The stability of biomass prices, in clear contrast to the progressive increase in the cost of heating oil, which has risen above 35% in the last two years, has led to a significant increase in the savings that the use of biomass as a heating fuel, which at the moment can be up to 66% compared to diesel costs.
Heating oil has risen by 22% in one year, according to official statistics. Although the truth is that in absolute numbers, the liter of heating oil cost in July of last year 0,59 euros and this year is 0,78 euros, showing that the rise has been more than 30% in a year.
In the same period, two kilograms of pellets have gone from costing 0,46 € to 0,48 €. Two kilograms of pellets is the energy equivalent of one liter of diesel; that is, to get the heat offered by a liter of diesel, two kilos of pellets are needed.
But families that rely on natural gas for heat don't have much better. The price of this fuel has increased in the last year by 32%. And cylinders have risen more than 25% in the last two years to € 14,61.
The most economical option
After the escalation of fossil fuel prices, if the option of burning gas or pellets for heating is compared, the saving is higher than the 50% in favor of the pellet. In June of this year, the energy cost was 0,11 € / kWh of natural gas compared to 0,05 € / kWh of pellet, delivered at home by tanker.
Although the most economic option is the "treated" splinter for its energetic use, coming from the prunings, clearings and forest residues.
The cost of 2,35 kilograms of wood chips supplied at home, equivalent to one liter of heating oil, saves 66%; that is, one saves 0,52 euros for each liter of diesel.