Wood Fuel Quality Assurance animation on the sustainability role of wood fuels in forest management.10/1/2022 This month we see the launch of the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance animation on the sustainability role of wood fuels in forest management. The focus of this three minute animation is the healthy, working forests providing timber, thinning's for wood fuel, carbon sinks, habitats, public amenity & enterprise for Irish communities. We are excited to promote a positive message on Irish forestry and spread the work about the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance Scheme. Please take 3 minutes to what this new animation.
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Immediate Release: 07/09/2021
Following several years of lobbying for the regulation of wood fuels, the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) cautiously welcome Minister Ryan’s announcement on New Standards for Domestic Solid Fuels. The new regulations set a standard for wood moisture levels, ensuring that wood fuel is clean burning and efficient for the householder. Noel Gavigan, Technical Executive at IrBEA said “the introduction of a 25% limit on fuel moisture content, later to be reduced to 20%, is a welcome development for the market. Through the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) scheme which we administer, we already have several dozen wood fuel suppliers in the Irish market that only produce fuel to the 25% moisture content standard. WFQA certified wood fuels at this low moisture are of great benefit to the customer in terms of efficiency, heat generation and clean burning.” IrBEA is concerned over one aspect of the proposed public awareness campaign. Which states “Ask yourself: Do I need to light a fire? - Use other cleaner heating sources instead if possible.” The new proposed public awareness campaign suggests that consumers should question the use of a fire to heat their home. Mr Gavigan continued “this proposed element “do I need to light a fire?” sends a confusing message to the general public. Any campaign rolled out by the department should encourage people to move away from open fires and fossil fuels and use more efficient and renewable heating sources rather than questioning if they should light a fire in the first place. For many a fire is the only heating option available. The department through any awareness campaign should encourage consumers to use Eco-design wood fired appliances as a replacement to open fired fossil systems.” IrBEA looks forward to engaging further with the Department as they develop these proposals to regulate the domestic solid fuel market and discussing the range of options available to homeowners to decarbonise their heating systems where retrofit is prohibitive for various reasons. Sean Finan, CEO of IrBEA concluded “The success of the proposed solid fuel regulations implementation will ultimately depend on the level of resources dedicated to its enforcement and regular monitoring of compliance. This needs to be backed up by an effective campaign which encourages consumers to make the move away from fossil fuels sources to renewable options. Wood fuels offer homeowners with an opportunity to decarbonise their home heating systems very quickly. This needs to be encouraged through government supports and incentives as for many homeowners, the cost of deep-retrofitting is financially and logistically prohibitive. ENDS For Further Information Please contact Seán Finan IrBEA CEO on 0874146480 Notes to Editors: WOOD AS A FUEL comprises five volumes which describe the main woodfuels: firewood, woodchip and wood pellets. They comprehensively outline raw material sources, seasoning, drying and production processes, transportation and quality issues. Many examples of ways to improve product quality and efficiency are provided, designed to enable readers to produce and use high quality woodfuels.
The history of woodfuels, an outline of what wood is, and why it makes such a useful and versatile fuel are covered in the opening volume. Standards, the backbone of woodfuel trade, are outlined. Trade itself, and other relevant aspects of transacting woodfuel, round out the introductory volume. The final concluding volume comprises two parts. First combustion, wood ash and embedded energy are covered, while the second part deals with economic and sustainability aspects of woodfuels, including one of the main rationales for their use: tackling the climate emergency. Other topics covered include sustainable harvesting, and how modern bioenergy use leads to clean combustion. These volumes open a new window into woodfuels, providing an essential and comprehensive reference for all those engaged along the woodfuel chain. The book costs €49.50, including postage and packing, and can bought through the books tab at Arrow Management https://arrowmanagement.ie/products/?filters=product_cat%5Bbooks%5D An updated proposal from IrBEA to regulate the moisture content of firewood for sale in Ireland2/15/2021 The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) has previously submitted an outline proposal to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment for the regulation by the Department of the moisture content of firewood for sale for domestic combustion. This document updates the previous proposal and suggests a pathway and timeline for regulation of the moisture content of firewood for sale.
The objectives of the proposal to regulate the moisture content of firewood for sale are:
McCauley Wood Fuels is a family owned business and a leading biomass and wood fuel supplier in Ireland. Based in County Leitrim, an area known for having a high level of forest cover, the region they are in the heart of has significant suitability and potential in terms of biomass production. The business is operated by Kenny McCauley along with his father Brian; began in 2008 and with ongoing investment in production and equipment they have steadily grown the business. The primary motivation for McCauley Wood Fuels is to displace Carbon intensive fuels such as oil, gas and peat. Using locally grown wood biomass, they provide a fuel source that allows both homeowners and businesses to move towards Carbon neutrality. Ireland is particularly well suited to biomass production, given the climate, soil types and existing agricultural industry. Not only does wood biomass provide a Carbon neutral energy source, in most cases it is also very cost effective, particularly where there is a large and consistent heating demand. As a result, typical consumers of the wood biomass produced by McCauley Wood Fuels are industrial operations, farming enterprises (poultry, pig, and fruit/veg), as well as hotels and leisure centres. A typical week at McCauley Wood Fuels sees the dispatch of enough wood chip to heat the equivalent of 4,500 households, or 36% of the households in County Leitrim – Displacing fossil fuels with carbon neutral, WFQA certified wood biomass for Renewable Heat. Over the past three years, the McCauley’s have increased production to over 10,000 tonnes per annum – equating to roughly 400 truckloads and enough biomass to displace approximately 4 million litres of fossil fuel oil per year – all with wood grown in Leitrim and surrounding counties. IrBEA responded to the Department of Environment, Climate Action and Communication consultation on the draft National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP) before the January 22nd deadline. The main points raised in the IrBEA response were as follows:
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