Baxi gas boilers have been around since 1966 when they first introduced the Bermuda back fired gas boiler. However the history of this much respected brand goes all the way back to 1866, when its founder Richard Baxendale launched the company with Joseph Heald. Today it is one of the largest manufacturers of gas boilers in Europe.

Baxi offer a range of products and are especially famous for manufacturing compact and energy efficient units. One such example is the Baxi condensing boiler 100/2 HE Plus. This is a wall mounted open vented system, which is easy to install and integrates seamlessly into your home. This great value baxi boiler is A-rated and runs at about 90% efficiency, it costs about £800 – £900.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

Boiler manufacturer Baxi Group had added its substantial weight behind calls for a boiler scrappage scheme.

The Company’s CEO, Board of directors and many of its employees have signed the petition which is urging the Prime Minister to adopt a concept similar to the car scrappage scheme which has proved so successful for the automotive industry.

Mark Kelly, CEO of Baxi, said:
“There are approximately 16 million standard efficiency boilers operating in UK homes today. Of these, 4.2 million [according to HHIC] are SEDBUK band G boilers.

“Replacing these boilers with high efficiency boilers will help to reduce carbon emissions and annual fuel bills for homeowners. Any support that can be provided to accelerate the replacement of these older boilers would be of benefit to the homeowner and the wider economy.

“The construction industry has also been particularly badly hit in this recession and there have been many, many redundancies in manufacturing, distribution, builders and installation companies. This is a double whammy for the government as every redundancy could mean less tax collected and more benefits to pay out.

“This scheme would stimulate demand for gas boilers and help manufacturers, plumbers’ merchants and Gas Safe heating engineers. Millions of these old boilers could be replaced by modern boilers which are more than 90% efficient and, with proper controls on the system, annual savings of more than £200 could be saved on the household gas bill (according to the Energy Saving Trust).”

The brains behind the scheme is plumbers’ merchant Mick Williams, who has identified five main reasons why such an initiative should exist.
Firstly, the economic argument which states that for every household that changes from an old boiler, to a more efficient model, could be in line for savings of over £200 a year in energy bills.

Secondly, the environment argument, which states that replacing just some of the 4.5 million boilers that are less than 70% efficient, thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions can be saved every year.

Thirdly, and back to economics, the boiler scrappage scheme would support existing jobs for plumbers, builders and suppliers suffering from the recession, and create new green jobs and training places.

Fourthly, and still on economic arguments, British manufacturers would also benefit, since a high proportion of gas boilers are still made here in the UK.

Finally, an overall argument, is the boiler scrappage scheme would actually be far greener than its car equivalent, as building regulations say that by law, all new boilers fitted in homes have to be efficient condensing boilers (in other words, more efficient than the ones they replace).

Guest Article by Neil Camp

New revisions to Part L of the Building Regulations covering the conservation of fuel and power will come into force in October 2010.

For those of you unaware of the significance of Part L of the Building Regulation, this is the section whose authority extends to the type of boiler that should be fitted into a house.

Part L states that unless otherwise possible, it is the law that high-efficiency condensing boilers be installed. In other words, boilers with an efficiency rating of over 86% are now de rigeur. Out go all the old type of boilers which struggle to achieve a return of 50% to 70%, and in come condensing boilers.

And for those unaware of exactly what is a condensing boiler and why it is so efficient, then read on.

A condensing boiler is so efficient because it grabs heat from both the combustion process and exhaust gases. The downside is that they are more expensive to install (requiring an outside wall fitting and drainage system and more complicated fan assisted flue), but cost less to run. They must always be used, unless the installation of a condensing boiler is not practical, say in a cottage, or terrace house which has to have a back-boiler configuration.

The new changes, say boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch Group, start with gas-fired boiler efficiency. From October 2010, only SEDBUK ‘A’ rated boilers (over 90% efficient) will be allowed for all new and replacement installations. Currently, A and B (86% to 90%) SEDBUK levels are allowed.

SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) was developed under the Government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme with the co-operation of boiler manufacturers, and provides a basis for fair comparison of the energy performance of different boilers.

Other planned, but not finalised changes, focus on improving the level of efficiency of a home’s heating system in line with the Code for Sustainable Homes, which covers all new-build properties. And the Government has proposed two different options for calculating the statutory 25% increase in energy-efficiency: Option A (aggregate 25% approach) and Option B (flat 25% improvement).

Option A concerns the optimal building specifications for 2010 and are determined by equalising the Marginal Abatement Cost (the cost of eliminating an additional unit of pollution) across the component parts. This is then applied to an assumed new-build mix with the requisite 25% reduction delivered overall.

Thus, under the alternative aggregate approach for new homes, the 2010 targets are based on a common specification. The only exception being the heating system efficiency, which is varied if anything other than the conventional fossil fuels – oil and gas – are used.

However, there is a separate specification proposed for electric resistance heating. This electric resistance specification is intended to be temporary with the electric heating option eventually having the same fabric specification as other fuels and being based on a heat pump solution. This change would be progressive to allow the electrical heating industry some time to diversify into new product areas.

Option B is the Government’s preferred option. It is to take the 2002 notional building that meets energy-efficiency standards and to apply a larger improvement factor for new homes over the 2006 factor. The argument being that it is the simplest method and also generates the largest CO2 saving.

The Government is still seeking advice on the merits of both options.

Finally, it is worth noting that the Government are seeking views on whether to make compliance with Part L a requirement for all new conservatory installations.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

A petition has been started for the introduction of a boiler scrappage scheme.

Behind the petition is Mick Williams of Williams & Co plumbers’ merchants, who calls on the Government to introduce a boiler scrappage scheme in which consumers would receive a trade-in for their old boilers which can then be replaced by high efficiency boilers.

In drawing up his boiler scrappage scheme petition, Mr Williams quotes figures from the Energy Saving Trust, stating that:
“If everyone in the UK with gas central heating installed a high efficiency condensing boiler, we would save enough energy to heat 3.4 million homes for a whole year and save around 13 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide. The householder could also save around a third on their heating bills.”

Mr Williams contends that a boiler scrappage scheme would hopefully emulate the success of the car scrappage scheme, helping to stimulate growth in boiler manufacturing and related industries.

And it’s the super efficient combination boilers – more often known as combi boilers – that will benefit from such a scheme. They are around 96% efficient and very cost-effective. They are so efficient because they employ condensing technology, which effectively has two grabs at the heat generated by the fuel. The first from the combustion process, the second from the heat within the heat exhaust gases. Combi boilers are dual function (another cost saving), providing, on demand, both hot water for the taps and hot water for the central heating system. And because the water is heated on demand, there is no need for a hot water tank to store previously heated water. Although this might cause problems for larger properties (which have more than one bathroom for example), modern day combi boilers can be purchased which produce large quantities of hot water capable of sustaining most properties.

Carl Arntzen, Director, Worcester Bosch Boiler, is backing the petition because of the benefits to the industry as well as to the environment. He believes that it will both increase employment and help reach Government climate change targets.

The petition for the boiler scrappage scheme, which has already attracted over 300 signatures, can be found at: petitions.number10.gov.uk/boilerscrappage. The cut off date to join the petition is 21st July, 2010, so there’s plenty of time to add your weight.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

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