Warm glow of Irish peat takes edge off oil woes

As an autumn gale assails his hilltop cottage, Pepijn Martius sits beside a peat-fired stove, savoring the earthy smell and glowing warmth that has cost him little more than a sore back.
“For my pocket it’s much better,” said the 27-year-old Dutchman. “If I would heat with oil or gas I would spend probably quadruple the amount of money that I spend on peat.”

“And it keeps me warm twice,” he adds, referring to the physical labor involved in harvesting the dark, carbon-rich earth which is the first stage in the formation of coal.

The clumps of peat, or turf, are dug from Ireland’s bogs — waterlogged land formed after the last Ice Age. They must be turned regularly and stacked to dry before hauling them home.

It’s a time-consuming task but soaring oil prices mean a new generation is rediscovering the tradition.

Irish-born Martius reckons 150 euros buys enough peat to run his central heating and provide hot water for a year — a fraction of Ireland’s average annual domestic gas bill which, after a recent 25 percent price hike, is set to hit 946 euros.

A short, bumpy ride from his home in County Roscommon is the source of his energy: a blustery bog where the only respite for chilled bones comes from a black, 8-foot wall of earth dividing the original field from years of peat digging below.

Here, despite using mechanical cutters, owner Jimmy McLoughlin is struggling to meet demand.

“Up to about five years ago it was down to nearly nil but the oil price changed all that,” said McLoughlin. “I didn’t have enough turf this year for people.”

 

Yahoo