Using Wood Chip Heating In Greenhouses

 

When deciding which greenhouse to buy there are many things to consider and some things are often overlooked. There is a truly massive choice in designs and sizes so it is often easy to find one suitable for your yard but it can sometimes confuse the issue as you can be very much spoilt for choice. I wish the same could be said when it comes to choosing the method of heater to be used as the options are often very limited. No matter what we plan to grow most of us will require a heat source and while the nation looks to green sources of power the gardener is forced to use fossil fuels or electricity. However there is a third option and that is wood chip heating and this can be a very green option due to the fact that trees such as willow grow quickly and capture carbon and are actually perfect for use in such heating systems (such heating systems can also be installed in the home).

Wood Chip Heating & Greenhouses

Until recently I had not heard about wood chip heating for greenhouses and it is really only since we thought about global warming that we started to look at our carbon footprint and altering our attitude to fuel and power usage. In my house we use oil heating and I was investigating other alternative such as solar and wind when I read about wood chip heating systems for the home and, upon reading more, I discovered that there are also systems designed for greenhouses.

I was amazed to find that wood chip heating for greenhouses is now one of the most popular forms and even though there are still a few problems associated with it, requiring more work on the gardeners part, their popularity is still increasing. Apparently the main force driving the sales is that they conserve energy (as described above).

I had grown rather fond of my electric greenhouse heater as I simply set and forget it (mine is one of those types with a thermostat and it comes on automatically when required). Unfortunately all electric heating uses incredible amounts of energy so it had to be changed so wood chip it had to be. The first thing I discovered upon further investigation was that it is virtually impossible to get this system to work in the same way as my electric heater meaning that I could not set it and forget it for months on end.

Yes I am a lazy gardener and the thought of having to monitor the temperature in my greenhouse was not a pleasant thought. Often the heaters were little more than a wood burner and that meant a fair bit of maintenance on my part but I noticed that they were a very cheap option both in the initial expense and in the cost of the wood chip to be used as the energy source.

As the cost of oil has increased recently and it looks as though it will remain high, plus the fact that oil heating is not the greenest of options by a long mark, I decided to price a larger system. After a fair bit of juggling the family finances I hit upon the perfect system (for me) and we purchased a full system for the house. The wood chip heating system basically heats up the water in the radiators of the house so I ran one out to my greenhouse. Of course I had the expense of the pipe running across my yard but I buried it and had it insulated to an incredibly high level. Now I have a small radiator in my greenhouse to which I have added a thermostat so now it can be a set and forget system and furthermore I could run it very hot and still remain green (which keeps my kids happy).

 

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