Although last winter was mild, the previous one wasn’t, and many business and homes are looking for ways to reduce their heating costs. One way to reduce your costs is to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The table below compares the cost per kWh of various heating fuels available in Ireland. There is certainly a strong case to switch to biomass (wood) heating if you are located in an area which cannot get piped gas.

Type of heating	Cost per kWh
Electricity	16c to 18c
LPG (gas)	12c
Oil	10c
Biomass	less than 4.5
Piped gas	4c to 6c

The prices of the forms of heating varies from supplier to supplier and also depends on if you are a business or domestic customer.

A biomass boiler can cost more to install than a fossil fuel system, however, over the life of the boiler you will make significant savings. Especially when you consider that the average payback on your investment is 3 years and boilers brands such as Gilles have a 20+ year product life.