One of Europe’s largest heating technology manufacturers has just celebrated the production of its one millionth high efficiency condensing boiler. The milestone of 1,000,000 Vaillant ecoTEC plus was reached at the company’s factory in Belper, Derbyshire.

And the one millionth boiler to be produced for the UK market was a Vaillant ecoTEC plus 831 high efficiency combination boiler. This model had recently picked up the accolade of ‘Best Buy’ from the consumer magazine Which? Read our Vaillant boiler page for more information.

To celebrate this impressive manufacturing achievement, Vaillant is giving away £1000 worth of holiday vouchers to the householder who actually gets the one millionth boiler, shared equally with the installer.

The lucky winners will be identified once the owner of the Valliant ecoTEC plus 831 boiler registers the guarantee either by phone, internet, or by post.

Jim Moore, Regional Director of Vaillant Group UK and Northern Europe Jim Moore said:
“It is extremely pleasing to know that as we sell our one millionth Vaillant ecoTEC boiler in the UK, many thousands of householders are enjoying savings of over a third on their heating bills, whilst significantly reducing their carbon footprint. This is certainly an achievement worth celebrating. Vaillant’s credentials have been further supported by the recent Which? consumer survey where, in addition to receiving Best Buy status for our ecoTEC plus 831 and 824 models, consumers also gave us the highest scores for both product reliability and overall customer satisfaction.”

Vaillant Group’s Plant Director Marc Döerpinghaus said:
“Everyone is joining in the celebration. This is a significant milestone for our dedicated production team at Belper, many of whom have been here since the first ecoTEC boiler made its debut, so their efforts have contributed to this excellent achievement from start to finish. The Belper factory has also been acclaimed for its efficiency and innovation within manufacturing circles and recently won both the ‘Best Engineering Plant Award’ and the ‘Energy & Environment Award’ in the Best Factory Awards 2010. Vaillant has long been at the forefront of heating technology development, thanks to a commitment to on-going investment, including £1million investment in air testing of every appliance as part of its stringent quality control process. It has also instigated innovative one-piece flow lines, and adopted ‘poka yoke’ principles which deploy a barcode system that only allows an operator to progress to the next stage of production once the previous operations have been fully completed.”

The two accolades from the Best Factory Awards 2010 are supported by the famous Cranfield School of Management. The factory of the Vaillant Group UK produces over 400,000 high efficiency boilers every year.

And the lucky winner of the £1,000 in holiday vouchers for choosing the one millionth vaillant ecotec plus will no doubt be shortly revealed.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

The Chester and District Housing Trust is trialling Baxi back boilers in a scheme which sees it updating its housing stock to meet the Decent Homes standards. Part of the ambition is to try and combat fuel poverty for the house holders.

The Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is one of the few true high efficiency boilers on the market at the moment. Their back boilers are designed to offer all the benefits of a modern boiler, together with all the advantages of a traditional back boiler.

The Chester and District Housing Trust has over 1,000 of its properties fitted with standard efficiency back boiler units. The challenge was to select and install an affordable alternative.

Hamish Laird, The Chester and District Housing Trust M&E Surveyor, said:
“Back boiler units cleverly fit into a property’s existing fireplace. However, when it comes to replacing a standard efficiency BBU siting a boiler alternative elsewhere can prove difficult, especially in small homes.”

The first property to get an installed Baxi Bermuda BBU HE was a 1950s bungalow in Melrose Avenue, Chester. It was chosen because being a one-bedroomed property, it had very limited wall space and would be a challenging site for a traditional condensing boiler.

The contractor to install the boiler was PH Jones, a national property maintenance company and Chris Jones, Social Housing Refurbishment Director at PH Jones, said:
“The installation of the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE went very smoothly. We connected the unit to the existing pipe-work, renewed all radiators and incorporated an expansion vessel to upgrade to a pressurised system with Y plan control and a new hot water cylinder, working closely with the XDHT to minimise disruption to the tenant.”

Mr Laird went onto say:
“The Baxi Bermuda BBU HE offered Melrose Avenue a high efficiency solution as a direct replacement to its existing BBU, without needing to re-site the boiler. The tenant living in the property has found the BBU unit easy to use and should now benefit from significant fuel savings.”

Hi-efficiency Baxi back boilers have become more popular when consumers bear in mind that since 2003, there has been a whopping 114% rise in gas prices. This has brought a new priority to throwing out old, inefficient boilers, and installing new ones. When compared to an old Band G boiler, says the Energy Saving trust, a Band A boiler will use a third less fuel in providing the same amount of heat.

Baxi reckons that there are around two million old back boilers still being used today and designed the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE, which is Band A rated and has an output of 15kW, as a suitable replacement.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

The MP for Leeds Central who’s also the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, has been shown the new Baxi Bioflo Biomass boiler.

Mr Benn was opening one of first new generation Plumb Center branches and was given a demonstration of the new Baxi Bioflo Biomass boiler. The Plumb Center has renewable technology displays, training facilities, showrooms, and a catalogue of water efficient products on display.

With the successful refurbishment of this first branch located in the centre of Leeds, there will be much hope for the other similar upgrades planned right across the country throughout the rest of the year. With the Plum Center including training facilities, it is hoped that these new branches will be at the forefront of providing training in the industry to customers and staff alike.

This idea is one of many that Plumb Center have brought to fruition, starting back in 2008 when they made their first dedication to the renewable energy and solutions cause. In April 2008, Plumb Center backed its parent company Wolseley PLC in the opening of a show space for sustainable building products. Architects, installers and landlords could see close-up the new ideas and innovative technologies in the field of renewable solutions. The Sustainable Building Center in Leamington Spa demonstrated to many the first available micro-CHP appliance (the Baxi Ecogen), and has been visited by more than 10,000 people since it’s opening.

As for the new opening, Plumb Center are proud of their new pledge to sustainable solutions as Keith Jones, MD Plum Center, explains: "We are delighted to officially open this flagship branch which incorporates so many of the technologies, products and facilities that our customers want to see. What better way to show customers the benefits of new and sustainable technologies such as biomass than by having them as working displays in the branch actually providing space and water heating for the building."

Mr Benn appeared inspired by the opening, and will take the ideas on board as the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: “Seeing is believing. Green technologies and water saving innovations are crucial to our future, and I applaud Plumb Center for taking this lead in encouraging both the industry and the public to see for themselves how these innovations really can work. Of course, from a local point of view, I’m very pleased that this is happening in my own constituency as I believe this will be a huge benefit to local installers and their customers."

With working displays such as the Baxi Bioflo biomass boiler within the Plumb Center, it is hoped that the funding for and proliferation of renewable and energy saving technologies will only continue to increase.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

Has the dreaded time arrived when you need to look at gas boiler prices and you want to know how much it is going to cost? It is not an every-year occurrence so since the last time you ventured out, they may have changed. You may also need to know the difference between each one as there are so many to choose from.

How they work 

With the Government scrappage scheme in full flow, there has never been a better time to buy a new gas boiler. But as with everything, you have to know how to apply.

And British Gas is offering one of the best deals around at the moment, as they not only match the Government’s £400 grant, but add a further £400 (under their own boiler scrappage discount), then throw-in free radiator controls worth £248 and what’s more, offer a year’s free HomeCare 200 which is worth £204. In all, that’s a massive saving of £1,252.

So, if you want the chance of saving £1,252, then ring British Gas now on 0845 074 5994 for your free, no obligation consultation with one of their experienced heating advisors. They will talk you through the options open to you and provide a no obligation quote. The line is open seven days a week from 7am to 9pm.

But, remember this: the Government scheme is on a first come, first served basis, so don’t hang around if you want to save yourself upwards of £1,252. Act now and save yourself some money.

As to how it all works, there are a few things you need to know.

Firstly, you have to live in England.

Secondly, bear in mind that the boiler scrappage scheme is based on replacing less efficient boilers with more efficient boilers. This not only saves you money – it could be as much as £300 a year alone on heating bills – but it also helps save the environment. More efficient boilers means less energy needed in the first place and that means fewer emissions into the environment. In short, it’s a win-win situation for you and the Government.

Most people in the UK still run a less efficient boiler than is available on the market today. So this is the starting point.

And most boilers have for some time been rated under the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK scheme, which thankfully gets abbreviated to SEDBUK. And the good people at SEDBUK have tested virtually all the boilers on sale, or in use, within an average property and rated them accordingly. The top rated A boilers are the most efficient and if you buy a new boiler, it has to be rated A. It means that they are way above 90% efficient and the A SEDBUK rating is the future benchmark for all future boiler installations.

So, thirdly, check the rating on your boiler. If it’s a G-rated appliance, or indeed an X-rated appliance, then you likely have a boiler which is less than 70% efficient. You can begin the process of applying for the boiler scrappage government grant. By the way, the X might have instead the words ‘Efficiency Estimated’, but either way, be assured that it’s not going to be an efficient model.

And, if you can’t find the rating, or you are just a bit unsure, you can still give British Gas a call, because although they do have a very good boiler scrappage offer, they also have great offers on other boiler installations.

Okay, you live in England and your boiler is tainted with the mark G, X, or has the words Efficiency Estimated printed across it.

The next step is to get a recognised heating engineer to give you a quote. British Gas has some of the best engineers out there, but, as always, do not let anyone touch your boiler without their being currently registered on the Gas Safe Register. Only those on the latest register are allowed, by law, to carry out work on gas appliances. But also note that not every engineer is allowed to work on all types of gas appliances, some will only have permission for certain types, so you have to be careful.

The best way to ensure you get the right engineer is go onto the official Gas Safe Register site and physically check out the engineer. This isn’t as ‘Cold War’ as it sounds. When an engineer visits, they should show you their photographic ID card which includes their ID number, their mug shot (check it’s the person holding the card), the name of their business and what gas work they are allowed to carry out. Make a note of the ID number and at a convenient moment, visit the website and load the ID number into their checking facility. It will then quickly give you an answer.

This all might sound ridiculously bureaucratic, but unfortunately, there are quite a few people who die every year through carbon monoxide poisoning, often through faulty workmanship, so just don’t take the risk.

And if you haven’t got access to the internet, telephone +44 (0)800 408 5500 for the same help and advice.

Okay, you’ve checked out your engineer and he’s got a current and valid Gas Safe Register listing. Get him to give you a quote for a new boiler as without a quote, you can’t then contact the Energy Savings Trust who administer the boiler scrappage scheme. Get hold of them via their website, Energy Savings Trust, or telephone 0800 512 012.

They check that you are qualified to benefit from the scheme and if everything is okay, they issue you with a voucher worth £400 which is redeemable from them once you get an invoice for the completed work from your engineer.

So that’s it then and okay, you might have to jump through a few hoops, but the Government are giving you £400 towards a new boiler and what’s more, choose someone like British Gas to install a new boiler for you, and you could save a whopping £1,252.

Just remember, check the efficiency rating of your boiler (if it’s G, or below), get a quote from a properly registered engineer, give that to the Energy Savings Trust, get a voucher and redeem it once you have an invoice for a finished boiler installation. Right, there’ll be a test later!

Guest Article by Neil Camp