University of Strathclyde Biomass Installation Feasibility Tool

Biomass

Fuel Cost Comparator

After defining the energy demand of the building and the characteristics of the boiler that will be installed, it is possible, in this moment, to calculate the costs relating to each of the fuels defined on the fuel data sheet. The user is also able to have an idea of the monthly consumption, the costs related with it and compare with other traditional kind of fuel.

Inputs

There are two main types of inputs: fuel selection and user defined fuel prices.

Fuel cost comparator

1 – Fuel Selection: At this point the user makes a decision which supplier of each kind of fuel will be used. It is important to observe that the woodchip and wood pellet suppliers selected will be displayed also at the storage sheet, where, finally, the decision to choose one of them will made. The price of fuel, in pence per kilowatt hour, is displayed in the right column and a graph generated using those values, making the visualization easier.

2 – User Input: Due to frequent oscillation of fuel prices, an option where the user may input his/her own values seemed reasonable. Selecting the “User Input” option, a price closer to the contemporary reality might be input. This price is also displayed on the graph and available for further comparison on the “results” sheet.

Outputs

Each of the main wood fuels will have a table displaying the monthly consumption levels and costs. This gives the user an idea how much would be spent monthly in case a given fuel is selected. On the right side there is also a graphical version of the information displayed on the table.

Example Output

Results1

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