, especially in terms of long term operation and routine inputs.

Installers should undertake a structured process with their client, taking into account their specific requirements, the nature of the heating application, and the physical and operational constraints of the site, to arrive at the ‘right’ solution for each application. This is important as biomass installations have a significantly higher requirement for supervision and routine manual input from operators than fossil fuel systems. Clients need to understand this, and also the different levels of manual input that the different system types will require. For example, a manually-fed log boiler might be a suitable choice for a farmer or joinery workshop, but it is extremely unlikely to meet the needs of a hotel or food business with a high heat demand.