Straw heating in Seibersdorf

The replacement of the individual boiler and the use of straw waste was the main intention of this project, but the use of local energy sources for a clean, and affordable heat supply was achieved with improvements in air quality too. The main challenges were posed by the connection of single family homes, the protection of gardens, and the overall planning and selection of pumps and home stations.

For users:

• High level of comfort.
• Low installation and heating costs.
• Heating at maximum efficiency.
• Local production of heat.
• Supply and services locally available.
• No prepayment for fuel.
• Maintenance-free.

In the first stage, the main line was installed and connections were made through butt-welding. By now, all public buildings such as the school, town hall, kindergarten, church and parish hall, and over 50% of households have been connected to the district heating network.

180 heating customers were supplied from the network including the housing area, office buildings, kindergarten, a school, farmers, sport facilities and residents. The network’s total length reached 10 km. The boiler has a capacity of 2.2 Mw. They implemented an operational mode for the winter period with a maximum flow temperature of 85°C.The straw was provided from the local farmers in the town with a yearly consumption of 1,200 tons of straw per year. So far, the network has remained maintenance –free at consistent performance for decades.

Organisations:

Fernwärmegenossenschaft Seibersdorf (District Heating company)

Dinser (installation company)

Sturm (boiler company)