Glossary

Arboriculture:

The cultivation of trees and shrubs, and the study of how they grow and the environment they grow in.

Agitator Mechanism:

The mechanism used on certain wood chip boilers which stirs the chip to prevent it 'bridging'. Chip is not a free flowing like pellets and needs an agitator to move it through the boiler into the burning chamber.

Biomass:

Is a word derived from biological and mass. In the context of renewable energy it is simply anything that has been alive. Biomass boilers generally run on wood pellets, wood chip, cereals and logs. However there are many different boilers on the market, that may run on a combination of biomass fuel sources.

Biomass boiler:

A Biomass boiler is relatively simple in principle, using wood or other biomass as the fuel instead of fossil fuels such as heating oil or gas. The biomass is augured or placed into the burning chamber where it burns to heat the heat exchangers. Hot water circulates through the heat exchangers into the heating system.

Buffer Storage:

These are tanks that store the primary hot water that is distributed around the central heating system. The tank acts as an interface between the boiler and the heating system, so several heat sources can be incorporated, including solar thermal. Within the thermal store a heat exchanging coil can be fitted to provide mains pressure hot water.

Carbon neutral:

Refers to the fact that the biomass absorbs the same amount of carbon while growing as it releases when burnt.

Cereals:

Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more energy worldwide than any other type of crop. They are harvested on a large scale by farmers and can be used in certain pellet biomass boiler. They have to be used in boilers made for them as they produce more dust then wood pellets. Wheat, barley, oats and maize are commonly used and are very cost effective as fuel.

Commissioning:

Commissioning involves safety checks, programming of the appliance and training on the operation of your biomass boiler or stove.

Community Systems:

Community Systems involve one boiler to heat multiple premises such as a block of flats or a row of houses.

Flue:

A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, stove or boiler, to the outdoors. Biomass boilers require twin wall flue. TRECO can supply copper finish or stainless steel flue.

Fully automated:

Our Guntamatic range of boilers are fully automated. A riddle cleans the heat exchangers and drops the ash into the ash box. The boiler then lets you know when to empty the ash box.

Heat mains:

Heat refers to the use of a single pipe to deliver heat, often to a number of properties, See community system.

Hopper:

The hopper on the boilers and stoves is either integrated with or positioned next to the boiler. It holds the biomass fuel for the boiler. Hoppers may have a feed mechanism at the bottom so the biomass material can be augured into the burning chamber.

Hot air machines:

These are stoves or boilers that produce hot air that is blown into a room or space. They can be linked to ducting for more even heat distribution. Hot air machines can also be referred to as space heaters.

Integrated stand alone boiler units:

These are boilers that have the hopper attached as part of the boiler they do not need to be linked to a pellet store.

Integrated Hopper:

A hopper that is built inside the boiler.

Miscanthus:

Is a fast growing grass that can be pelleted and used as biomass fuel.

Pellet Boiler:

A biomass boiler that will only use pelleted biomass for fuel. These boilers normally have gravity feed hoppers as the pelleted biomass is free flowing.

Pressure Vessel:

The pressure vessel is linked to the central heating system and replaces the header tank traditionally.

Renewable energy:

Is energy generated from a renewable source. These include biomass as well as solar, tidal and wind technologies.

Thermal Stores:

These are tanks that store the primary hot water that is distributed around the central heating system. They also act as a heat leak which is required with a biomass boiler. You can also get extra coils for sanitary hot water or to link the tanks to solar.

Space Heater:

These are the same as hot air machines, except people generally refer to the smaller appliances as space heaters. Stoves or boilers that produce hot air that is blown into a room or space. They can be linked to ducting for more even heat distribution. Often large scale commercial machines heating workshops, greenhouses etc.

Stove:

TRECOS range of wood pellet stoves include space heaters in many stylish designs. Stoves that link to the central heating system and even log burners. The pellet stoves come with controls to programme the times you would like your stove to come on and control the temperature.

Solar Thermal:

Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing solar energy for heat. The solar panels are linked to a water tank so that hot water can be stored and used to heat a central heating system or sanitary hot water supply.

Sustainability:

The capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely. In terms of biomass, trees can be replanted and resources replenished.

Willow:

A fast growing tree that can be used to make wood pellets for biomass boilers.

Wood pellets:

Produced from sawdust from timber either specifically grow for fuel (see above) or from by products of timber processing. Fuel is usually a 6mm pellet, or sometimes 8mm. It is important to check whether a pellet is appropriate for a particular appliance. Moisture content is usually below 10%

Wood Chip:

Chipped wood for boilers, have to be appropriate size and moisture content to suite the boiler specified.