Mark Andrews of Buryend Farm in Worcestershire has been using biomass to heat his farm buildings since 2014. Initially, the fuel used was woodchip but he switched fuel in 2017 when the Dragon boiler range was successful in gaining an emissions certificate for burning straw. Since this time, Mr Andrews has used a mix of cereal and non-cereal straw in his system. All his straw is registered with SFR and usually amounts to between 100-150 tonnes each year.
Mr Andrews was one of our first customers to benefit from our fuel audit service. This followed a telephone audit by Woodsure which indicated that Mr Andrews was needlessly registered on the Biomass Supplier List. Mr Andrews was aware that his fuel records were quite confusing as they involved wood chip purchased from several different companies, straw purchased from several different farms and straw self-supplied from his own farm.
Mr Andrews provided all his records for fuel purchased or produced and meter readings for his system. SFR assembled this data into two spreadsheets:
Currently, Mr Andrews simply emails SFR his fuel usage, meter readings and moisture content readings for each month on a quarterly basis. This information is added to the master spreadsheet and efficiency ratings updated. His records are therefore in tip top condition and makes life very easy for him and any future auditor scrutinising his case.
A further benefit is that any dip in efficiency readings indicates a reduction in boiler performance and notifies Mr Andrews that a service is necessary.