A group of elderly residents in Theale, near Reading, are coping with fuel poverty by generating their own electricity at their sheltered housing scheme.

Residents of the James Butcher Housing Association (JBHA) have had new, highly efficient boilers installed, together with a combined heat and power unit (CHP). The new boilers are similar to large car engines and constantly produce 15 kilo watts of electricity and 30 kilo watts of heat. Combined with a new CHP, they distribute electricity and heat to all the residents.

The JBHA team behind the installations say that the investments in the new boilers and CHP system has proved to be very successful. The system performs more efficiently at lower maintenance costs and they are able to generate their own electricity, passing on all the savings to residents.

They claim that carbon dioxide emissions will fall by 25% with the new system and that the total amount of gas used will drop by just over 5%. Support was provided by a major energy supplier and local contractors.

JBHA intend to roll out similar schemes, including those making use of solar panels together with CHP, over other of their developments. They have also received many enquiries from other housing schemes, who see the concept as a way of helping their residents beat the poverty fuel trap.

CHP systems are designed to generate heat and electricity from localised sources – such as small community power stations – and distribute the heat and power, via a pipe system, to local residents and businesses. They are becoming more and more popular as a way of reducing carbon emissions and making the generation of power more efficient. They are already very popular in many Scandinavian countries.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

For those with an older style boiler which does not have an in-built modulating control, it may be worth getting one installed.

In fact, say the manufacturers of such controls, they reckon it could save between 10% and 20% on an average energy bill.

A modulating control is basically a sensor that picks-up the level of warmth in a room and acts to vary the hot-water cylinder temperature. This is vital, because the overheating of water is not only expensive, wasteful and harmful in terms of increased emissions, but also means that the gas is burnt in a far more efficient manner putting les stress on the boiler.

It works by keeping the boiler in condensing mode for longer, producing less heat, as the room gets to the desired temperature.

Installation is not a DIY job, but most companies that supply modulating controls will also provide an installation service.

For an extra few bob, you can also get a sensor for outside the house which calculates, given the temperature, how much heat will be needed inside.

Don’t expect much change from £200 for buying and fitting such a control to a standard boiler, and £150 for a combination boiler. If you want the outside feature, then you will need to part with another £40.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Two key environmental agencies have been taken to task for not appreciating the damage done by hard water.

Lime scale is a major factor in increased energy consumption says the Environmental Treatment Concepts (ETC), which is a member of three pivotal organisations: Green Building Council, British Water and the Environmental Industries Commission.

The ETC has pointed an accusatory finger at The Energy Savings Trust and The Carbon Trust for not recognising the negative impact of lime scale.

Although, says the ETC, The Carbon Trust does acknowledge that 1mm of lime scale will cause a near 10% increase in energy consumption as regards low temperature hot water boilers. But ETC say that there is no real guidance on both the agencies’ websites as to how to cope with the problem.

ETC claims that the agencies’ solution is to allow lime scale to develop and then use chemical agents to remove it. This they state is the wrong approach and they highlight the modern, non-chemical ways that lime scale can be prevented from forming in the first place.

They also say that the chemical de-scaling process can lead to the premature failure of sanitary-ware, water-fed equipment and appliances.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Residential landlords are confused as to whether they can apply for a tax allowance should they wish to replace old boilers in their rental properties.

A number of professional bodies are voicing criticism over the current tax laws which they say are confusing. It comes down to whether all the costs (direct and related) of a boiler replacement in a residential property can be claimed as part of the ten per cent tax deduction which is allowed for improvements made to a rental property. The Revenue, claim the professional bodies, are not making matters clear and this is only having an adverse effect on landlords replacing new boilers for old.

New condensing boilers can be up to 40% more efficient than old boilers and, say the experts, if the landlords of private homes were encouraged to replace more through advantageous tax concessions, then it would greatly benefit the environment.

And what’s more, it might help curb a growing trend for landlords, in these harder economic times, to try and repair their old boilers themselves in order to put back their eventual replacement. A report from the Gas Safe Register concluded that landlords making DIY boiler repairs were on the increase and were putting tenants at risk. Landlords should be well aware, say the authorities, that only CORGI registered engineers are allowed, by law, to work on boilers, in order to try and reduce the number of deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning every year.

So, say the experts, good visible tax benefits will have the dual effect of helping the environment and tenant safety.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

All central heating systems that are pressurised systems will need to be repressurised at some point so that they continue to work as efficiently as possible. This generally requires manually topping up the amount of water within the system and although this sounds like a daunting task, anyone can do it as long as they have a good set of instructions and the handbook to their boiler.

Why does this have to be done?
Everyone knows that heating water over and over makes some of it evaporate and this is exactly what happens in your central heating system. Every time you turn your boiler on and heat the water in the system, a small amount of it evaporates and eventually the water pressure begins to fall. If left, the pressure can fall so far that your boiler will stop working and so you need to repressurise the system as soon as you notice a fall. There are other reasons for a fall in pressure, such as leaks in the system, but these will require the help of a professional and shouldn’t be tackled alone.

How do you know your system needs repressurising?
All boilers that are part of a pressurised system will have a very obvious and easy to read pressure gauge which monitors the water pressure within the heating system. This gauge needs to be checked on a monthly basis to see that the pressure is within the recommended levels – these will be noted in the boiler’s handbook. If the pressure has dropped then it’s time to repressurise.

How do you repressurise a boiler system?
Firstly you need to locate your filling loop. This will be located close to the boiler and looks like a stop tap with one end attached to the cold water mains pipe and the other end attached to the central heating system pipe work. Occasionally, the filling loop may not be permanently attached to the heating system and so you will need to attach it first before turning the tap! In some cases the filling loop may be integrated within the boiler itself and you will need the boiler handbook for further instructions.

Once the filling loop is attached to the system you can open the tap but it is best to do this slowly as you don’t want to flood the system. When the tap is opened, cold water is injected into the central heating system and the pressure gauge on the boiler should begin to rise. Make sure you or someone else can see the gauge as you don’t want to over pressurise. If you do slightly over pressurise the system the safety valve will kick in an release the excess pressure but this only works to a certain degree so keep a close eye on the gauge.

When this is done you simply disconnect from the system if need be and check the gauge over the next couple of days to see there are no problems. Most systems only need repressurising every three or four months and then it isn’t by much however it might be worth checking a bit more frequently over the winter months when the boiler is on much more often.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock