Firing the pellets for eco-friendly profit from home heating

Briain Smyth and Stewart Dowzer, two environmentally conscious businessmen, plan to heat Irish homes in the future through Irish Pellets, their new, eco-friendly wood pellets and briquettes business.

Ireland is the ninth most oil-dependent country in the world.

Around 95 per cent of our energy comes from burning coal, petrol, peat or gas, and about 90 per cent of those fuels are imported.

Higher gas and electricity prices and fluctuating fuel costs mean that finding alternative, renewable supplies is critical.

‘‘Family members bought a wood-burning stove a little over a year ago,” said Smyth.

‘‘We discovered that there was no indigenous ...