Reducing fuel costs and emissions with the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat
More than 20 poultry sites around Ireland have signed up to the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) Biomass Tariff Scheme, resulting in reduced fuel costs and carbon emissions, Madhu Murali, Programme Executive with SEAI, tells us more about the scheme.
The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) is an initiative managed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
When a fossil fuel heating system is being replaced, the SSRH can provide a biomass tariff based on heat use for 15 years or a heat pump installation grant of up to 40%.
More than 20 poultry sites around Ireland have signed up to the SSRH Biomass Tariff Scheme, resulting in reduced fuel costs and carbon emissions.
For example, a broiler farm producing 950,000 birds/year and using an oil boiler installed a wood chip biomass boiler and saved €70,000/yr in 2026 fuel costs, while receiving a SSRH tariff of €35,200/year. This results in a payback of less than four years for their biomass installation.
Similarly, a smaller broiler farm producing 504,000 birds/year saved around €20,000 in 2026 fuel costs, while receiving a SSRH tariff of €22,800/year. Their payback for their biomass system is less than three years.
The SSRH biomass tariff rates and an example calculation are summarised in the table below.
| Tier | Lower Limit (MWh/year) | Upper Limit (MWh/year) | Tariff rate (€/MWh) |
| 1 | 0 | 300 | 56.6 |
| 2 | 300 | 1,000 | 30.2 |
| 3 | 1,000 | 2,400 | 5 |
| 4 | 2,400 | 10,000 | 5 |
| 5 | 10,000 | 50,000 | 3.7 |
For example, if you use 25,000 litres/year of Gas Oil to heat your poultry house, it converts to around 605 MWh/year of heat from a boiler. If eligible, you can receive Tier 1 (300 MWh x 56.6 €/MWh) and Tier 2 (305 MWH/yr x 30.2 €/MWh) tariffs amounting to a total annual tariff around €26,198/year.
The payback calculations in the examples above consider additional maintenance requirements for biomass systems as compared to oil boilers. Further, there is now a growing network of accredited and sustainable biomass suppliers across Ireland. An up-to-date list of these suppliers is available on the Woodfuel Quality Assurance scheme website.
Important changes
Some important changes have also been introduced in the last month to enhance the SSRH biomass tariff scheme.
Firstly, the scheme can now provide external project management support for new applicants as a one-off grant. Eligible costs for these include any external professional services required to deliver a biomass heating project. Eligible costs are capped at 7% of the total project cost, and the grant support rate will be 40%.
For example, if the total biomass project costs are €100,000, eligible project management costs are capped at €7,000 and grant support at €2,800.
Further, to streamline project timelines, applicants can now start work on their project and order components before a letter of offer has been issued if they have completed a valid application. SEAI can issue a valid application letter once initial checks are complete and 50% of project costs can then be spent before the formal letter of offer is issued, generally in 6-8 weeks.
Interested in finding out more about the SSRH? Visit the SSRH website or contact the SSRH team at ssrh@seai.ie. Interested in getting a biomass heating system installed? Visit the Irish Bioenergy Association’s Biomass Installer Register to contact trained installers.