Order your wood pellets in advance…Christmas is coming

With winter approaching, it is essential that your home and wood pellet boiler are prepared for colder days ahead and you secure your Christmas order.

Ensure that your Wood Pellets supply is topped up to guarantee that your family stays comfortable as we approach the winter months and enter the New Year.


To secure your delivery before Christmas please order your fuel before 6th of December 2021.

 

We recommend you order in plenty of time to avoid any possible setbacks as we approach winter, the busiest time of the year.


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christmas order

Smart Grid Ireland

Interested in how you can decarbonise your business and start making an immediate difference to climate change? Make sure to follow Smart Grid Ireland to gain key information on how this can be achieved.

Smart Grid Ireland is conducting a webinar Tomorrow (Thursday 28th October 2021) that will discuss how wood pellets can play a part in the future energy mix!

 

To register your interest, please click HERE

 

 

Net-Zero by 2050

The UK has agreed that they plan to become net-zero by 2050. That means greenhouse gas emissions would be intensely reduced, any remaining emissions offset, neutralising environmental impact, and slowing climate change. Many of us will be thinking how does a city blocked with traffic and crowded full of carbon-emitting processes and structures from fossil fuels reach such a goal?

 

 

Here at Balcas Energy, we just wanted to give you an overview of the government’s plan on how to reach zero carbon by 2050 and also provide some information on how you can do your bit to help achieve this goal.

The plan on becoming Net-Zero by 2050…

An end to waste

Critical demand for energy while keeping raw materials in use for longer, produces good quality efficiency. Capital goods producers may use software that predicts performance through the life of a piece of equipment. Developers and operators of office buildings are the biggest consumers of energy with the use of heating and lighting daily when not needed. Continuing on from this sector, the fast fashion industry accounts for 80% of clothing ending up in a landfill or burnt which should be recycled.

More electrification

Electricity is zero-emission when consumed, meaning we should be using it a lot more to reach decarbonisation goals. Progress has been made in developing economies but in many developed markets, the share of electricity in the total energy mix hasn’t moved. There needs to be a move away from fossil fuels such as coal and gas and we all need to accept that higher dependence on renewables is expected.

 Greater use of hydrogen

Hydrogen is light, storable, and produces no direct CO2 emissions when transformed into energy.

Carbon sequestration

As we all want to achieve a net-zero world, the growth of carbon capture hubs should continue to rise. There is a big role in sustainable forestation, improving soil management techniques, protecting natural carbon sinks such as wetlands, and restoring damaged habitats. This is why we support and practice sustainable foresting and manufacturing, whilst also satisfying timber manufacturing processes and providing renewables for heating to the energy sector.

To read more about the plan, please visit: https://www.cib.barclays/our-insights/Emission-impossible-closing-in-on-net-zero.html

How can we help achieve this plan?

Wood pellets are a renewable solid wood fuel available today and can have a massive impact on achieving net-zero by 2050. High standard Wood Pellets (ie: ENPlus A1 standard) create little ash when burnt, and are renewable (sourced from sustainable woodlands). Here at Balcas Energy, we create the wood pellets in our plants in Northern Ireland and Scotland to ensure they are developed to a high standard – unlike others sold on the market which might be imported and traveling a long distance to the destination.

 

If you are interested in moving to renewable energy and doing your part to help the environment and the climate change plan, please visit our FAQ page if you have any questions and if these cannot be resolved, contact us and a member of our customer support team will help with any queries you may have.


To place an online order please click below:

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Halloween Competition – A treat from Balcas Energy

smart bunker


We have teamed up with The SmartBunker® to give one lucky customer a ???? Smart Bunker this Halloween!

All you have to do is:
• Like & Share this post
Until Thursday 28th of October 2021
The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday, the 29th of October 2021, on our Facebook page.*
smart bunker

Not sure what a smart bunker is?

This is a safe way to store your wood pellets at home. Please visit this page to read more about it.


*T&Cs apply for this competition. Please read below:

smart bunker

The winner will be announced on Balcas Energy facebook page and once announced we will wait for their message back on facebook with their full name & delivery address for 48 hours. We will then send the contact details to SmartBunker™, who is responsible to ensure the the delivery straight to the winner’s house and any delivery issues will be resolved with them directly. If the announced winner doesn’t contact us within 48 hours , we will then proceed with drawing another winner.

 

 

Safe and Secure – Storing your bagged wood pellets

If you buy bagged wood pellets from us…how do you store them? Throw the bags in the garage, leave them out in the garden, or under a protective shelter that protects them from rain? It is essential that you store your wood pellets in a dry condition to get the best results. Ideally keep your bags indoors in the garage or shed.

 

Storing them in the house/garage can be troublesome. They take up space that you may need; or cause worry in the event of a fire. Here at Balcas Energy want to ensure you get the best results from burning our wood pellets, in safety. We have considered the issue of storing wood pellets in domestic situations and looked at various solutions. We have also created a special page based on wood pellets storage and you can read it here.


We would also like to introduce you a smart innovative way to keep your pellets dry and safe – the SmartBunker™.

What is the SmartBunker™?

The SmartBunker™ is a strong waterproof UV-resistant polyethylene storage bunker. It does not rust or rot. It stands upright, allowing secure dry storage, easy filling, and dispensing for up to 200kg of our pellets. Bending and lifting are reduced to a minimum. And you can throw away the shovel.

It takes up very little floor space and it can be located either indoors or outdoors. Because of its shape, it throws off any rainwater that falls on it. The pellets are stored about 600mm (2’) above ground level, preventing most flood damage events. Wet pellets in our experience do not burn well which is why we want to ensure we offer the best solution for wood pellet storage!


wood pellet storage

 


Standards 

Up to now, no specific technical or safety standards have been developed for this type of equipment. However, SmartBunker™ has just been awarded a unique HETAS listing on consideration of the advantages it offers over other domestic solid fuel bunker systems.

If you are interested in more information on the SmartBunker™, please visit https://www.thesmartbunker.co.uk/product/wood-pellets-storage/ and a member of their sales team will help with any queries you may have based on wood pellet storage.

 

To place an order of bagged wood pellets please click below:


ORDER NOW



To order a smart bunker with £10 OFF, please use the Balcas Energy customer Discount Code directly on their website. Simply copy and paste the following discount code and apply it at the checkout when ordering on www.thesmartbunker.co.uk :

9MWKHM2M


ORDER SMART BUNKER WITH DISCOUNT CODE



If you require more assistance, please contact our team and we will help put through your order or deal with any queries you may have if they cannot be resolved by viewing our Frequently Asked Questions.

Thank You,

Balcas Energy

 

Hello Autumn!


As we enter the cold Autumn temperatures, we have put together our usual checklist to help you maintain optimum performance for your biomass boiler set-up this Autumn:

 

    1. Store is clean – As recommended in our Summer Fuel Store Maintenance Guide.
    2. Annual Service completed – Make sure that your biomass boiler is serviced annually by a certified technician to ensure the appliance is operating safely and correctly.
    3. Thermostat  – Check and adjust your thermostat settings to ensure your heating system is working properly.
    4. Order in advance  – As temperatures start to drop we are seeing an increase in Autumn orders. We strongly recommend you order in advance before winter is here, as lead times can increase at winter peak times.


Make sure your wood pellet fuel is high-quality and certified – Like the wood pellets we supply, which we manufacture locally in our green energy powered plants. Looking for cheap wood pellets is tempting on the short run, but if you check all our certifications and manufacturing accreditations, you will see how important is the complexity of buying high quality wood pellet fuel – both for the lifetime of your biomass boiler and the calorific value you can get. Click here to see the specifications of our pellets.


We’re supporting the Environment & Less CO2 production, for our future – because we’re manufacturing locally with renewable energy and we also supply from our local depots. This means that our carbon footprint is less than any other imported pellets, which can travel half way around the globe.


Are you using bagged or bulk wood pellets?

You can benefit of our 10kg Bagged Wood Pellets. Why not order a full pallet to have them just in case and make sure you won’t run out on fuel? Or maybe if you have a stove, they can be easily handled and stored inside!

IN STOCK BUY BAGGED PELLETS BUY BULK PELLETS

 


Let us know if you need any assistance with any of the above – Our team is here for you! Call us today or drop us an email.

Recycle week 2021

Recycle Week is Recycle Now’s flagship annual event which is a celebration of recycling across the nation. It has now been operating for 18 years and it’s the one week of the year where retailers, brands, waste management companies, trade associations, governments, and the media come together to achieve one goal: to galvanise the public into recycling more of the right things, more often.


This year’s theme: Step It Up This Recycle Week

The Climate Crisis is a tough subject. But we’re a nation of even tougher subjects. The last 15 months have shown that. And while throughout the past year many things have happened over which we’ve had no control, the Climate Crisis is something we can actively do something about. Every one of us, every single day. Most of us already do, through small but powerful habits – like recycling. We know environmental concerns are still on the increase, so we need to do more. We need to do it now. And we need to act together. It’s time to join the fight against climate change and step it up in this year’s recycle week.


How do we do our bit at Balcas Energy…

We pride ourselves on our sustainable manufacturing of wood pellets in two of our plants in Enniskillen and Invergordon. The renewable energy used to manufacture the pellet fuel is generated on-site thanks to the co-products of all Balcas saw-milling activities.

By manufacturing our wood pellets on-site we are ensuring:

  • There is no waste.
  • Maximum capacity of deliveries is happening to reduce traveling.
  • For every tree we harvest, four more are planted as we are focused on sustainability.


Below you can watch a short animation in which we present our sustainable manufacturing process:


If you are interested in moving to renewable energy and doing your part to help the environment, please contact us and a member of our customer support team will help with any queries you may have.


To place an online order please click below:


ORDER NOW




If you require more assistance, place contact the team and we will help put through your order or deal with any queries you may have if they cannot be resolved by viewing our Frequently Asked Questions.

Thank You,

Balcas Energy

 

Renewable energy is the way forward for heating poultry houses

Members of our team attended a webinar recently based on providing a renewable, energy efficient solution for heating poultry houses. This was organized and recorded by Teagasc Poultry. Within the webinar, Paula, Colm and Gerard, provided lots of great information on why moving to renewable energy in this specific sector will be better for the environment as well as for your business energy usage.

The webinar was filled with lots of information around heating poultry houses and energy efficiency, and we thought it would be a good idea to provide you some key info that will be appealing and invite you to take time and watch the recorded webinar below.

Key facts:

  • Here at Balcas Energy, we have been providing wood pellets since 2004. We understand that in the farming industry time is precious and we consider that. To date, Balcas Energy supplied 1,000 poultry houses in NI and GB, using 45,000 tonnes of fuel per annum, generating 200 million kWh of heat, and producing 160 million birds.
  • The Wood pellets we produce are of consistent quality and cannot be matched by any other forms of forest biomass and when being produced there is no waste which is great for the environment.
  • By using Balcas Energy pellets over other biomass fuels such as wood chips, the heat generated is drier, the direct-fired gas heating, and this creates a healthier environment for birds.
  • The stick–carbon tax increases in ROI. IN 2021 carbon tax has increased to 33.50 per tonne and at least 100 per tone by 2030. This will be an increase of 7.50 per tonne for 10 years. However, the ROI government has created a support scheme for renewable heat which allows businesses to claim up to 38.120 per annum.


Full webinar below:

 



If you currently operate a poultry house and are keen on Balcas energy wood pellets as an energy solution after watching the webinar but have some questions, please contact the Balcas Energy support team and we will provide you with the relevant information required to make your change to renewable energy.

To view the webinar please visit 2021 – Let’s Talk Poultry Webinar – Balcas Energy Solution for Heating Poultry Houses – Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority.

 


If you’re interested in reading more about the RHI, SSRH, or the Carbon Tax being introduced in the Republic of Ireland please click below:

RHI Scheme SSRH

Summer Bank Holiday 30th of August

 

Our Customer Support office will be closed on Monday, 30th of August for the summer bank holiday. We will reopen as normal on Tuesday, 31st of August.


bank holiday
You can still order online 24/7 by visiting our Online Shop:

 

Buy Bagged Wood Pellets Buy Bulk Wood Pellets

 

Balcas Energy Team

5 reasons why you should use wood pellets

use of wood pellets

Many know what wood pellets are but don’t know their benefits. Here at Balcas, we want our consumers to have as much information as possible when considering buying wood pellets from us.

As a reminder, wood pellets are a compressed form of wood biomass and can be used in stoves and boilers for fuel, as an alternative to fossil fuels. Continue to scroll to read the key benefits of using wood pellets in the long run.

These are five key benefits of using wood pellets in the long run:

  1. A cost-effective fuel – Wood pellet prices have been extremely steady over the past decade, while all other energy sources change dramatically within the market.
  2. The carbon footprint of wood pellets – Pellet fuel can produce one-tenth the carbon as heating with oil. If the forest the wood pellet material is sourced from is managed sustainably, the carbon footprint is significantly reduced in comparison with fossil fuel heat. This is why in Balcas Energy we pride ourselves with our sustainability story.
  3. Forests can directly benefit – By using environmentally reliable sources for production, burning pellets releases fewer carbon emissions than if trees were left to decompose in the forest. This allows modern forestry organisations to enhance the rate of carbon elimination from the environment by replanting new trees which absorb CO2.
  4. Wood pellets are natural – When it comes to using pellets, there are no chemicals or dangerous extracts included that could be harmful to you or the environment. Pellet fuel is made from scratch using green energy and high-quality material from trees grown in sustainable forests.
  5. Storing is very easy – Wood pellets can be stored in any dry room. They are not easy to ignite and do not pose a significant fire hazard. Whereas fossil fuels such as fuel oil, gas, diesel fuel, and coal are easily flammable and contain have harmful odours.

Here at Balcas, we want to ensure you have as much information as possible based on our fuel. If you have any queries surrounding this topic, please check out our frequently asked questions section or give us a call on +44 (0) 28 6641 1001 or email energy@balcas.com. Alternatively, you can contact at any time via our Contact Form online – a member of our team will get back to you ASAP.

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