At Fire Project we will never be tired of saying it: “quality” is the first characteristic that every consumer should look for and verify in products on the biomass heating market.
And “quality” often rhymes with ‘certification’. In fact, both plants and equipment and fuels are certified.
In this study we will get to know all the details related to the most famous certification related to pellets, that is the EN plus certification.
EN plus pellet certification: what are we talking about?
The European pellet market has seen a significant increase in production over the past ten years. It went from about 2.5 million tons attested in 2013 to just over 19 million tons per year in 2016 and the numbers are destined to grow throughout the years.
The data testify to a fast growing trend that sees the use of pellets (and biomass in general) both at industrial and civil level.
The choice of alternative energy sources compared to the traditional ones certainly responds to two needs: the first concerns the need to turn to a market that provides competitive prices with a new way of producing energy. The second cannot ignore the sensitivity that consumers have towards aspects such as that of environmental sustainability.
The pellet market has therefore adapted to the different needs exposed by consumers.
In 2010 a European technical standard, EN 14961-2, definitively sanctioned the criteria for the production and distribution of pellets by providing elements that denote the quality of the biomass and the impact it has on the environment.
Consequently, if the consumer who purchases the pellets finds the word EN plus on the packaging or on the delivery note, it can be traced back not only to the manufacturing company, but also to the company responsible for distribution.
In addition to these data, the ENplus certification allows the identification of the energy class of the pellet (if A1, A2, B) and, consequently, the type of wood adopted and the relative consumption.
What is EN Plus certification?
The ENplus certification is nothing more than a brand (such as those used in the food sector) which testifies to the quality of the pellets both in production and in distribution to the end customer.
The quality is based on the respect of different elements that concern the chemical composition of the product, the physical and energy characteristics, the reduced ash content as well as the conservation up to market distribution.
In other words, the EN Plus certification reflects the need for transparency that consumers require in the purchase of biomass: knowing the entire production and distribution chain means being sure that the product conforms to specific standar defined by law.
Obtaining or affixing the EN plus mark on pellet products is not easy as the companies involved must comply with the rules of the European standard EN 14961-2 in order to use the related logo.
This means sticking to what the law says, but above all subjecting your company to frequent checks aimed at verifying that the production and distribution of the pellets are as compliant as possible with current legislation.
The EN plus mark, in fact, has specific characteristics, both graphic and numerical, the absence of which could even be considered as the crime of counterfeiting. Knowing the main information on the ENplus certificate therefore allows you to prevent commercial fraud and to buy a safe product that respects the environment.
What are the Italian certifications on pellets?
EN 14961-2 is a European derivation standard, developed by the German Pellet Institute ‘Deutsches Pelletinstitut’. Italy has also prepared criteria for the production of quality biomass compliant with the ENplus certification and has done so with a series of technical standards known with the UNI EN ISO 17225 series.
Of the various UNI EN ISO 17225-2 classifies the pellets from wood and used both at industrial (for the supply of machinery) and civil (in the context, above all, of heating systems).
Specifically, UNI EN ISO 17225-2 includes the technical standards for the production of pellets obtained from woods from woodlands, from wood plantations or other virgin woods, to which are added the waste products of woodworking. Chemically treated woods and those from building demolitions whose conversion into biomass would represent a serious danger to health and the environment are strictly excluded from this type of pellet.
Italian pellet companies can use the ENPlus certification (and therefore adhere to the European technical standards) which they can affix both on the bags of the product and on the delivery notes.
But in order to use the EN plus mark, they will not only have to respect the rules just illustrated, they will have to undergo iron checks that can also take place on a sample basis. These checks, which can be performed at any time, are used to certify the company’s compliance with European standards EN 14961-2.
The improper or fraudulent use of the ENPlus wording can be prosecuted criminally and can even be considered as an attempt to counterfeit a trademark.
Using the EN plus certification means helping to reduce particulate emissions in the air with an eye to the environmental factor. Only through compliance with strict rules can alternative and, even more so, clean energy be created.
Good reasons to use certified pellets
What does it mean when the pellet is certified? The spread of heating systems (such as boilers and stoves) that exploit pellets have fueled the commercial chain allowing the distribution of biomass through different channels.
The bags of pellets, for example, can be purchased at competitive prices in some supermarkets that distribute them in the same way as any other product. But the same bags of pellets are available through intermediary companies that deal specifically with the marketing of this material.
The purchase, in this case, can be made through the internet or by contacting the points of sale located throughout the Italian territory.
Buying bags of pellets is simple, what is difficult is finding a product that is certified and that bears the word ENplus. This is because the ENplus pellet is synonymous with quality, respect for the environment and compliance with specific standards that mainly concern the choice of raw materials and their processing.
When the pellet is certified, the purchase of the product takes place in complete safety with the awareness of using a material with reduced environmental impact and, more importantly, free of chemical components harmful to health.
The certified pellet also allows to trace the manufacturing company and the one that distributes the product by decoding some codes on the ENplus brand. In this way it is possible to know who produced the pellet and who took care of its marketing.
Why choose a certified pellet? The production of pellets takes place through the processing of wood materials also from waste. The production process involves the selection of the types of wood (some of them have a higher calorific value than other essences), drying (which minimizes the amount of water – and therefore the humidity – present in the wood shavings) and the cleaning that is used to eliminate plant or chemical impurities that could compromise combustion.
Once the raw material is cleaned, the manufacturing companies proceed with the compression that takes place using the presses. The presses heat the wood bringing it to high temperatures: this process causes the wood to release the lignin, that is a natural glue that helps to give the pellet the classic shape of small cylinders.
The certified pellet is produced with the materials and according to the techniques indicated by EN 14961-2 and UNI EN ISO 17225-2.
However, there are companies that, cheaply, produce pellets using industrial waste that does not comply with the sector regulations, using production processes that optimize the creation of pellets while reducing production costs. This does not necessarily mean that these companies produce pellets harmful to health or the environment, but that simply their product may not be suitable for stoves and boilers.
The presence of humidity or impurities in the cylinders or the use of different essences could have a low calorific value (with consequent increase in consumption) and the high production of residual ash which could create problems for the entire heating system.
What are good reasons to buy certified pellets? The main reasons for purchasing the pellet bearing the ENplus brand generally concern the environmental and health factors.
In the first case, materials whose combustion contributes to greatly reduce particulate emissions (i.e. fine particles present in the air) are used.
In the second, home environments (and work environments for industrial pellet systems) are protected from harmful substances that could cause damage to health.
As far as particulate emissions are concerned, the pellet apparently produces more dust than the main fossil fuels, first of all the various types of gas.
The difference, however, lies in the quality of the same dusts that are released into the air: these dusts, if generated from certified wooden raw materials, are no more dangerous than the gases emitted by boilers and stoves. So they have no negative effects on human health and the environment.
In addition to the pollution factor, certified pellets have further positive aspects that can be measured above all in economic terms.
A quality pellet, made with raw materials that reflect European standards, reduces the cost incurred by the consumer both for heating and for the maintenance of the systems.
The pellet with high calorific value and excellent combustion preserves stoves and boilers from viscous residues and from the ashes produced, guaranteeing optimal use prolonged over time. Less maintenance also means greater efficiency of the systems that can guarantee clean energy inside the home or the optimal performance of industrial activities.
Finally, the certified pellet contributes to the creation of jobs which sees the affirmation of new professional figures (think of qualified pellet distributors) and specialized activities in the production of this material.
In addition, we opt for a renewable source (the pellet, remember, is made with wood waste free of chemicals) and, at the same time, recyclable. In short, a true friend of the climate.
How to recognize the EN plus Quality Mark
What are the characteristics of the ENplus brand?The ENplus mark certifies the quality of the pellets and compliance with regulatory standards in production and distribution. In addition to being a quality mark, ENplus is also a certification mark because it can only be used by accredited companies that conform their business to technical regulations.
Recognizing it is easy, as it is a logo that has specific graphic characteristics and identification codes, the absence (or inaccuracy) of which entails the risk of fraud or counterfeiting.
From a graphic point of view, the ENplus brand is a logo with a rounded shape inside which there is the wording “EN plus”.
The syllable EN is gray in color and highlighted within a circle. The word ‘plus’ is instead orange and positioned below the abbreviation EN.
Within the circle that encloses the ENplus brand there are some alphanumeric codes distributed around the perimeter of the logo. These codes indicate the country of manufacture or distributor, the code of the certified company (both manufacturer and distributor), the pellet energy class (A1, A2, B) and the reference technical standard (for example EN 14961-2).
Focusing on the codes it is necessary to know that the identification code of the country of origin of the pellet is made up of two letters, followed by a numerical value that can be between 000 and 299 and from 300 to 999. In the first case (from 000 to 299) The numerical value identifies the pellet manufacturer. The value between 300 and 999 instead identifies the distribution company.
What are the quality classes of the pellet? The quality class indicates the raw materials that are used in the production of pellets. In accordance with UNI EN ISO 17225-2 standards, the pellet classes of the ENplus certification are of three types, namely A1, A2 and B.
Each of them identifies the woods or the combination of wood waste used in the production process: at a higher level (ie A1) a certain type of raw material will correspond to the combination of different products.
The ENplus A1 class denotes the pellet produced exclusively from hardwood or coniferous logs, or by-products and residues from woodworking that are not chemically treated.
The exclusive use of only one raw material allows to obtain an excellent quality pellet characterized by a percentage of ash (i.e. inorganic components that do not produce energy) equal to 0.5% – 0.7%. This means that, in addition to a high calorific value, the pellet is able to produce less residues by halving consumption and vice versa increasing the efficiency of heating systems.
The ENplus A2 class includes raw materials combined with each other such as whole trees without roots, by-products and residues from wood processing not chemically treated, forestry residues and tree trunks. Also in this case the ashes present in class A2 pellets do not exceed 1% with the difference that the fuel quality is slightly lower than class A1.
This does not mean that the product is of poor quality, but that simply for its production it is possible to use different materials making the purchase of fuel cheaper.
The ENplus B class includes raw materials from forests, plantations and other virgin wood, by-products and woodworking residues not treated with chemicals, to which is added the used wood without any chemical component, therefore wooden products destined for recycling.
The ash percentage of class B pellets can reach 2%, which increases the inorganic components present in the product, but this does not mean that the pellet does not guarantee its natural function, being however less expensive than products of classes A1 and A2.
What is wood pellet? The classes we have just specified show us that the pellet is produced exclusively with raw materials from wood which must be strictly free of any chemical.
The more pure wood logs are used, the greater the fuel power of the pellets and the lower the presence of inorganic substances that will be released from the product.
The German and Italian regulations governing the quality of the pellet at a technical level have set three limits for the presence of ashes, each of which certifies the relative class. A percentage above the 2% threshold (which characterizes class B2) denotes a greater quantity of inorganic substances, in other words the non-compliance of the product with the ENplus certifications.
When buying bags of pellets it is a good idea to check three things:
1. first of all, the compliance of the ENplus quality mark with the official logo;
2. the presence of identification codes and abbreviations that indicate the country of origin of the manufacturing or distributing company;
3. the pellet class, whether A1, A2 or B. You can opt for one or the other depending on the economic availability and the use that you want to make of the fuel.
The absence of one of these elements should advise against purchasing the product, even if it appears economically convenient.
Prices and availability
How much does the EN plus certified pellet cost? Having therefore defined the main characteristics of the ENplus certified pellet, many wonder what the average cost a consumer has to bear for purchasing the product.
We said that the distribution channels are different (pellets can be purchased in supermarkets, from authorized dealers and even online) and prices can vary depending on whether you opt for a single bag or for a supply of pellets.
First of all, it is good to say that there are 10 or 15 kg bags of pellets available on the market, packed in plastic bags that protect the product from atmospheric agents such as humidity.
The price of a bag of pellets with ENplus A1 class varies between 4 and 10 euros depending on the country of origin, the type of wood used and the weighing and can even go to just over 15 euros for pellets produced with logs from Reduced ash content.
Conversely, the bags of ENplus A2 and B class pellets are cheaper, also in packs of 10 or 15 kg. Savings vary from a few cents up to a euro per pack depending on whether they are waste from forests and plantations or from woodworking.
Can you save on the purchase of pellets? The prices just outlined represent an average of the cost that can be incurred by purchasing pellets both online and at authorized dealers.
The higher the price of a single bag of pellets, the better the quality of the fuel and, consequently, it will be possible to obtain a considerable saving on the consumption of the product. However, as often happens, the consumer evaluates above all the savings factor, even more so if it is something that could greatly affect one’s financial resources.
Also as regards the purchase of pellets, it is possible to save money without necessarily renouncing the quality of the fuel: just evaluate the prices provided by the manufacturers or distributors and prefer buying for refueling rather than buying single bags whenever there is a need.
Making a comparison between the various prices available on the internet we have that the supplier companies offer stocks of 70 or 100 bags of pellets of the ENplus A1 class at prices that do not reach 500 euros (from 390 euros up to 470 – 480 euros for Pallet).
Given that most of the packs are 15 kg of pellets, if you want to make two calculations, the price of a single bag is around € 4.70, that is, just over 30 cents per cost per kilogram of pellets.
The single 15 kg sack purchased at some retailers could even exceed 10 euros if the raw material used was a specific wood essence (such as fir or beech trunk).
What are the main ways to buy pellets? In addition to the traditional purchase, there is an additional channel for the supply of pellets, made available by specialized companies that distribute fuel in every part of our country.
It is the so-called “loose pellet”, that is the product which, instead of being packaged in 10 or 15 kg bags (and purchasable on pallets), is distributed by tank truck, that is, inside tanks.
The tankers must be certified for the transport of pellets and they must also bear the wording ENPlus: this means that the product contained in the tanks must be preserved from contact with humidity and from any atmospheric agent that could compromise its quality.
The purchase of loose pellets in a tanker is much cheaper than the pallet or the sack, as the product packaging costs are zero.
On average, the price of loose pellets is around 280 euros for 3 tons of ENplus A1 class fuel, which drops to 250 euros for A2 class pellets. Prices are inclusive of transport and delivery.
At this point the question arises: is the loose pellet convenient compared to the pallets? The answer depends on the needs of the end customer who may deem it useful to prefer the tanker to the purchase of the single bag.
It must be said, however, that the affordable price obliges the customer to compulsorily purchase large quantities of pellets (a tanker transports from 3 to 5 tons of fuel). If you have rooms suitable for keeping the product away from moisture, loose pellets are more than a bargain.
Buying pellets: some useful tips
The ENplus certified pellet is synonymous with quality and eco-sustainability, that is, two essential elements if you do not want to give up comfort while protecting the environment at the same time.
Competition in this sector is high and in addition to paying attention to the certified brand, it is always advisable to contact a qualified professional who can provide useful advice on the purchase of pellets.
If, on the one hand, the supply of loose pellets is convenient for the considerable savings that are made from it, on the other hand, the conservation factor must be assessed. Inadequately sealed pellets could absorb humidity and become unusable for the use that must be made of it.