The Sustainable Fuel Register (SFR) allows participants of the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to easily demonstrate that the fuel used in their biomass boiler meets the sustainability criteria to the standard required by Ofgem.
Traders who successfully register their fuel on the SFR will be able to use the SFR Authorised logo to demonstrate their fuel is compliant with RHI criteria. The SFR website enables end users to search for a suitable supplier and fuel. Purchasing SFR authorised fuel will give end users the assurance that their fuel complies with RHI sustainability requirements.
SFR is delivered by Crops for Energy. It has been approved by the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and fulfils the RHI Regulations. At the time of writing, the only other approved list is the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), which is a register of wood derived fuels.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a government scheme aimed at significantly increasing the proportion of heat generated from renewable sources.
Systems that are eligible for the RHI are required to demonstrate that the fuel used in biomass systems is sustainable and meets the land criteria.
RHI sustainability requirements were introduced from 5 October 2015. From this point onwards, any RHI accredited project involving the generation of heat (or heat and power) from biomass or biogas were required to meet a minimum GHG emissions limit and specific land criteria.
Biomass fuel must meet a lifecycle GHG emissions target of 34.8g CO2 equivalent per megajoule (MJ) of heat, or 60% GHG savings against the EU fossil fuel average when used in a boiler which achieves an average seasonal efficiency of 70%.
All life cycle emissions are taken into account when calculating GHG savings. This includes emissions from cultivation, processing, transport and use.
The specific land criteria requirements for non-wood solid biomass and energy crops are outlined in Part 3 of Schedule 2B of the RHI Regulations.
Solid biomass (as well as liquid or gaseous biofuels) cannot be grown in areas converted from land with previously high carbon stock such as wetlands or forests. Biomass cannot be produced from raw materials obtained from land with high biodiversity such as primary forests or highly biodiverse grasslands.
RHI participants need to be able to demonstrate that the biomass they are using is not obtained from a ‘protected source’.
The Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) only covers wood fuels. Until SFR was set up, RHI participants using non-wood biomass fuels such as straw and miscanthus grass were forced to self-report against the sustainability criteria. Self-reporting is more expensive and time consuming.
Furthermore, suppliers and traders previously had no mechanism for demonstrating the sustainability of their fuels and therefore could not sell into the RHI market. SFR could therefore provide the potential for additional routes to market for tens of thousands of tonnes of previously unavailable biomass and help to reduce the amount of straw, and other residues, either being exported for a low price or discarded.
SFR approval relates to the fuel registered and not the company or individual that registered it. SFR numbers are given to the registered amount of fuel. This is categorised by its quantity, origin, production process and its transportation distance. The approval process requires that each fuel has information relating to its sustainability against GHG and land criteria.
If a fuel is traded, successive traders will be able to allocate the fuel or part thereof and the new owner will have their own unique SFR number. Any additional GHG emissions as a result of further transportation or processing can be tallied as part of this process.
SFR numbers retain a link to any previous authorisation number and therefore provide full traceability and chain of custody information for a fuel.
In theory SFR can cover any solid non-wood biomass fuel that could be combusted in a biomass boiler. These can include agricultural residues, conservation residues, wastes and biomass crops. However, over the first 7 years of operation, the vast majority of registrations have covered the following main types:
If your fuel is not listed above, then contact the SFR administrators.
Raw materials will need to undergo further processing such as drying, transformation into pellets etc. The end process of a raw material that is ready for use in a boiler is called the fuel.
There is no limit to the amount of fuels registered under SFR. Records and information must be kept accessible for audit requirements.
SFR covers all participants in the supply chain including producers of non-wood fuels (e.g. farmers), traders of non-wood fuels and RHI participants (end users).
These have responsibility for growing the raw materials, sourcing raw materials and in some cases initial processing into a fuel. These participants would be expected to pass on materials of fuels to other traders or end users depending on need. As a self-supplier, they may also use their fuel themselves in any RHI accredited system they are authorised signatory for.
These participants would purchase fuels or materials from producers for sale on to others. They may also add further processing to get the materials/fuel into a format they trade with. Traders may also use fuel in RHI accredited installations that they are authorised signatories for.
Every time a trader sells a consignment of registered fuel, they will need to allocate it to their customer or end user. Each registered fuel on the trader’s dashboard will show the amount that they have allocated. Once they have allocated 100% of their fuel the SFR number related to this fuel will no longer be useable.
These participants will purchase fuel from either one of the above. These participants would need to set up an SFR account to accept allocated fuel from producers or traders and to get issued their unique SFR number associated with their RHI accredited system.
The end user must use their unique SFR number (not the suppliers’ SFR number) for their RHI quarterly reporting.
Please be aware that when using an SFR number in your RHI quarterly reporting, the amount of fuel registered will ultimately need to relate to the amount of heat produced. Find out about our Fuel Audit Service here.
You cannot use an SFR number beyond a period when the fuel has been consumed.
There is an annual fee of £250 plus VAT which covers the cost of registering a fuel consignment of up to 100 tonnes. Fuel consignments greater than 100 tonnes will be charged an additional cost of £0.60/tonne. The table below indicates the cost of SFR membership for three types of participants.
Example expenditure according to the amount of fuel registered on the SFR.
SFR Participant |
Fuel |
Annual prodn/ usage |
Annual fee |
Tonnage fee |
Total annual cost |
Producer |
Miscanthus chips or bales |
75 tonnes |
£250 |
£0 |
£250.00 |
Producer |
Straw bales |
200 tonnes |
£250 |
£60 |
£310.00 |
Trader |
Non-wood pellets |
5,000 tonnes |
£250 |
£2,940 |
£3,190.00 |
No. The system is very flexible in that there is no time limit in which a registered fuel must be used. An individual or company can register a fuel consignment and then draw down over time as it is traded or used. See also Who does SFR apply to.
You cannot use an SFR number beyond a period when the fuel has been consumed.
No. Once a fuel amount has been registered and given an SFR number if cannot be changed without incurring a £75 plus VAT admin fee.
However, additional fuel can be registered separately under the same account and if approved will be assigned a different SFR number. This will not require an additional annual fee but may be subject to an additional fuel fee. For instance, if you open an SFR account and register 75 tonnes you will pay the £250 plus VAT fee. If you wish to add a further 100 tonnes to your account, you would need to go through the Register a Fuel process from the start. In this case, you would be charged £45 plus VAT for the additional fuel not covered by the annual fee. For more information on pricing see the FAQ: What does it cost to join SFR
There are many non-wood fuels available but only a few that are fully SFR authorised and traded. You can see a list of traders here.
Before you buy any non-wood fuel, you should check with your installer or boiler manufacturer to see if the boiler is compatible with that fuel. Using the wrong fuel in a boiler can invalidate the warranty and cause damage to the boiler. In addition, you should ask whether the boiler has a relevant RHI emissions certificate for use with the preferred fuel. Failure to present an appropriate emissions certificate could lead to the cessation of RHI payments and previous payments being recalled.
No. The SFR Authorised logo is not a hallmark of biomass fuel quality. SFR registration simply means that the fuel has fulfilled the sustainability criteria. Currently, there are no quality standards for non-wood fuels.
It is not obligatory for self-suppliers that have previously self-reported to join SFR. It is possible to continue to self-report. However, by joining SFR these participants will be able to keep all their non wood fuel records in one place. The SFR registration fee (of £250 plus VAT per year) covers the cost of any future fuel audit and by being part of the scheme participants will be better equipped to deal with this and make it as simple a process as possible.
Please see Chapter 4 of the RHI Guidance Volume 2 for a full list of your ongoing obligations. A separate Guide to keeping fuel records for biomass is also available.
Please be aware that when using an SFR number in your RHI quarterly reporting, the amount of fuel registered will ultimately need to relate to the amount of heat produced. You need to keep tabs on fuel used, moisture content of the fuel and meter readings for every quarter. Find out about our Fuel Audit Service here.
Once in a while we may contact customers to perform an audit inspection. All SFR applicants agree to participating fully in on site audits and retaining all records such as production records, transport records, sales records and usage etc.
In order to use a non-wood fuel in your biomass system you need to ensure that the fuel has a valid RHI emissions certificate. You will also need to share this with Ofgem and do an amendment to your RHI agreement. You should not use any fuel that does not have an emissions certificate. Very few non-wood suppliers have the necessary documentation. Failure to present an appropriate emissions certificate could lead to the cessation of RHI payments and previous payments being recalled.
You should also check with your installer or boiler manufacturer to see if the boiler is compatible with that fuel. Using the wrong fuel in a boiler can invalidate the warranty and cause damage to the boiler.
Please note that it is important to check that the specific fuel you are purchasing has an SFR authorisation number, as sellers may also sell other fuels which are not authorised on the SFR and may therefore not meet the RHI sustainability requirements.
If you buy a fuel from an SFR authorised trader, they need to allocate the fuel to your account which will mean that you have a unique SFR number. You cannot use their SFR number as this will be invalid.