Sales of biomass stoves and boilers in the residential sector increased by 9.8% last year

The increase in the installation of new biomass stoves and boilers for residential use, with power outputs up to 50kW, has registered a 17.3% increase in business volume in 2019 compared to the previous year, reaching 356 million eur, according to the director of Expobiomasa, Jorge Herrero, referring to the Annual Report of the Biomass Observatory being prepared by the Spanish Biomass Association –AVEBIOM–.

At the end of 2019, 343,706 biomass stoves and boilers were operating in Spain, installed mainly in independent homes; this is 57,659 more units than the previous year, representing a 9.8% increase in the number of units sold.

In 2019, biomass stoves and boilers for residential use consumed around 447,000 tons of pellets and another 350,000 tons of biofuels of natural and renewable origin such as olive pits, from the olive oil industry, and nut shells.

In 2019, pellets consumed by stoves and boilers for residential use in Spain alone prevented the equivalent consumption of 225 million liters of heating oil and, therefore, avoided harmful emissions equivalent to the circulation of 400,000 vehicles.

Jobs and savings where they are most needed. 
The biomass used in Spain is of local origin and generates significant economic activity in many areas. In fact, solid biofuels are locally sourced products that replace imports of natural gas or diesel, produced in third countries thousands of kilometers away, and generate 13 local jobs for every one generated by heating with natural gas or diesel.

The biomass consumed as biofuel in biomass stoves and boilers comes from waste and byproducts of both the wood and agri-food industries. In 2019, the biomass production chain for the residential sector created 842 new jobs, reaching 6,000 direct employees, a 16.1% increase over the previous year.

Jobs are generated in the manufacturing, marketing, installation, and maintenance of biomass stoves and boilers, and also, and very intensa, in the production and marketing of biofuels. These jobs make a crucial contribution to boosting economic activity in rural communities.