NEW BIOMASS HEATING FINANCE HELPS BUSINESS CASH FLOW

Biomass heating specialists Windhager UK have just introduced a new asset finance package for commercial clients to fund biomass boiler system installations.

Under the new scheme, Windhager UK is working with finance partner Macquarie, a global finance provider, founded in 1969 and operating in 28 countries.

With the need to cut carbon emissions, a biomass heating solution is an attractive proposition to business owners as the systems are carbon neutral, can save as much as 30% in energy costs, and in most cases receive income from the government’s renewable heat incentive (RHI) for 20 years.

Windhager UK’s Managing Director Oliver Duckworth comments, “We are delighted to be working with Macquarie to assist companies with their cash flow when investing in biomass heating systems.  Numerous projects are already underway using this scheme, including hotel and care groups”.

Stefano Girolami, Manager of Macquarie Equipment Finance adds, “Organising the finance on biomass heating systems is really very straight forward, with credit decisions normally within 24 hours.  Macquarie has a wealth of knowledge on Biomass and will take into account the energy savings and RHI payments when considering the funding. Finance periods are generally up to 5 years and can be tailored to suit. This funding provides businesses with a much quicker return on their investment and often helps convert a project into a cash neutral or cash positive position from day one.”

The application process for the finance package is very easy.  The team at Macquarie work closely with the Windhager UK account manager on any new biomass project.  When the business wishes to explore the advantages of financing a scheme, the finance company speaks directly with the customer to discuss the figures. Once finance is agreed, there is no upfront deposit and the customer starts making monthly payments once Macquarie has received the invoice from the supplier of the biomass equipment after delivery and commissioning.

Windhager is the leading biomass boiler manufacturer in Europe and has supplied its systems to many commercial schemes over the last few years up and down the country, these including golf clubs, holiday parks, hotels, farms, schools, veterinary clinics and care homes.   The company offers a range of high quality energy efficient systems from 6.5kW to 300kW output and guaranteed for five to seven years.  Popular biomass boilers include the fully automatic wood pellet boilers BioWIN Excel; the split log boiler, LogWIN; and its latest combination boiler DuoWIN which can operate from either wood pellet or split logs.  Various options are available for all Windhager’s biomass boilers including pellet hoppers for automatic feed, sophisticated MES control systems, and the company’s latest innovation, the myComfort app which allows control of boiler systems remotely from smart phones.

Windhager has a network of approved installers across the UK to guarantee installations and commissioning as well as providing after sales service whenever required.

Further information on the new Asset Finance package is available from Windhager on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

COUNTRY MANOR HOTEL REDUCES CARBON FOOTPRINT WITH WINDHAGER BIOMASS

An 18^th Century country manor house hotel located in rural Lancashire has recently installed a Windhager 180kW BioCABIN.

Briars Hall Country House Hotel, set in the historic civil parish of Lathom, offers 25 en-suite bedrooms as well as a scenic venue for bistro dining, weddings, conferences and other events.

To replace the 400 kW heating system comprising several gas boilers, MCS registered installers Biomass North East installed a purpose-built wood-clad Windhager BioCABIN. Housing three Windhager Excel biomass boilers in cascade, the 180kW system complete with a 16 tonne capacity stainless steel wood pellet hopper was the chosen system to achieve the hotels objectives to provide a sustainable and cost effective solution to heating the entire hotel.

By converting to biomass, the new Windhager biomass system will significantly help the hotel to reduce its carbon footprint by providing a carbon saving of around 180 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The Windhager BioCABIN was delivered to the site with the BioWIN Excel biomass boilers set up inside. This allowed installers Biomass North East to simply deliver and connect the system within two weeks whilst the hotel remained open to the public.

Mark Higham, owner of the Briars Hall Country House Hotel commented, “It is extremely important to us that we provide our guests with the best possible experience whilst they are staying away from home. A warm and comfortable environment all year round is essential and this is something that our new biomass system has allowed us to achieve. The boilers provide the hotel with constant, controllable heat and are not only reliable but also extremely affordable. We are saving an extraordinary amount of money and the positive impact on the environment is very rewarding.”

Due to the significantly high annual heat demand of 236,520kWh, the hotel will receive 6.8p per kW generated in payments from the commercial Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), with an estimated total of £359,510 over the next 20 years.

The BioWIN Kaskade biomass systems are designed especially for commercial properties, such as hotels, with a high demand for a reliable and efficient heating source. The system can be set to provide constant or variable heat to its maximum capability and produce an output of up to 240kW from up to four BioWIN Excel wood pellet boilers, tailored to the heating demands of the property.

The system proves reliable all year round as each boiler acts as a backup to the others and can continue to operate and provide a comfortable amount of heat should another boiler need to be shut down for maintenance.

Windhager’s BioCABINs are designed to house the BioWIN kaskade systems of any size and are tailor-made to meet the requirements of each individual installation. The cabins are simply delivered to the site and connected to the mains supply of the property through an underground feed. This allows a quick and stress-free installation allowing hotels and other businesses to remain open during the process.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

WINDHAGER BIOMASS WARMS 16TH CENTURY TUDOR TOWERS

Kirtling Towers, the remains of a Grade I 16^th Century Tudor house, has recently received its first two installations of Windhager biomass heating systems.

Located near Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, Kirtling Towers now form part of the Fairhaven Estates, owned by Lord and Lady Fairhaven.

The estate made the decision to convert to biomass as an economical and more sustainable alternative to its previous oil heating system.

As a result, two separate Windhager biomass district heating systems, each comprising an 180kW BioWIN Excel Kaskade system were installed by local installers, Acorn Renewable Solutions. They are currently underway with phase three of the project with an expected completion by the winter.

Commenting on the installation of the new Windhager boilers, Beverley Thompson, Lord Fairhaven’s private assistant said, “We are extremely impressed so far with our new Windhager boilers and the entire process has been excellent. The installation by Acorn Renewable Solutions was very professional and tidy given the extent of work that was needed. It was like a work of art and has caused no hassle for us whatsoever.”

She continued, “We decided to convert to biomass as we wanted to reduce our carbon footprint as well as save a significant amount of money on our yearly energy bills. Acorn Renewable Solutions advised us that Windhager biomass boilers are the best and most reliable on the market and we cannot disagree. We are very much looking forward to the benefits that the boilers will bring us over the winter months.”

The two Windhager 180kW biomass systems were installed by Acorn Renewable Solutions as an efficient and environmentally friendly replacement for the estate’s old oil boilers. The automatic feed and backup system of the BioWIN Excel boilers provide the estate with a constant and reliable heat source all year round, without the need for regular maintenance visits.

The installation qualifies for the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which will reward the Fairhaven Estate with £35,000 per year in return payments from the scheme over 20 years. As the cost of wood pellets is about 30% cheaper than oil the estate will also receive more than £16,000 per year in fuel savings for the two installations. This is a considerable difference for the estate which was previously paying extortionate amounts for its annual energy bills, with one building alone costing at least £10,000 per year to heat from its old oil heating systems.

The first of the two district heating systems was installed in a converted barn to provide efficient heating to the Kirtling Towers, as well as many of the estate’s offices, board room and canteen facilities. Acorn Renewable Solutions removed three oil boilers totalling 175kW (100kW, 50 kW and 25 kW) and a 15000 litre oil tank which was previously used to heat these spaces, replacing them with three 60kW Windhager Excel boilers in a cascade format.

A further three 60kW Excel boilers were also installed in cascade in an outbuilding, replacing a total of seven boilers of mixed fuel including oil, LPG Gas and Oil Combi. This district system is now used to heat the Fairhaven Estate, which includes an office, four domestic dwellings and other facilities.

Both systems use underground pipework to pump hot water to the connected buildings, which allowed the systems to be installed at a convenient place for the estate.

Available from 60kW to 240kW, the Windhager BioWIN Excel Kaskade system is engineered to meet the demands of properties with a significantly high annual heat demand, which also require a constant and reliable heat source. The cascade form acts as a backup system which continues to provide heat to the property should one boiler within the system need to be shut down.

Installed with an automatic suction feed, the BioWIN Excel boilers do not require daily attention and can simply be turned on and left alone to operate efficiently. Fully equipped with a stainless steel combustion burner bowl and patented self-cleaning mechanism, cleaning and maintenance is kept to a minimum, with the integrated ash container only requiring emptying as little as three times a year.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

WIN WITH WINDHAGER – NEW INSTALLER NETWORK LAUNCHED

Windhager UK is inviting installers of its products to join the Windhager Installer Network (WIN), launched in July 2015.

The WIN membership is open to the wide network of installers across the UK who are currently or are looking to install biomass boilers from Windhager’s range for the domestic and commercial markets.

In order to become a member of the WIN network, installers will be required to complete Windhager product and technical training courses, and attend refresher courses attendance when requested. Installations will also be assessed to ensure that their standards meet the expected high quality that accompanies the quality of Windhager products.

Sami Osman, Technical Manager at Windhager UK, commented, “We have a great network of installers that work closely with us, installing our products across the country. In creating the WIN membership we are offering them the opportunity to go that one step further. By becoming a WIN member, installers will receive unrivalled support and it will allow them to promote a mark of excellence which will lead to new sales leads, with customers feeling confident that they are receiving first-class service from a fully-trained installer. WIN members will also be featured on our new ‘Search for an Installer’ tool on our website, which will give customers the opportunity to search for an installer in their area.”

Windhager has created the WIN web portal which can only be accessed using a username and password, rewarded to qualifying installers. With this, installers can access exclusive information, including regular bulletins, promotional material, product manuals and schematics, a fault code search engine and marketing material including Windhager van signage and apparel.

Members of the network will also receive full, comprehensive training and support, ranging from technical documentation to marketing and exhibition support from the Windhager team.

Windhager is offering free training courses for installers held at the company’s Headquarters in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire. The 500 m² facility is fully equipped with showrooms and demonstration boilers to provide hands on learning for heating engineers across all levels of the industry.

The five courses, titled W1-W5, cover Windhager product overviews, installation advice, system design, fault-finding and commissioning to provide installers with substantial knowledge to confidently recommend and install Windhager biomass systems.

Installers from across the country have descended on Windhager’s training centre, the largest dedicated biomass training centre in the UK, to snap up the free biomass courses that allow installers to meet directly with Windhager’s technical experts.

Installers have expressed their satisfaction with the Windhager provided courses with Danny Wyer, installer at Renewable Plumbing Solutions, commenting “I thoroughly enjoyed Windhager’s biomass course and would recommend it to all biomass installers. I thought it was really interesting while being incredibly informative and the enthusiasm and professionalism shown by the Windhager instructors was exceptional.”

Further information on the benefits of the Windhager Installer Network is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting www.windhager.co.uk/win

DOMESTIC BIOMASS BOILER INSTALLATIONS ACCELERATING FAST

500 of Windhager’s new BioWIN 2 biomass boilers have been installed in domestic properties in the UK since they were launched in the Summer of 2014.

This reflects the huge surge in demand for renewable technology and biomass heating systems, after the domestic RHI was announced and the growing popularity of this new compact wood pellet boiler.

The current domestic RHI payments for biomass are set at 8.9 pence per kWh* of renewable heat generated with eligible participants receiving money back for installing and running a biomass heating system.

In a recent example of the success of the BioWIN 2 being installed within a domestic property, homeowner David Taylor who lives is rural Northamptonshire achieved a 40% saving in fuel costs by switching from oil to wood pellets, a figure which is not uncommon when switching from any fuel source, whether electricity, LPG or oil.  Also, on top of this £1000 p.a. fuel saving, homeowners like David typically receive around  £6,000 per annum from the government domestic RHI payments, every year for seven years.  On this basis, payback of the installed cost of biomass heating can be in as little as three or four years with the further RHI payments coming in as a bonus.

Many of Windhager’s trained installers have been actively installing the new BioWIN 2 boilers around the country and these include Rob Lane from Hewers Facilities Management, Paul Wilkins from Heat Norfolk, Lachlan McInnes of McInnes Plumbing & Heating (Scotland), and Mark Galbraith Plumbing & Renewables Ltd.

Providing comfortable heating to all homes, the BioWIN 2 is the smallest, most efficient and durable range of biomass pellet boilers in its class.  Taking less than 1.5m² of space this appliance can be installed into an alcove as only minimal clearances (3mm) are required and all cleaning and servicing is achieved from the front.

Available in either manual or auto-feed options the BioWIN 2 is available in five models with outputs in the range of 3 to 26kW. Built to high engineering standards, the core of the BioWIN 2 is a quality stainless steel burner with LowDust technology and a special self-cleaning function ensuring a cleaner environment and a cleaner burn.  The new boiler generates very little ash, collected in a removable ash box which only needs emptying about once a year.

Further information on the new BioWIN 2 wood pellet boilers is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

NEW DUOWIN BOILER COMBINES HEATING WITH WOOD AND PELLETS

Windhager has just launched its brand Windhager’s new DuoWIN combination biomass boiler.

With hybrid technology, DuoWIN combines heating with wood and pellets in one unit.  This sophisticated biomass boiler system allows users to either use logs or wood pellets and its intelligent fuel switching detects when the wood gassifier is in burnout and switches to pellet operation, either automatically or at a desired time.

The DuoWIN system is based on two of Windhager’s proven biomass boilers, the compact log boiler LogWIN Klassik and the recently launched compact BioWIN 2 wood pellet boiler, and thus takes up only 4.19m² of space.

The new DuoWIN is available as either a comfort or energy optimised variant.  The PowerBoost function can meet short-term higher heat demands up to 56kW.  With the energy optimised version, the DuoWIN’s pellet operation is up to 25% more efficient than conventional combination boilers.  Available in four models from 33 kW – 56 kW output, the DuoWIN has a filling volume of 145 litres for 50cm split logs and 164 litres of wood pellets, the feed for which can be either manual or fully automatic.

Within DuoWIN there are two independent heat exchanger systems which ensure maximum reliability yet with a smaller space requirement of other combination solutions. Both the wood combustion chamber and the stainless steel pellet burner bowl are not wearing parts and are included in Windhager’s five year warranty. The DuoWIN’s ignition elements ignite silently, are robust and maintenance-free and are also included in the warranty.

One special feature from Windhager is that you can upgrade anytime to DuoWIN if you have Windhager’s LogWIN Klassic log boiler as this is ‘pellet-ready’, meaning that the pellet boiler BioWIN 2 can be added at a later date.

The LogWIN Klassic has a large filling chamber opening for easy access with logs, and has a detachable ash pan for easy removal. The log boiler also features automatic ignition in the DuoWIN meaning that no kindling is required to start the boiler burning.

BioWIN 2, the incorporated wood pellet within DuoWIN has very long maintenance intervals. Its robust stainless steel burner with LowDust technology burns so cleanly that the pellet boiler is well below the international emissions standards.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

WINDHAGER SPONSOR KEY SUSTAINABLE TRAINING EVENT

Windhager UK sponsored the BIFM South West Region Quarterly Training Day on September 19th focusing on sustainability, organised by the British Institute of Facilities Managements SW Committee and held at the Hilton Bristol Hotel. Windhager’s Southern Area Technical Sales Manager, James Williams, delivered an intriguing presentation on increased biomass usage in both commercial and domestic sectors to start the event.

The BIFM promotes excellence in facilities management including helping businesses to achieve sustainable goals and therefore making Windhager a most suitable sponsor for this event. The Windhager led session covered the relative infancy of the biomass industry with wood pellet boilers only starting to be produced in 1999 and the impressive progress it has made in such a short time period.

The Windhager presentation spoke of the government-backed incentives for installing biomass boiler systems as well as the significant economic benefits in terms of fuel bill savings. The sustainability theme was carried throughout the various presentations given by other sustainable experts. The event provided a platform from which industry specialists could converse with facility managers to pass on ideas that aim to reduce energy consumption, increase efficiency and improve the use of company budgets.

Windhager have worked extensively on projects in both the commercial and domestic sectors, gaining a wealth of experience in developing new technologies and adapting them to apply to various systems. The new BioWIN 2 wood pellet boiler has evolved as a direct response to the growing domestic biomass market, its compact size and easy maintenance design making it suitable for domestic situations with only a small space to accommodate the boiler and associated parts.

Windhager is dedicated to the highest standard of installer training on biomass systems with its offices in South Gloucestershire boasting the largest dedicated biomass training centre in the UK. A range of HETAS courses are available as well as free Windhager courses that provide accredited Windhager installers with knowledge on Windhager boilers to confidently approach all types of installation.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

WINDHAGER EXPANDS EXPERTISE WITH NEW TECHNICAL AND SALES STAFF

Biomass boiler manufacturer Windhager has expanded its technical and sales divisions as it experiences ever-increasing demand for its products and services. Sami Osman joins the company, as technical manager whilst Wendy Palmer becomes sales administrator. Both bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience to enhance the support offered to installers and customers on the biomass systems. The company is in the process of creating additional administrative, sales and technical roles to provide further support within each division.

Demand for biomass has been growing steadily over the years and Windhager has experienced successive periods of expansion to accommodate the increase in demand. The announcement of the Domestic RHI scheme is sure to see record numbers of small-scale biomass installations being commissioned across the UK and Windhager has guaranteed the highest level of customer service with the new addition to the team. The dates for biomass training courses have also been extended to service the rise in popularity of biomass heating.

“Windhager has an extensive network of Windhager approved installers across the UK who have completed the full training programmes at both our UK and Austrian headquarters. The support team is vital in dealing with system issues or design difficulties and maintaining the high standard that is expected of Windhager” commented Oliver Duckworth, commercial director.

The Windhager UK operation is run from its South Gloucestershire headquarters in rural Marshfield. Functioning as the UK distribution centre, the premises also has a customer showroom and a fully equipped engineer training facility that ensures installers have credible knowledge and hands on experience of the Windhager products.

Having gained a Masters in Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol that included specialising in carbon negative/neutral construction projects, Sami Osman went on to work for a leading biomass distributor as a design and technical support engineer. His new role as technical manager at Windhager involves training the installers, commissioning engineers and sales staff on the Windhager products and systems as well as supplying them with detailed knowledge of biomass energy in general.

This is also combined with providing high-level technical support including fault finding, while the more practical aspects of the role involve commissioning systems and contributing to the development and design of new products.

New sales administrator, Wendy Palmer, is charged with providing full administrative support to the Windhager field sales team while maintaining the CRM database. Wendy ensures first class customer service when dealing with sales enquiries while also responsible for producing quotations and proposals.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk

GOLF CLUB AND HOTEL WIN WITH BIOMASS

A golf club has increased its green credentials having installed a Windhager biomass boiler to provide heating for the club facilities and the adjacent Manor House Hotel. The Manor House Golf Club is situated in the Cotswold countryside overlooking the Castle Combe valley and provides 5 star accommodation as part of The Exclusive Hotels Group.

As part of a green initiative the company replaced its existing oil heating with a Windhager BioWIN wood pellet boiler system. The club will not only significantly reduce its carbon footprint but is set to save 52% a year on fuel bills and generate an annual £14,000 from RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive).

The Manor House Golf Club found, like many other businesses, that its current oil heating system was inefficient and proving extremely costly as fuel prices steadily rise and maintenance becomes a more regular necessity. The Exclusive Hotels Group has its own environmental agenda called ‘Exclusively Green’ with which they aim to reduce the impact the business has on the environment. This initiative has already seen the Manor House Hotel and Golf Club purchase all electricity from 100% renewable sources such as wind farms. This desire to improve energy consumption instigated research into alternative heating options of which biomass was deemed the most attractive for the golf club.

The oil heating system was costing on average £13,000 a year in fuel alone, using 20,000 litres of oil to heat the whole building, which includes accommodation, restaurant, bars and changing facilities. In contrast, the biomass boiler system installed will save around £6,500 in fuel a year for the club while increasing boiler efficiency to 92%. Combined with the significant payback the business will receive through the government’s RHI scheme, moving to the greener alternative was an easy choice to make.

Managing director of the group, Danny Pecorelli commented, “We’ve made many decisions across the business to spend more on certain items which fit our green criteria. The green agenda is our number one priority, but having said that, in this case biomass has also helped us to reduce our overall utilities’ costs.”

The installation comprised two 60 kW Windhager BioWIN Excel wood pellet boilers in a cascade system, suitable for situations where a large and varying output is required. The BioWin Excel boilers feature wide modulating output ranges to consistently provide maximum efficiency and the cascade operating system controls the boiler output and demand. The 6mm wood pellets are specially supplied from sustainable sources and are all UK manufactured.

Maintenance requirements are significantly reduced with the BioWIN Excel’s automated pellet feeding system and stainless steel combustion burner bowl that has a patented cleaning mechanism, removing much of the necessity for manual upkeep. Its compact design enables the BioWIN Excel to be installed in the smallest of boiler rooms while the pellet storage areas flexible requirements allows a variety of buildings to be adopted.

Wessex Biomass was the chosen installer to undertake the project and they did not hesitate in specifying Windhager as the ideal boiler manufacturer for the job. Peregrine Nicholls, managing director of Wessex Biomass, cited Windhager’s good reputation for quality engineering as a key factor in using them saying, “ We’d worked with them on eight projects of varying sizes before this one and on every job we’ve never had to deal with the client once the job was completed- testament to the high quality of their products and technology. Their central control system is great, as is the MES weather compensating control technology. For installers, you want to work with a trusted manufacturer that provides reliable products; Windhager has never disappointed.”

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at http://www.windhager.co.uk/

WINDHAGER EXPANDS TRAINING COURSES AND DATES FOR 2014

Windhager UK has announced new training course dates as demand for biomass installations are set to rocket in 2014. The extensive range of HETAS certified courses cover multiple biomass appliances and are held in the UK’s largest dedicated biomass training centre at Windhager’s HQ. There are two or three courses run every month throughout 2014.

The 500 m² facility is fully equipped with showrooms and demonstration boilers to provide hands on learning for heating engineers across all levels of the industry to obtain the HETAS qualifications. These courses as well as Windhager product overview and technical training days are run throughout the year at the centre in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire.

As industry leaders in the supply of biomass heating systems, Windhager recognises that training is essential to ensure installers, specifiers and consumers are fully confident with the technology of the Windhager products. In offering a hands on approach to training Windhager are readying companies working in the biomass industry for the impending increase in demand for biomass systems. The domestic RHI scheme set to start in Spring 2014 is a major factor in this increase therefore biomass training courses are crucial.

HETAS is the official body for biomass and solid fuel domestic heating appliances, fuels and services approval that is recognised by Government. The HETAS courses can be used towards registration on a range of HETAS schemes available including Competent Persons registration (CPS), Microgeneration Certification (MCS), Approved Retailer and Approved Chimney Sweeps.

The biomass training course (H005DE) is a completely new Direct Entry course available to existing gas and oil installers and others who wish to attain the skills necessary to install biomass boiler appliances. This five day long course meets the increasing complexity of biomass appliances and heating systems. The course training is appropriate for the installation of log, pellet and chip appliances up to 100 kW. This course provides installers with the knowledge to carry out feasibility studies, professionally advise clients on fuel types, storage options, system design and installation specification.

Once registered, HETAS qualified installers can self-certify that their work complies with the relevant building regulations and use the HETAS works notification system to issue the customer with a certificate of compliance. For full course details and dates visit www.windhager.co.uk/training.

Further information is available from Windhager UK on 01225 892211 email: info@windhager.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.windhager.co.uk