February has been a busy month here at HETAS. We’ve seen lots of enquiries for our Solid Biomass Assurance Scheme and a new collaboration with Woodfuel Wales to report on as well. Also, we have been preparing our latest accreditation, the HETAS Approved Retailer.
Powys based firewood producer Edistone Ltd is the first applicant to enjoy the benefits of a new collaboration between HETAS and Woodfuel Wales. As part of the growing demand for the Solid Biomass Assurance Scheme (HETAS’ emergent fuel quality initiative), Woodfuel Wales are supporting Welsh producers by helping them get prepared for accreditation.
“HETAS have been working closely with Woodfuel Wales to improve the availability of dry firewood with clarity for the quantity offered for the sales price” said Mark Russell, project manager for the HETAS project. “Edistone have demonstrated the success of this partnership, using the support on offer to meet the fuel quality standard”. “We hope that this will be the first of many more Welsh producers using this service to achieve third party accreditation”.
Co-owner of Edistone, Keith Blacker, had this to say “We have spent the past six years developing a smart approach to log delivery that makes fuel supply easy for the customer… HETAS accreditation confirms that we are supplying quality fuel and that the whole chain of processes that we have established gives us control over that quality.”
Other big news this month is the announcement of the HETAS Approved Retailer initiative. Aimed at stove shops and other retailers of solid fuel appliances, the scheme aims to increase safety whilst promoting the reputation of good quality retailers.
CEO, Bruce Allen explained the benefit of the scheme by saying “anecdotal evidence suggests that customers will travel long distances to see a retailer who does the job right. By that we mean that staff are able to offer good and relevant advice on a range of topics from energy efficiency through to building regulations.”
The scheme will provide kudos for approved retailers with listings in the HETAS Guide and on the HETAS website to attract customers. It will also support retailers by making sure that customers buy the right product and get it installed legally and safely.
Under the scheme at least one staff member would receive HETAS training on appliance safety and usage. They will also be able to advise consumers on fuel quality, mandatory carbon monoxide alarms, smoke control zones, maintenance and chimney sweeping. Any equipment on display would need to show information on efficiency, fuel types and exempt status.
We are going to be at Ecobuild from Tuesday to Thursday (1st-3rd March) this week. Please do come and have a chat with us. We are located at stand S1970. The project manager for both the Solid Biomass Assurance Scheme and the HETAS Approved Retailer initiative will be on hand to answer any queries you may have. Also, CEO Bruce Allen will be giving a speech on biomass systems on the Thursday of the event, more details can be found here.
Laurence Jones, HETAS Ltd (additional content from Rachel MacSweeney)
More information about the HETAS approved schemes can be found here:
www.hetas.co.uk/retailer-scheme - HETAS Approved Retailer
www.hetas.co.uk/fuel-quality - Solid Biomass Assurance Scheme