FIREWOOD AND WOOD CHIP PRICE IN APRIL 2023
With regard to firewood, AIEL data show an increase in price compared to the previous year, depending on the packaging (pallets or loose) and the degree of seasoning (or water content) that determines the quality class of this biofuel.
The price recorded in April for firewood with a water content (M) of 20-25 (the driest and most energy-efficient) is 223 €/t (+53 €/t compared to April 2022), while firewood with a water content of 30-35 costs 153 €/t (+21 € compared to 2022).
Wood with a water content of 40-50 costs an average of 139 €/t (+8 € compared to 2020).
It is important to remember that when buying wetter wood, i.e., wood with a water content of more than 20-25, it must be seasoned for the time necessary to reach the same water content as dry wood (20-25).
Only by seasoning can the emission of particulate matter, which is considerably higher when using damp wood, be limited, the energy efficiency of the appliance improved, and consequently consumption reduced.
The price of wood chips in class A1 in April 2023 reached 146 € per tonne, while the price for class B1 per tonne averaged 63 €.
Wood chips are thus confirmed as the cheapest fuel for heating medium-sized buildings and producing process heat. Thanks to its local supply chain, the increase over the past year has in fact been much smaller than for the other energy sources: the price difference compared to the same month in 2022 was between 13 and 14 € per tonne, doing better than any other energy source over the same period.
