The environmentally-friendly nature of pellets and wood is undeniable. These renewable fuels have a substantially neutral impact on CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and allow for 95% less overall emissions of CO2 compared to the equivalent use of a traditional fossil fuel, like gas or diesel fuel, also considering the emissions associated with the cultivation, processing and transport of the fuel itself.
However, on the other hand, if burnt in technologically obsolete appliances, they might affect the quality of air, especially in terms of particulate emissions and unburnt gases. The gradual replacement of obsolete appliances with latest-generation stoves, fireplaces and boilers would drastically reduce this impact.
This is why the European Union will introduce environmentally-friendly design criteria for biomass heat generators, too. Manufacturers will be required to comply with them and they will lead to a better environmental performance of the new biomass products launched on the European market and overall lower harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
The Ecodesign Regulations will come into force in the 28 EU Member States and in all EES (European Economic Space) countries on the following dates:
- for domestic biomass appliances, i.e. for stoves, fireplaces and range cookers, the ecodesign requirement will come into force on 1 January 2022 (EU Regulation 2015/1185).
What does it all mean?
The two EU regulations related to Ecodesign define the minimum requirements that products running on solid fuel used for heating purposes must comply with to be introduced on the EU market.
These requirements are related to two aspects, which have been identified as important for environmental purposes:
- energy efficiency;
- particulate emissions (PM), gaseous organic compounds (OGC), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
What it means in simple words is that an EcoDesign certified product will give out more heat and less pollution than an older generation model, using the exact same amount of wood (or other type of fuel).