Commercial heating


The energy balance


Amid fears of an energy crisis and the prospect of future price shocks, what steps can businesses take to ensure that heat demand in their buildings is met more sustainably? Baxi Heating’s technical director, Andy Green, considers the options


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alancing volatile energy costs with concerns over energy security and tough climate goals is no mean feat at the best of times, but it’s


particularly challenging in the wake of a pandemic. However, even during an energy crisis, hitting the pause button on decarbonisation plans for heat in buildings can simply not be an option if we are to meet our national Net Zero emissions target. Equally importantly, taking steps to use energy more efficiently now will help protect business operation and profitability in the event of future price spikes. Let’s consider some of the options.


Mix of approaches


With no silver bullet for decarbonisation, using a combination of different technologies will provide the best approach to meet the needs of commercial buildings. The transition to low carbon heating sources will ultimately require a shift to heat pumps, smart electric water heating equipment, or hydrogen boilers, depending on the property type, age and profile. This mix of sources will also help overcome systemic constraints relating to the UK’s energy supply. In new commercial building stock, heat pumps will


achieve one of the lowest carbon footprints, and we are pleased to be adding commercial air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to our portfolio of heating and hot water solutions.


But new build is just the tip of the building stock


iceberg – it’s our existing and hard to treat commercial buildings that present the real challenge. It would be short sighted to ignore the current barriers to full decarbonisation of heat in these older, poorly insulated property types. But rather than allowing businesses to be paralysed into inertia, we should encourage them to take achievable strides towards the end goal that will simultaneously help protect their bottom line. A phased approach to refurbishment will enable them to plan and budget ahead while ending unnecessary energy waste and needlessly high energy bills.


Energy efficiency


So where to start? The first step should be to reduce heat demand. Energy efficiency is the most cost- effective resource available to meet our energy needs. Taking a ‘fabric first’ approach to improve the thermal efficiency of poorly insulated buildings will reduce heat losses and result in lower energy demand and costs. Where budgets are tight, the next stage might be to identify any achievable opportunities for efficiency gains – the ‘low hanging fruit’, in other words. Boiler replacement is one such example. With low capital expenditure and rapid payback, boiler upgrades are important quick wins for reduced energy usage and costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions.


www.heatingandventilating.net 20% H2 certified, 20% more efficient


While there are plans to repurpose the gas grid to transport green gas, condensing boilers remain a future proof solution for the next decade or so. The UK Government has reaffirmed its commitments for clean hydrogen deployment at scale in its national hydrogen strategy. The first stage of the energy transition will likely be to introduce a blend of up to 20% hydrogen into the natural gas mix, which could save six million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year nationally – equivalent to taking 2.5 million combustion engine cars off the road. As it’s unlikely that large scale 100% hydrogen


deployment will roll out much before 2030 – and this will vary from region to region – carrying out boiler replacements now will deliver significant savings faster with minimal disruption. Modern commercial boilers like our ultra-low NOx


Remeha Ace range (pictured above) are certified to operate on a 20% hydrogen blend, in addition to being around 20% more efficient than non-condensing models. They are also the perfect heat source for heat interface units, low temperature heating and hybrid systems. As such, they offer businesses a flexible and future proof installation solution that will help make considerable progress towards environmental goals while improving outcomes for building occupants.


Hybrid solutions


Budget permitting, the next natural progression for businesses would be to integrate high efficiency condensing boilers and low carbon heat pumps in a hybrid system. We see hybrid systems as playing a significant role in decarbonisation of heat as they offer an effective solution to the complexities currently associated with retrofit projects. While a fully served ASHP building will achieve a


lower carbon footprint, a hybrid system combining a small electric ASHP with gas boost from a boiler will overcome the limitations of physical space, available electrical power and/or capital expenditure budget. Meeting the heat demand through more than one energy source will also provide businesses with greater flexibility in energy management and increased energy security.


The drive to lower carbon heat


Boilers with a high tempererature differential and wide operating range are the perfect heat source for HIUs, low temperature heating and hybrid systems, making them a flexible and future proof solution


Solving future heating and hot water problems today is a huge challenge that is currently exacerbated by energy concerns. As manufacturers, our role is to provide the right choices at the right time using the right solutions and technologies, backed with expert product knowledge and technical support. With our legacy in heating and an expanding


and continuously evolving product portfolio that reflects our pledge to lead the phase out of carbon- intensive heating, we are perfectly placed to support consultants, contractors and end users. Together we can help businesses make progress towards full decarbonisation with heating solutions that are simultaneously resilient, affordable and environmentally sustainable.


14 November 2021


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