New state of the art heating systems have been commissioned to heat two of Fife Council’s major building complexes in a move that contributes towards Scotland’s renewable energy targets as well as potentially saving the council £1.3m. And one of them is in Lochgelly.

Bankhead Central Depot, in Glenrothes, and Lochgelly High School are the latest Fife Council buildings that will benefit from the new, state-of-the-art biomass boilers.

Biomass boilers are a clean and efficient way of producing heat and work by burning woodchips sourced from sustainable forests throughout Scotland. The renewable fuel source is more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels.

By using this sustainable fuel source, the Council will also benefit from the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive. It is estimated that the installation of the biomass boilers, new gas boilers and heating controls will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 900 tonnes per year which will save carbon tax of £13,860.

At Bankhead Central Depot, Fife Council’s flagship model for integrated working, the investment in renewable energy technology is set to provide up to 80% of the buildings’ heat requirement. Annual savings in heating costs are expected to be in excess of £90,000. Over a 20 year lifespan of the boiler, savings are likely to be about £1.3 million even after the initial capital investment.

Similarly, the system at Lochgelly High School was reaching the end of its useful life and needed to be upgraded or replaced.

The new biomass boiler, with a thermal store, was installed in June, along with more efficient condensing gas boilers for backup and top-up heat.

With a comprehensive operation and maintenance contract in place, any potential issues associated with the running of the biomass boilers are minimised and dealt with within 24 hours. If any issue does arise, it will be attended to within a call out target time of 24 hours with the new gas backup boilers available during this time.

Councillor John Wincott, Fife Council’s Sustainability Champion, said, “These two biomass boilers are another step forwards for Fife Council and the delivery of our Energy Programme.

“This project is saving money on fuel bills for the Council and because biomass is regarded as a renewable energy resource these boilers are eligible for the Government backed Renewable Heat Incentive. This means that in addition to reduced fuel bills the Council will receive an inflation linked income for 20 years based on the heat produced by the biomass boiler.” He added, “The use of biomass, as opposed to gas or oil, also produces environmental benefits, for example, there is less carbon dioxide produced from a biomass boiler. Our fuel is sourced from sustainable woodlands so that we can be confident that we are helping to generate the additional benefits for bio-diversity. We also use locally sourced material where possible in an effort to reduce the transportation of the wood. It really is an exciting project with far reaching benefits.”