Gathering winter fuel!

[paulandpat]

Yesterday we had a trip into Caen, about 60 kms each way to do some shopping, research some things for clients, and collect 5 x 40 kg barrels of wood pellets for our pellet burner. As you can see they were a snug fit - we managed to scrape the towbar on a 'sleeping policeman' in Castorama.

 

[Le Champ]

Bonjour Paulandpat, I am interested in your winter fuel and the burner which uses the wood pellets. I would be very grateful if you could post some pix. How efficient/economic is it? A friend of mine lives in the back of beyond and it may be a possible solution to his heating problems, assuming the burner and fuel pellets can be sourced in arctic :eek:blighty. Happy new year to you both.

 

[paulandpat]

Hi - picture of the burner attached, ours is a 12 kw space heater built by Piroux Industries, there are a wide variety of them here, built all over the EU, particularly in Italy and Austria. The pellets come in a variety of containers from 15 kg plastic bags, through 20 kg barrels, 40 kg barrels, 1 cu metre big bags, up to a silo full delivered by 7.5 tonne lorry. Our burner takes 50 kg at a time which lasts 3 -4 days upwards depending on the outside temperature.
€52-50 for the 5 x 40 kg barrels in the picture.

 

[Le Champ]

Many thanks paulandpat for the pix and info, I bet your famly pets are cosy and as warm as toast! These stoves/boilers and heaters are obviously popular on the continent and I can see why, yet typically, we in uk are only just cottoning on to this excellent eco friendly heating alternative using timber waste. U k Google publicises a few companies that are leading the way here and best price for pellets is advertised at £250 per tonne or £650 for 3 tonnes which seems to be about the same as french prices. Petrol 2 star here is now back down to 82.9p a galoon thank god. It's a shame the £ has dived so low against the euro and I hope it recovers a bit in time for my summer hols. We love Normandy - Bayeau/Honfleur in particular - our favourite campsite is at Jumiege and there is a lot of Renault H vans in barns in that area. Last summer we travelled to the Loire - the area around Saumur/Chinon is exceptional. We unfortunately chose the fortnight of the french national holiday to visit and that was not a good idea and needs to be avoided in future.

 

[paulandpat]

Don't call the H van a Renault in the hearing of a Citroen lover!!

 

[Le Champ]

Pardon mes amis, Je suis anglais! Je ne comprend citroenias pas. Incidentally I've owned 2 x BX19 's in the distant past - both great cars apart from the lack of lumbar support on the squidgy front seats - gave my sciatica gip on long journeys - lovely suspension though. The wife drove the first one we owned into the back of our VW camper :eek: which we owned at the same time - I forgave her eventually.