The effect of demand-side measures on the uptake of micro-biomass in domestic dwellings in the UK

D.P. Jenkins and A.D. Peacock, Energy Academy, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
H. Singh, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

Keywords

biomass, domestic, energy, thermal demand, refurbishments, CO2 abatement potential, crop land constraints

Abstract

The Carbon Trust Biomass Sector Review suggests that, in the UK, biomass could provide as much as 79 TWh/yr of sustainable energy (from surplus forestry crops, waste wood from industry, agricultural waste and assuming a maximum potential of energy crops). However, the total UK domestic space heating load is 374 TWh/yr1. The countrywide implementation of domestic biomass boilers is largely dependant on how the heating demand of the dwelling is managed. TARBASE, a Carbon-Trust funded low-energy building project, has defined several domestic buildings, indicative of the UK building stock, with demand-side refurbishments. With the subsequent reduction in building heating requirements, and scaling up the savings of these individual buildings to the entire stock, it is possible to dramatically reduce the biomass required to heat dwellings in the UK. This leads to the possibility of biomass heating becoming a feasible, and carbon-saving, alternative to fossil fuel heating on a countrywide scale. The improved penetration of micro-biomass in this context is therefore used as a metric to show the effect of demand-side improvements. Other uses of biomass, particularly with regards to transport and commercial buildings, are not considered though it will comprise future work.