BOILERS & HOT WATER


COP28 controversy sets context for water heating upgrades


T


The contribution that upgraded commercial water heating systems can make to the wider climate change goals addressed at the recent COP28 Conference should not be underestimated, according to Lochinvar’s Steve Addis, product manager at Lochinvar


here was a lot of controversy around the COP28 Conference in Dubai – not least the allegation that oil and gas deals were being negotiated in ‘darkened rooms’ while the main (and potentially conflicting) business of trying to get countries back on track to “Keep 1.5 alive” was in the spotlight. While the final agreement was generally


regarded as a bit of an anti-climax, the 800 business leaders and climate scientists who sent an open letter to the COP28 Presidency provided some inspiration. They urged world leaders to focus on global policies that would put us back on track to achieve the target of the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep global warming to below 1.5DegC.


Their letter pointed out that many major industries already had multiple solutions but needed far more business support to roll them out effectively. The signatories said the “climate emergency is biting harder than ever” but that getting 1.5C back on track presented a major opportunity for business growth and could address many of the planet’s social ills. There was a lot of big picture stuff at the conference but also clear implications for those of us working at the ‘coalface’ of the built environment and, specifically, for addressing the performance of energy consuming building services like commercial hot water systems. For example, one report unveiled during the conference claimed that if the world’s heating and cooling industries made better use of their existing technical solutions, they could quickly cut carbon emissions from buildings by 60% – and reach at least 96% by 2050.


Quality of life


The Global Cooling Watch report ‘Keeping it Chill: How to meet cooling demands while cutting emissions’, was published by the Cool Coalition – an initiative led by the UN Environment Programme. It concluded that that greater use of ‘passive’ systems allied to higher energy efficiency standards would also improve the quality of life for millions of people by giving them better performing buildings and lower fuel bills.


In the UK, since insulation levels and control systems have improved the generation of hot water has become responsible for a more significant proportion of the overall emissions produced by buildings. Our systems have been transitioning to renewable and condensing solutions for some time to address this, but to ensure we can reach wider and deeper to achieve change we must remain flexible. We are moving away from gas and from non- condensing technologies – but there is still a significant transition period to go through with hundreds of thousands of replacement projects taking place in existing buildings over the coming years. So, we need to be flexible and innovative in the way we use all the possible alternatives available to us.


Clearly, condensing technology will dominate the transition and changes to Part L of the Building Regulations that came into force in 2022 stipulated that the minimum heat generator seasonal efficiency for direct gas- fired water heaters must be 91% for natural gas and 92% for LPG. That essentially rules out non- condensing equipment. However, exceptions can be made if switching to fully condensing is very difficult and/or overly expensive, although each one must be approved by local building control. One of the main difficulties in upgrading to a fully condensing water heater solution, for example, is that in many cases, a completely new flue installation may be required, which


16 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JANUARY 2024


can add significant cost. It could also mean no hot water for an extended period, which for owners and managers of high demand buildings like care homes, hotels, and leisure centres, is an extremely serious prospect. Replacing a water heater is often a distress


purchase and the primary concern for the end user is to get the building’s hot water supply up and running as quickly and reliably as possible. This means they are often looking for a like-for- like replacement and a technology they trust – not necessarily an immediate step up to the newest or most advanced solution. However, this does not mean they cannot achieve significant energy efficiency and carbon saving improvements. A permitted like for like replacement does not mean simply achieving the same level of performance. It is perfectly possible to meet Part L (and the Paris Agreement for that matter) by taking a flexible approach.


For example, Lochinvar’s range of standard gas-fired commercial water heaters are designed on the principles of low storage and fast recovery to offer maximum efficiency with minimum footprint. They can be used as a like- for-like replacement but still provide a huge uplift in performance over what was previously in place.


Popularity


End users can also meet the regulations, their wider climate change responsibilities, and enjoy much lower running costs by opting for an integrated or hybrid systems in which conventional and renewable systems are combined. For example, heat pumps have seen a surge in popularity, and more are now going into commercial settings, but most, if not all, are installed with back-up from immersion heaters to ensure they are able to deliver hot


water in the coldest conditions and when demand is high. This approach is not always practical in commercial buildings where hot water demand is much higher and water is usually required to be stored at 65degC. So, as a result, specifiers often revert to the tried and tested methods of providing heating and hot water by using traditional gas-fired methods. However, they could use heat pumps or solar


thermal technologies, but integrate them with the gas-fired systems, which will provide back-up for times of highest demand. This reduces running costs and extends the life of the equipment.


This type of integrated or hybrid solution is a good way to keep initial capital outlay relatively low – when compared with renewable-only solutions – and means some end clients, who might previously have considered renewables to be beyond their budget, can afford a renewable element. This may also help them satisfy planning requirements and meet their corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations. We should also make wider use of multi-valent systems where energy is gathered from several separate sources including solar thermal, heat pumps, and condensing gas-fired boilers and/or water heaters.


The drive for ever better efficiency still gives the industry room for manoeuvre and the opportunity to be innovative in the way it designs systems. Legislation is not entirely prescriptive, and the door remains open for some non-condensing water heating solutions for a while longer to help users transition to better long-term solutions. We will still be able to continue encouraging customers to look to the longer term and gradually adopt higher efficiency condensing or renewable alternatives, but without disrupting their day-to-day operations in the meantime, while the battle goes on to ‘keep 1.5 alive’.


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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