Changes for single-family homeowners. New regulations come into effect on May 24

• The new regulations will tighten requirements for the sale and combustion of biomass-based fuels, i.e. pellets and wood briquettes.
• The regulations also introduce an obligation to attach a quality certificate to the fuel sold.
• Will the new regulations affect pellet prices? It is difficult to answer this question unequivocally.

The new regulation specifies quality requirements for biomass from trees and shrubs placed on the market or placed under a customs procedure in the form of:

• wood briquettes,
• wood pellets,
• pellets for class 3, 4 and 5 heating appliances or meeting ecodesign requirements.

This means that every pellet and briquette producer will have to adapt to the new standards - both in terms of fuel composition and its physical properties.

The aim of the new regulations is primarily to eliminate low-quality fuels from the market, which may contain chemically processed additives, plastics or other contaminants. Such fuels, burned in domestic boilers, contribute to air pollution and the formation of smog. The new regulations are to prevent their further introduction to circulation and use in installations with a capacity of up to 1 MW.

The introduction of a quality certificate as a mandatory document accompanying each batch of fuel is intended to additionally strengthen market supervision and provide consumers with reliable information about the purchased product.

Pellets sold after the regulation comes into force must meet the following parameters:

• Diameter: 6-8 mm
• Length: 3.15-40 mm
• Humidity (operating condition): max. 10 percent
• Moisture content (dry): max. 1.2 percent
• Fine fraction: max. 1 percent.
• Calorific value: min. 16.5 MJ/kg
• Bulk density: 600–750 kg/m³
• Additives (e.g. adhesives): max. 2 percent
• Nitrogen content: max. 0.3 percent.
• Sulphur content: max. 0.04 percent.
• Chlorine content: max. 0.02 percent.
• Mechanical strength: min. 97.5 percent.

Even stricter standards apply to more advanced heating devices:

• Ash content: max. 0.7 percent.
• Mechanical resistance: min. 98 percent.
• Other parameters - the same as for standard pellets

The new regulation also specifies in detail the quality requirements for wood briquettes. According to the regulations:

• The maximum humidity in working condition (i.e. in the form in which the briquette is used) cannot exceed 12 percent.
• The ash content in a dry state (after drying for at least two hours at 105-110°C) must be a maximum of 3%.
• The minimum density of briquette grain is 0.9 g/cm³. The content of additives, including chemically processed substances, cannot exceed 2 percent.
• The minimum calorific value in dry condition is 15.5 MJ/kg.
• The nitrogen content may not exceed 0.3 percent.
• Sulfur content - maximum 0.04 percent.
• Chlorine content - no more than 0.02 percent.

The Ministry of Climate and Environment emphasizes that the introduction of quality standards for pellets and briquettes will not only improve air quality and reduce the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, but will also contribute to the implementation of one of the milestones of the National Reconstruction Plan.

This will make it possible to obtain financial resources for the further implementation of the “Clean Air” anti-smog programme, especially under the fourth payment application.

For manufacturers already operating in accordance with international standards, these changes will not be a major challenge. However, importers and companies operating in the grey zone may have a problem, as they will have to adapt to the new rules or cease operations.

- writes kb.pl.

Although the new regulations raise questions about a possible increase in pellet and briquette prices, it is difficult to predict at this point how the market will react. The kb.pl portal indicates that some producers will certainly have to invest in the modernization of production lines and the implementation of quality control systems, which may affect costs.

- At the same time, the growing interest in pellets as a heat source may affect its price, regardless of new regulations. More and more households choose this fuel, and the amount of available materials - such as sawdust and wood waste - is limited. An increase in demand with a constant supply may lead to price increases - indicates kb.pl.