Ranheat Engineering Ltd. Is The “One Stop Shop” For Wood-Waste Burning Equipment?

Clare Hollister

Most purchasers of modern wood-waste burning equipment want one supplier to provide a “turn- key” solution. For Ranheat they even supply the mortice lock and key to the plant room. (as well as making the plant room) 

Chris Franklin, MD at Ranheat Engineering Ltd. a leading UK manufacturer of wood combustion equipment, continues his series of exclusive articles for Panel and Joinery Production. This issue he looks back at his previous article and shows the purpose made plant room featured which is now installed.

Ranheat have used standard shipping containers, but they need a metal floor and often are not big enough to get the equipment in. 

The NDRHI is now closed to new applicants, OFGEM are now visiting accredited installations and carrying out compliance checks, if any of the permissions or permits are not in place OFGEM is stopping payments under the RHI, as a non-compliant installation.

Profiled Steel building installed with Ranheat Ceramic Filter in front of purpose made plantroom.

So, what needs to be in place to be compliant with your local authority? And hence compliant with your ongoing obligations under the RHI? 

Following is a list of requirements to remain receiving payments.

  1. You must have planning permission for any industrial chimney or written proof of permitted development, from your local authority planning department.
  2. You must have submitted a chimney height approval form to the local authority as to the emissions from the chimney, the efflux velocity and the chimney height.
  3. You must have a permit to burn waste or have applied for an exemption if less than 50kgs per hour. Again, this applies to all sizes of plant. This can be as a SWIP (small waste incineration plant) up to 90kgs per hour. Over this size you need a full part B permit, and the boiler must be tested annually by an accredited test house.
  4. All wood waste, even virgin timber, needs a permit to burn waste, if the wood waste is a by-product of a wood machining or manufacturing process.
  5. No wood containing Halogenated Organic compounds or heavy metals can be burnt. (Normally these are only found in demolition timber)
  6. All heat meters must be re-calibrated every 10 years or be replaced. OFGEM  has recently sent out communications that require every RHI participant to recalibrate all heat meters at least every 10 years (or in line with the manufacturer’s instructions where available, whichever is sooner). The 10-year start date begins from when your meters were first installed, most recently recalibrated or replaced. To comply with this requirement, you can choose to either recalibrate or replace your meter. Failure to comply will be considered a breach of your ongoing obligations and could result in payments being suspended or permanently withheld.

Any deviance from the above will result in RHI payments being stopped until the installation becomes compliant.

Profiled steel building under construction.

All Ranheat installations on the RHI are already fully compliant. Ranheat also include free of charge the help needed with permits and permissions. It’s included with the service that Ranheat gives to its customers. This avoids the need to employ expensive “consultants” or so called “experts” many of whom have no formal qualifications.

Not all of the companies selling Biomass equipment made their customers aware of the need for permits and permissions. The need for permitting came into force in 1990 so for 33 years they have been a requirement. Chris Franklin, of Ranheat Engineering Ltd has been in the industry for almost 40 years so grew up with the legislation.

(Ranheat also make spares and service and repair other makes of woodburning boilers and heaters)

T: 01604 750005 

E: [email protected] 

www.ranheat.com