[ Spotlight: Heating and ventilation ]
Switching to LED lighting significantly reduced energy consumption at Manchester University
policing and obviously those contractors who always fully comply can be at a competitive disadvantage compared to those who do not.’
Initiative test Responsible for 17 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, the nation’s 1.8 million non-domestic buildings are at the very heart of meeting the UK’s carbon reduction targets, and in November 2011 the £860m non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was launched to make it more financially attractive to install a low carbon heating system.
Although the scheme has been broadly welcomed, since its launch only a relatively small number of projects have successfully gone through the process. Bill Wright of the ECA says: ‘There have only been around 200 successful applications, which is disappointing. This could be due to the complexity of the application process and difficulty in understanding the metering requirements.’ Plans to launch the domestic RHI, however, have been
put on the back burner. Originally due to be introduced this autumn, the earliest suggested date for implementation is now 2014, with some even hinting that it is unlikely to happen at all. Another boost to the sector will come in the form of the much-discussed Green Deal, which is set to be phased in from October and will enable unsecured loans to be taken out on buildings to improve their energy efficiency. For contractors, this represents a real revenue generating
opportunity, and Steve Bratt, ECA group chief executive officer, states: ‘The Green Deal will create more work for contractors, especially if there is a focus on active energy saving measures.’ However, the scheme faces a challenge in convincing
(Left) The Dimplex Quantum Energy System is an ultra efficient ‘smart’ space and water heating energy management system (Right) The Megaflo eco solar unvented hot water heater is an efficient alternative to conventional water heating systems, as part of a solar thermal system
sceptical homeowners to invest in green technologies, and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has called on the government to give the scheme a boost. Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the FMB, explains: ‘Householders will need to be convinced of the value of retrofitting their home, particularly when the price is having a new charge attached to their electricity bill.’ Alister Maclachlan, product director at Vokèra is cautiously optimistic and says: ‘It is a good initiative, but a lot depends on which companies or organisations are going to provide the funding, when the funds will be available and how attractive the scheme actually is to property owners.’ Two areas that are likely to be early adopters are social housing and the rental sector, and Jon Cockburn, head of marketing at Heatrae Sadia, says: ‘I think it will be particularly well received by landlords, and will give a boost to the products that are included in the scheme.’
We are set to see radical
changes in how temperature and air quality is controlled
Heat of the moment The key technologies that will be installed as part of the RHI are heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal panels, with the latter expected to be the most popular. Similar in appearance to solar PV panels, solar thermal systems are situated on roofs to provide a property with hot water, by using the sun’s rays to heat water flowing through pipes on the panel. This is then passed through a coil in the hot water cylinder or heat store, where it heats the hot water supply.
Solar water heating can provide as much as 60 per cent of a building’s annual hot water demand. Electric heating manufacturers have seen the potential in producing these systems, and Heatrae Sadia’s Megaflo eco and Electromax have solar thermal options. Likewise, Dimplex offers ‘solar
September 2012 ECA Today 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72