Benefits from the Use of Pellet Boilers in the Energy Rating of Buildings

Abstract

Using renewable energy contributes to reducing CO2 emissions and improves energy ratings. The building sector is responsible for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions. European Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings, and the recast in Directive 2010/31/EU, configures the legislative framework of the European Union with respect to the energy rating of buildings in Member States. This chapter summarizes the different transpositions regarding energy ratings and renewable energy sources, and more specifically it examines the CO2 emissions and the energy rating using pellet boilers with different climatic conditions, based on real cases. It is concluded that replacing gasoil by wood pellets can lead to reductions in CO2 emissions that range from 82.91% to 95.28%. Such a substantial reduction of CO2 emissions directly affects the final energy rating, improving it as much as four levels on a scale of seven levels. Meanwhile, the economic savings from using wood pellets instead of gasoil may reach 68.82%.