main shopping centre benefiting from this approach. Reliability is a major consideration, particularly for local authority engineers with multiple buildings to maintain. The Dachs engines supplied by Baxi SenerTec are pur- pose designed for CHP and so will run for much longer than an average engine. The life expectancy of a Dachs is equivalent to around three million motoring miles.
Buildings with a large heat load and almost 24-hour operation will get the best out of CHP as it is most effective when it is running continuously. All the time it is operating it is providing electricity and ‘free’ heat to reduce the carbon footprint of energy intensive facili- ties. As well as the need for large amounts of heat, even in summer for the elderly residents, sheltered accommodation has very high elec- tricity needs because of the amount of light- ing, kettles, microwave ovens and other small electrical loads. This makes it ideal for CHP.
Intensive
Buildings with a large heat load and al- most 24-hour operation will get the best out of CHP as it is most effective when it is running continuously
We can also deliver a network of thousands of microgeneration installations quickly – well ahead of the massive power infrastructure programme – and if a large proportion of the programme is CHP we can also support the development of community heating networks that are also urgently needed to produce low carbon heat.
Delivering value for money is also a key consideration in the current period of aus- terity. CHP has stolen a march over many carbon saving alternatives because it is tried and tested and able to be retrofitted to a wide range of buildings with minimal disruption – so reducing upfront costs as well as delivering long-term energy savings and carbon cuts.
Integrated
Financially, CHP ticks most of the boxes. The configuration of modern mini-CHP packages
means they can be speedily integrated with existing services, while simultaneously reduc- ing a building’s carbon footprint by between 30 and 35%. The cost of buying and installing the CHP engine is also subject to a lower five per cent rate of VAT and the CHP owner can also claim Enhanced Capital Allowances to reduce their tax bill. The electricity produced and the fuel consumed by CHP are also exempt from the Climate Change Levy. Local authorities are interested in taking advantage of this kind of cost-effective low- carbon solution. Dundee City Council has taken a proactive approach to tackling its carbon footprint and building operating costs. Most of the potential renewable and low- carbon alternative heating and energy produc- tion technologies have been trialled and its in- house engineering design team has been able to build up enough experience to have a clear idea of the direction it needs to take. “We have found condensing boilers and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to be consistently cost-effective,” says the council’s building services engineer Richard Allen. “We are interested in exploring new design con- cepts along with tried and tested solutions, but tend to avoid the use of green gestures where they are not practical.”
The condensing boiler/CHP combination is now being rolled out across the city with schools, residential homes and even the city’s
Similarly, fire stations have the required heat- ing and lighting loads to get an excellent return from CHP. London Fire Brigade – the world’s third largest fire fighting organisation – has put Dachs mini-CHP at the heart of the upgrade programme for 29 of its stations. Dachs mini-CHP SE Condensing kits – con- sisting of a CHP unit, a condenser and a buffer vessel – are working alongside wind turbines, and photovoltaic solar modules in a bid to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of these energy intensive facilities. Battersea Fire Station is an excellent exam- ple of the savings achievable. The system at Battersea generated 4,100 kW of ‘free’ electric- ity in just four months and, combined with the PV, is expected to reduce the station’s carbon dioxide emissions by 13 tonnes a year. However, it is equally important not to specify CHP for every type of situation, but to aim it where it is most appropriate. This is why the analysis carried out by organisa- tions like Dundee City Council is so valuable because its in-house engineering team is build- ing up extensive experience of the technology in different types of buildings with different usage patterns.
That will show where CHP can provide real value for money and where it does not work so well alternative solutions should be considered. The whole mix of our power sup- ply is about to go through a period of radical change and on-site microgeneration will play a vital role in plugging our looming energy gap.
David Shaw is business manager of Baxi SenerTec UK, which is part of Baxi Commercial Division
Sustainable Business | June 2011 | 33
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