Frequently Asked Questions from Business customersHere are some common questions asked by our customers. If you have a questions that isn't listed here please let us know and we'll provide the answer:
What are brites?
Who uses brites?
What are brites made of?
How are brites made?
What dimensions are brites?
What standard are brites made to?
Where are brites made?
What are brites burned in?
What do I need to do to convert my oil boiler to a wood pellet boiler?
How much ash will be produced from combusting brites?
How messy or dusty are brites?
How much space will I need to store brites?
How long can I store brites?
What is the minimum delivery of brites?
How are brites delivered to my business?
How far can brites be blown?
Where are brites delivered to?
Why choose brites?
What is ENplus?
How does ENplus differ to CEN/T 14961-2005?
What are brites? brites are wood pellets used as a high quality, clean and convenient heating fuel. A renewable biomass, brites were the first wood pellets to be pioneered in the UK and Irish markets in 2005. Having paved the way for the industry brites has continued to grow and maintain its firmly established position as the most experience wood pellet supplier and the largest producer in the UK and Ireland. top of page
Who uses brites? brites are currently used in a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications with clients ranging from; Offices, local authorities, leisure centres, hotels, schools, hospitals, retail outlets, super markets and industrial process heating. top of page
What are brites made of?
brites are made from wood residue produced as a by-product of Balcas’ saw milling processes. The original timber is either spruce or pine locally sourced from sustainably managed forests, accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council. No waste or recycled wood is used in the manufacturing process of brites. top of page
How are brites made? By-product of our timber milling activities in the form of virgin wood material is fed into our Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant and Pellet Mills. The moisture level of the material is reduced to less than 10% before being forced through dies under high pressure. Breaker bars cut the material leaving the die at the correct length and as cooling takes place the naturally occurring lignin, inside the wood, binds the pellet together. The end product is a compressed wood pellets high in calorific value. top of page
What dimensions are brites?
brites are cylindrical in shape with a diameter or 6mm and a length of 30mm. top of page
What standard are brites made to? Searching for a standard that reflected the high quality of brites the company became the first in the UK and Ireland to be audited for the ENplus standard prEN14961-2 which resulted in successful accreditation.
Unlike other standards the ENplus goes further than just product specification as it assesses the whole supply chain, ensuring that standardised high quality wood pellets are received by the end consumer. ENplus also guarantees a minimum calorific value or heat content and takes into account heavy metals produced during combustion, a factor that if unmonitored under other standards can lead to boiler corrosion and ultimately impact the lifespan of appliances. top of page
Where are brites made? brites are made in two production facilities. Enniskillen, Northern Ireland is the site of a 2.7MWe Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant and pellet mill with a production capacity of 55,000 tonnes per annum. It is located on the same site as the our timber mill due to the close proximity of raw materials. Invergordon, Scotland has a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year. This is the largest CHP and pellet mill in the UK and Ireland and has an 8MW (electric) capacity, of this 5MW is exported to the grid, while the other 3MW used on site. top of page
What are brites burned in?
brites are used in specifically designed wood pellet appliances which can be boilers providing central heating or a free standing room heater/stove. Wood pellet boilers are as easy to use as conventional boilers with appliances that have automatic feed systems to bring in fuel, programmable settings and self ignition to name a few features. Wood pellets can be used in specific wood pellet heaters generating a natural flame and a focal point in a room or in wood burning stoves and open fires, providing a suitable pellet basket is used. top of page
What do I need to do to convert my oil boiler to a wood pellet boiler? You will need to get an accredited installer (see installer section) to check that your wet central heating system is suitable for the conversion. In most cases it is as easy as removing your oil boiler and replacing it with a wood pellet boiler. The main issue is space for storage; you can convert space in your garage or buy a variety of different storage units to suit individual purposes, even units that sit below ground level. Free standing pellet stoves are often used. top of page
How much ash will be produced from combusting brites? Ash levels are extremely low with some boiler units removing the ash automatically. Ash from using brites is high in nutrients and can be used as a high grade fertilizer in the garden. top of page
How messy or dusty are brites?
brites are very clean and can be handled easily without any mess. brites are screened and sieved before leaving our facilities so they contain less than 1% fines. top of page
How much space will I need to store brites?
1m3 will hold approximately 650kg of brites and so we recommend that storage units have a capacity to hold at least half a tonne over the minimum delivery amount in your area. Therefore if a minimum delivery is 4tonnes or 6m³ of brites then your store should be 6.5 m3 - 7m3 to ensure you do not run out before you can re-order. Storage must be clean and dry with further information available through the download “Pre-delivery Checklist and Design Guide”. top of page
How long can I store brites?
Provided that the storage unit is kept free from moisture and other forms of contamination there should be no reason that brites cannot be stored for an indefinite period. top of page
What is the minimum delivery of brites? In Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland the minimum delivery is 3 tonnes. England and Wales have a minimum delivery of 5 tonnes while Scotland has a minimum requirement of 4 tonnes qualify for delivery. As customer densities increase and new depots open these amounts may be subject to change and we would welcome enquiries. top of page
How are brites delivered to my business? brites are delivered through a fleet of branded, specialised vehicles that pneumatically blow the fuel into storage units and hoppers that they connect to using a A-400 Camlock fitting or equivalent. A range of vehicles are in use to suit the requirements of different customers with some examples listed below: Articulated Vehicle
12m long and 3.9 m high
4m wide and Turning circle 18m Rigid Vehicle
10m long and 3.9 high
4m wide and Turning Circle 20m 10kg bags are available from retailers throughout the UK and Ireland (see bagged brites) top of page
How far can brites be blown? brites fuel quality can be guaranteed up to a blowing distance of 20 metres from vehicle to storage unit. top of page
Where are brites delivered to? brites are sold on a national level direct from either our production facilities or regional depots to consumers doors with 10kg bags available via a network of distributors (see bagged brites). top of page
Why choose brites? brites have many similar qualities to other pellets in terms of particle size, but the ENplus standard ensures a quality that surpasses many domestically produced and imported pellets. Uniquely brites are manufactured using CHP plants that operate on renewable energy and have been hailed as text book examples of “Green” projects. Since brites are made in a process that uses renewable energy as opposed to fossil fuels the carbon footprint associated with using brites as a fuel is considerably lower than alternative products. More and more people have started turning to biomass and wood pellets as an answer to the increasing costs of fossil fuels and their environmental impact, meaning there is greater demand for raw materials. Guaranteed security of supply for the lifespan of an appliance should be of paramount concern for current and prospective wood pellet users with many consumers choosing brites for this reason due to the well established brand, national presence and vast resources available which cements confidence in our promises. top of page
What is ENplus?
ENplus is recognised as the highest standard available in wood pellet fuel worldwide and the only standard within the UK delivering recognised guaranteed values. With alternative suppliers claiming to adhere to certain standards Balcas realised what matters is the specification a supplier will guarantee and importantly the substance of that guarantee. Balcas were the first in the UK and Ireland to research and become audited for ENplus, gaining accreditation in April 2011. ENplus requires regular and thorough external auditing as part of achieving certification; samples are consistently taken in accordance with regulations proving that brites is without fail making targets and falling into parameters, providing long term peace of mind to customers. top of page
How does ENplus differ to CEN/T 14961-2005?
CEN/T 14961-2005 or BS EN 14961-2010 are just the standardisation of testing techniques, meaning that pellets can be compared in similar terms having all been tested in the same format. There are no minimum or maximum values to be achieved as neither CEN/T 14961-2005 nor BS EN 14961-2010 are standards to be adhered to. They are simply a long list of variables that pellets, when tested, can fall anywhere into. Fundamentally no external auditing system exists for CEN/T 14961-2005. There are no parameters for ash melting temperature, which when unmonitored leaves the door open to “clinker”. There are no minimum or maximum figures for guaranteed heat, let alone other variables like fines, durability, percentage of ash and so on.
ENplus ensures pellet quality is managed throughout the entire supply chain including production, storage and transport. Crucially the standard must be met at the point of supply to the end user i.e. their residence or business. ENplus guarantees the user a minimum calorific value or heat quantity from wood pellets; independent, 3rd party assurance that removes the need for a wood pellet user to rely solely on what their supplier is saying. Heavy metals like sulphur and chlorine are also monitored under ENplus due to their corrosive potential and impact on appliance lifespan unlike CEN/T 14961-2005. top of page
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