The energy resources that we currently use for homes in Ireland are from fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are a natural resource and therefore they will always be limited. Consequently, this leads to unpredictable price changes in fuels throughout the world. As the population of Ireland increases, the fossil fuel quantities are decreasing and we also must meet targets for EU environmental legislation. We are therefore guided into an era of developing alternative energy usages. These energy alternatives are also being brought onto the Irish marketplace in a number of different ways. In particular Ireland is set for tougher building regulations in the area of energy efficiency demanding a minimum of 40% reduction in energy demand in buildings therefore inevitably reducing their carbon footprint. There are a number of alternative energy resources that are available at present. Wood fuel energy is an alternative energy available to the Irish marketplace that came into use a number of years ago. Woodchip can provide whole heating systems for houses and buildings. The woodchip is normally sourced from local forests in an area. The benefits are phenomenal because not only does the use of woodchip result in substantial long term savings but it also results in providing income and employment in rural areas of Ireland.