The conjunction of changes in Part L of the Building Regulations, impending European legislation prompted by the EuP (Eco-Design of Energy Using Products) Directive and the Code for Sustainable Homes are placing ever increasing demands on improved appliance and system efficiency for
The conjunction of changes in Part L of the Building Regulations, impending European legislation prompted by the EuP (Eco-Design of Energy Using Products) Directive and the Code for Sustainable Homes are placing ever increasing demands on improved appliance and system efficiency for space heating and hot water generation.
Building heating and hot water systems are more frequently becoming ‘bivalent’ with a combination of heat sources being deployed in plant rooms to deliver the carbon savings demanded by local authorities and the underpinning legislation. Commercial heating and hot water systems will inevitably need to include a combination of conventional products such as boilers, directfired water heaters and calorifiers married with more innovative technologies such as solar thermal, heat pumps and combined heat and power (CHP) in order to deliver low carbon plant room solutions.
The UK government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is planned for introduction in April 2011 and is aimed at supporting heating at all scales, including households, businesses, offices, public sector buildings and industrial processes.
The ‘clean energy cashback’ tariff levels proposed by the RHI for biomass, biogas, heat pumps and solar thermal vary according to installed system size. Ground source heat pumps up to 45 kW will qualify for tariffs of 7 pence/kWh; between 45 kW and 350 kW, 5.5 pence/kWh and those above 350kW will qualify for a tariff of 1.5 pence/kWh. The two lower bands would not require any metering of energy supplied to the building by the GSHP (being based on installation size and deemed annual generation) and the payments would be made for at least 20 years. Despite the proposed legislation being a year away systems that are installed now (that are certified and registered under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, MCS) would benefit. The MCS (or equivalent schemes accredited under EN 45011), certify microgeneration products and installers in an attempt to provide consistent European standards.
The principle for gr