A new survey to estimate pellet-fired stoves and boilers for residential applications in the province of Turin (Italy)

The use of biomass for energy production is becoming a key factor in order to reach the EU targets of 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020. The use of wood biomass in residential applications has a significant share in some Italian regions, especially in rural areas. Nevertheless, an accurate estimation of the amount of biomass used for these purposes is not always available and it is not easy to undertake. In this paper a methodology to overcome this lack is proposed. The study has been applied in the Province of Turin, in order to quantify the amount of wood-fired residential heating devices, their fuel consumption and the thermal energy they produce. The data collected from national census and from sales volumes of devices in the province of Turin have been used to perform detailed analyses and assessments. The results of the present study have been used to improve the local energy balance of the province of Turin for the years 2001-2011 and to implement future scenarios. This methodology can be extended in any region who needs to estimate the share of energy from biomass in the residential sector.