Forest Fuels Ltd

Forest Fuels - The Wood Fuel Heating Specialists
Established in 2006, we deliver premium grade & RHI compliant wood chip and wood pellet from our national network of local depots, supported by our central customer service team.
Forest Fuels is a specialist wood fuel business – wood fuel is all that we do – as such we have a robust & renewable supply chain, reliably underpinned by long term, high demand contract customers.

As well as supplying wood chip and wood pellet, we offer consultancy and advice to those considering wood fuel heating solutions. Let us help you make the most of the long term financial support which the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has to offer.

Whether you are a Commercial, Non-Domestic or Domestic wood-fuel user, we can help with both the design and financing of biomass heating systems. We offer a range of funding options which enable people to benefit from renewable wood fuel heating without the capital cost or ongoing maintenance.

About Forest Fuels

Forest Fuels is the UK’s leading wood fuel supply company - a specialist wood fuel supplier and consultant to small and medium scale heat boilers.

The company currently supplies Premium Grade wood fuel (both wood chip and wood pellet) to over 500 boilers. Clients include the NHS, where Forest Fuels has a 15 year contract to supply wood chip; the MOD where we have a 3 year contract to supply two bases; over 50 schools; most of the local authorities through the areas we operate in; and a range of charities, companies and private estates.

Staff have been working on wood fuel since 2000, and the business has been at the forefront of the emerging wood fuel industry since its establishment as a limited company in 2006.

What we offer

Experience

We have built up more than 10 years of hands-on experience to become a trusted partner in an emerging market. We deliver premium grade fuel to over 500 wood fuel boilers in the UK on long term contract, totalling over 60MW installed capacity.

Our team has worked on project development, advice and consultancy for around 100 sites with combined installed capacity of c.50MW.

We are at the heart of the wood fuel and biomass industry: for example Forest Fuels was a founder member of the UK Wood Fuel Suppliers Group and Director Sam Whatmore is now its Vice Chairman; Howard Towns sits on the Steering Group of the UK Pellet Council.

Quality

We specialise in supplying premium grade wood chip and wood pellet throughout the UK. We offer both virgin and clean recycled timber, which is carefully processed and screened to your specification. We guarantee the quality of our fuel to ensure your boiler operates efficiently.

Our wood fuel confirms to independent Quality Assurance standards

Expertise

We provide a wide range of consultancy expertise, from strategy development for local authorities to assessing the feasibility of wood fuel heating at specific sites.

Having worked on hundreds of boiler installations we have a unique expertise on fuel storage and handling solutions.

Local

Forest Fuels operates nationally through a network of 15 local depots. By building a local depot Forest Fuels ensures that local wood feeds into local boilers. The strategy minimises carbon emissions and fuel miles, and ensures that local economies benefit from the employment and income we generate. Our model is local woods, local timber, local people

Professional

The centralised customer services team takes orders and handles client queries from the heart of the business; while the depot network means that we can guarantee security of supplies nationwide. We have four professionally qualified Operations Managers who look after the day to day running of wood fuel supply, and who are based locally throughout the country (Yorkshire, East Midlands & South West)

Trusted

Forest Fuels is a trusted supplier of the NHS, the MOD, Central Government and many City and County Councils, reaching from Yorkshire down to Cornwall and across from Wales to East Anglia. We support environmental pioneers like the Eden Project, RSPB, Woodland Trust and Duchy of Cornwall; over 50 schools and colleges from local primaries to Oxford University; as well as businesses from a wide range of industries, housing associations and domestic properties.

2000

Founder Sam Whatmore starts working in wood fuel, diversifying his forestry management business and investigating different uses for timber

2002

Sam installs wood chip boiler and small district heating network on his farm, heating a number of buildings

2003-2005 

Sam visits various European countries as well as America on UK DTI-funded overseas missions to investigate wood fuel

2006

Forest Fuels Ltd is founded as a Limited Company, aiming to supply wood chip across the south west

2008

Forest Fuels wins large contract to supply wood chip to new boiler at an MOD base

2009

Win 15 year contract with NHS to supply wood chip to hospital in Truro.

Open new depot in central Cornwall

Purpose built wood chip blower lorry operational

We start delivering wood pellet as well as wood chip

2010

Peter Solly starts as new Managing Director and invests in business

Win “Supplier or installer of the Year” at Green Energy Awards

Company now operating from 5 depots, spread strategically across the south west

Win large contract to supply woodchip to 5 schools in Bristol

2011

Runner up at Renewable Energy Association awards for Company of the Year 2011 – “the company that has done the most to advance UK renewables”

Purchase of wood fuel specialists, Silvapower Ltd, operating in South Yorkshire

Sam Whatmore wins “Sustainable Energy Champion” of the year at the Green Energy Awards

Renewable Heat Incentive launched

Accredited by Woodsure Quality Assurance scheme

2012

Purchase of English Wood Fuels and expansion into East Midlands and East Anglia

Company now operating from 15 depots, supplying over 300 customers with Premium Grade wood fuel

Shortlisted for Renewable Energy Association award in Pioneer category

2013

Win open tender for long term contract to supply wood chip and wood pellet to over 20 schools in Suffolk

Accreditation to the ENplus Trader Quality Assurance scheme for wood pellet supply

Finalists in the British Renewable Energy Awards and the Green Energy Awards

Take on large supply contract for new Schools in Hull heated with wood chip

Expand further north with appointment of a manager in York

Now over 450 customers