Heating costs and energy generation are among the hottest topics around. Now straw is offering a solution. Not only is straw the cheapest source of heat, it also qualifies under the biomass Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), meaning you can earn a substantial RPI-linked income for 20 years. What’s more, when straw is used to replace oil, the returns can reach more than 30 per cent and the system pays for itself in under four years.

Straw can be used in a wide variety of situations, from drying grain to heating greenhouses. But it doesn’t just serve agricultural and horticultural processes; it also has light industrial and commercial uses and can provide central heating for large residential properties. Boilers can be installed for a range of specific purposes or a district heating system can be utilised, meeting all the requirements of a site from a single source.

A typical Heston bale providing 550kg of straw will earn around £100 on the RHI and save approximately 200 litres of oil. The system works in much the same way as a conventional oil boiler; however, the bales are delivered on a conveyor belt before being shredded and fed into the boiler in a fully automated process that includes ash removal. The emissions are also filtered to meet all European clean air requirements and low carbon RHI eligible heat is produced.

The large scale of this system requires a space of 9 x 25 x 7 metres and can be installed in an existing barn or purpose-built outbuilding.

Example of possible savings:

(Figures are for a 995 kW boiler based on a Tier 1RHI heat demand, replacing an oil heating system, assuming straw at £50 per tonne).

Further information

Savills Rural Services