Off-Grid Heating
Off-Grid Heating Solutions
Due to poor levels of solar production in the winter months, electricity is not an option for heating your off-grid home. This leaves biomass as the renewable and carbon neutral off-grid heating solution, for off grid central heating. Depending of the level of insulation, and heat load of the property, there are a number of heating solutions. They include systems that require a standard wet central heating circuit, and options that do not. It is also fully possible for your biomass off-grid heating system to have all the controllability you would expect of a modern gas boiler system. Remember that for most of the year, and when no central heating is required, a solar pv system will be able to provide all your domestic hot water heating.
Log Boilers
- Free sustainable and carbon neutral fuel
- Lots of outputs and styles
- Fully controllable
Log Boiler Stoves
If you have access to a plentiful supply of logs, then it is possible to heat your off grid home and water sustain-ably, and for free. Also there is an aesthetic appeal to the burning of logs which is undeniable. Not only is log boiler a provider of your off-grid heating, it is also potentially a really stunning interior center-piece.
Combining it with a modern system controller and a thermal store, will give your log boiler much of the functionality and controllability of a conventional boiler. Able to dispensing hot water and heating, when required, and not just when the fire is lit. A log boiler can be part of combined hybrid off-grid heating system, together with another heat source (eg: solar thermal, or a secondary boiler). It is also capable of being the sole heating system for your off-grid home.
Wood Pellet Boilers
- Low hassle fuel
- Carbon neutral fuel
- Minimal electricity required
- Greater automation with self loading fuel
Pellet Boiler Stoves
Pellet boilers are available in lots of sizes, formats and styles. From compact manual fed systems, to larger suction feed systems. They are very easy to use, and will provide all the hot water and heating needed for an off-grid house. With their own built in or suction fed hoppers, they can be programmed to light itself whenever warmth is needed. With all the functionality and controllability of a modern boiler, and central heating system.
The key advantage of a pellet boiler over a log boiler, is one of convenience. The ease of use of pellets over logs, and controllability in terms of the greater automation possibilities of pellet feeding.
Wood Pellet Boiler Cooker
- 90% efficiency
- Cooker as well as boiler
- Carbon neutral fuel
- Low electricity requirement
Klover Smart 120 Pellet Boiler Cooker
This sophisticated pellet boiler will run your central heating and provide plenty of hot water. It also has the added bonus of a sealed oven and cast-iron hotplate which quickly heat up whenever the stove fires up, to provide heating and hot water. The Smart 120 is fully automated and comfortably outputs 17.5kW to water.
Its internal hopper holds 32 kilos of pellets, which are automatically fed into the fire chamber as fuel is required. The fuel is burned at over 90% efficiency.
The smart 120 not only provides controllable hot water and central heating, but it also solves the problem of cooking in the winter months when solar electricity availability is less. Perfect for the off grid home.
Pillar Log Fires
- 80% efficient
- Low output
- Heat accumulator stones for slow heat release
- Perfect for the well insulated eco home
High Efficiency Log Fires
The modern designer high efficiency fire, is packed with innovative technologies. They are the perfect fire solution to the modern, highly insulated home. They are highly controllable, have low heat outputs, and able to modulate down to a very low heat. All with a stunning flame pattern at the same time. All the stunning looks, without the room overheating issue common of log fires in the efficient eco home. The stoves also come lined with heat accumulation stones which enable the fires to deliver a gradual heat over a long period of time, with 4kg of wood enabling 8 hours of after-heat.
The slow delivery of heat means that the heating of a modern well insulated off-grid home, can be looked at in a completely different way, with no wet heating circuit being required, but rather a heat recovery system being used to maintain the low heat levels and carry it around the home
Heat Recovery
Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR)
In a well insulated off-grid home or passive house, an MVHR system can mean only a very low level of central heating is required. Off grid heating can also be achieved without the need for a wet heating circuit, such as radiators or underfloor heating. The heat recovery system will maintain and circulate the heat from a log burner for example, and has such a low electrical consumption that it is viable off-grid even in winter