Buderus BULLETIN Buderus BULLETIN

SUMMER 2011

Buderus BULLETIN

Buderus BULLETIN

For M&E contractors, consultants & specifiers

Contact us... Commercial Technical Managers Paul Flanagan Northern - Commercial

07790 489855

Mike Cubrilo Northern - Industrial

07794 685245

Andrew Rowlands Midlands

07790 489676

Siôn Pearce South Central

07790 489713

Ian Roberts N London & East Anglia

07790 489699

Phil Divall S London & Home Counties

07790 489792

Derek Hunter Wales & West/Scotland

07790 489977

Mike Southall Director of Business Development 07790 489938 CUSTOMER SERVICE

0844 892 9700

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

0870 421 5944

TRAINING

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Buderus, Cotswold Way, Warndon, Worcester WR4 9SW Telephone: 0844 892 3004 Fax: 01905 753130 www.buderus.co.uk [email protected] Printed using environmentally-friendly paper

Clarity on RHI Welcomed Mike Southall talks about the Renewable Heat Incentive Introduced to increase the uptake of renewable heat systems, the countdown is now on to June 2011 when the Renewable Heat Incentive is finally introduced. The government’s announcement of the proposals for the scheme in March was welcomed by many industry bodies having finally put an end to the uncertainty surrounding the proposals.

private sector, will struggle this year and possibly next, to provide the required reductions. The introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment last year certainly focused the industry on the need for carbon reduction with the benefit of reduced energy costs, but little was available to assist it in taking the required action.

The announcement shows that, at last, the government has realised the benefits of supporting the industry, both in the commercial and industrial sectors; and efforts to significantly reduce carbon emissions will be further assisted by this latest act. There has been a lot of adverse comment about the number of different technologies that have not been included but I see no reason to criticise the government’s efforts.

The latest news therefore, will be as welcome to the industry as it is to us even in its limited scope. The launch of our range of Commercial CHP and Gas Absorption Heat Pumps compliments its solar thermal and Biomass (through our commercial partner, Econergy) offerings. These, added to its existing product range of highly efficient condensing appliances, enhance our broad package of renewable and fuel efficient technologies for a rapidly developing marketplace.

In making this announcement, the government has adopted a pragmatic approach, understanding that under current financial constraints, households, and in particular, the

To stay up-to-date with the latest developments regarding the RHI, and for more information on eligibility and tariff levels, visit www.rhiincentive.co.uk

Skill Up With Cash Back There has never been a better time for installers to make the changeover from domestic to commercial installations, and we are now running a handson training course which gives installers the opportunity to re-coup the costs of their training. The five day course consists of three days training and two days assessment. This is not only based around the changeover from domestic natural gas to commercial natural gas, but also covers commissioning, servicing, repair and breakdown of commercial boilers. On successful completion of the training, each installer will be given two vouchers, each worth £340 which amounts to 50% of the course fee. Installers can claim their cash back by simply purchasing a GB162, GB312 or GB402 boiler, completing their

claim form and returning it with a copy of the invoice as proof of each boiler purchase. Phil Bunce, our Training Manager said: “As installers look to broaden their skill sets, many are turning their attention to the commercial sector, and we are urging installers to recognise that branching out into a new area does not need to come at a significant cost to them. We want to encourage as many installers as possible to take that step into the commercial market; and we believe that the opportunity to take advantage of first class training with a superb cash-back offer will make a huge difference to those who are thinking about diversifying.” Installers wishing to confirm their place – and cash in on this great offer – should call Buderus Training on 0844 892 3004 or visit www.buderus.co.uk.

For M&E contractors, consultants & specifiers

Promise for the commercial sector Welcome to the latest edition of the Buderus Bulletin. This first edition of 2011 follows the update from the Government on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) – a scheme which has the potential to revolutionise the take-up of renewable technologies in the UK. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the RHI survived last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review the government has built on this by recognising the commercial and industrial sectors. Whilst we are now in the interim period before the RHI is called to action, we at Buderus we remain focused on the future and there is little doubt that exciting times are ahead. We started the year with the celebration of a key milestone – the first Biomass and boiler installation as a result of the Econergy alliance – and now, more than ever, it is vital to remain innovative and forward thinking so we are able to swiftly adapt to changing economic and environmental conditions. So here’s to another successful year, to excelling at what we do best, and to meeting head-on the challenges that are faced by the industry in these times of great change. Mike Southall, Director of Business Development

In this issue: CASE STUDIES n Birchen Coppice School n Bishop’s Blue Coat High School

www.buderus.co.uk Intelligent Heating Solutions

CASE STUDY: GB162 80kW X 3 & 100kW biomass boiler

BUDERUS GOES BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIOMASS ALLIANCE Birchen Coppice School, Kidderminster The first project has been completed as a result of Buderus’ alliance with leading supplier of biomass heating solutions Econergy. Marking a major milestone for both companies, a KWB USV Multifire 100kW wood chip boiler and a cascade of three GB162 80 KW boilers has been installed at Birchen Coppice Middle School on Woodbury Road in Kidderminster. Installed and commissioned for Worcester County Council, the biomass boiler will provide a base load for the building. The boiler was selected due to footprint requirements and its high degree of automation. Wood chip for the system will be supplied by Midlands Wood Fuel. Condensing boilers have been integrated into

Intelligent Heating Solutions

the system to act as a back-up, with the GB162 range able to automatically modulate the output down to less than 20kW to match the demand for heat. This reduces fuel consumption and improves overall seasonal efficiency. Mike Southall said: “As the first installation since the alliance with Econergy, this is an incredibly important project for Buderus. The combined expertise of both businesses coupled with the close integration of the teams has ensured the client benefits from a seamless service defined by a commitment to quality, and we will now continue to build on the success of this inaugural project.”

Carbon Reduction Commitment Explained

CASE STUDY:

BISHOP’S BLUE COAT HIGH SCHOOL We visit Bishop’s Blue Coat High School in Chester and look at how its new heating system has minimised fuel costs and maximised carbon savings. Project Background Bishops’ Blue Coat High School in Chester has been running two free-standing oil-fired boilers since it first opened in 1984. Aside from not being able to offer the same efficiency potential as a modern heating system, the two 730kW boilers had become expensive to run and posed a health and safety risk due to the amount of stored oil.

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) is still an incentive, according to Director of Business Development, Mike Southall The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) officially came into force on 1st April 2010; however October’s Comprehensive Spending Review saw the CRC turned into a carbon tax rather than a redistribution scheme, leading to it being dubbed by many as a ‘stealth tax’. With the Government currently going through a consultation process aimed at simplifying the CRC, Mike Southall, explains how it is important to get to grips with the CRC and that this is a key initiative with the potential to become a help rather than a hindrance.

After a complete review of the school’s energy usage, a decision was taken to significantly reduce the school’s carbon footprint and overall heating efficiency by installing a cascaded Buderus heating system. Versatility and adaptability The school’s existing boilers have been replaced with a highly efficient 1MW system, which comprises of ten Buderus GB162 100kW condensing boilers and a Logamatic 4121 BMS control system. Paul Flanagan, commercial sales manager for Buderus outlined the benefits of the new system. He said: “The advantages of the new system over the existing boilers are hugely significant, both from an efficiency and an engineering point of view. Buderus’ patented heat exchanger works alongside a low loss header to raise the temperature of the output as efficiently as possible - each boiler operates at over 90% efficiency. “We also wanted to make the new system as

versatile and adaptable as possible for the school. In terms of modulation, the previous system was only able to heat the entire school or nothing at all, which made things difficult with the number of extracurricular activities on offer. We installed a set of basic zone valves as part of the new system, which means that the heating can be adapted depending on which part(s) of the school need to be heated at a given time. “Whilst the potential output of the new system

is 1MW, the Logamatic 4121 control system sequences the boilers to spread the required load at a given time. From a servicing point of view, this benefits the school as each boiler has the same extended lifespan. The lowest modulation of the system is 19kW, which is the minimum output of a single boiler. The output ranges up to the maximum 1MW output, when every boiler is working to its maximum potential, simultaneously. Energy efficiency and cost savings Andrew Ross, building manager at the school explained how the new system is already having a positive impact. He said: “We had no doubt that the 26 year old boiler system was having a negative impact on our carbon footprint and knew that improved efficiency needed to be a priority if we were to reduce our carbon footprint and make significant savings on fuel costs. We’d also had a number of service issues with the old boiler as repairs and access to spare parts had become extremely complicated. By monitoring the school’s energy usage closely following the installation of the new system, we’ve been able to see huge cost savings in a very short space of time, despite experiencing the coldest winter for some 20 years. Our early figures show that despite a wholesale changeover from oil to gas, gas consumption has only increased by 25%. Considering the total load of the gas supply has increased by over 140%, the comparative savings in terms of the cost of fuel are massive.”

The CRC is a new regulatory incentive to improve energy efficiency in large public and private sector organisation. The intention is that as well as reducing UK carbon emissions, the scheme will also help organisations save money by reducing their energy bills. Although it was altered somewhat in the Comprehensive Spending Review; however the scheme remains mandatory and it is an important step for the Government to meet its target of an 80% reduction of carbon emissions by 2050, compared to the 1990 baseline. Qualification criteria for the CRC are based on how much electricity organisations were supplied in 2008. All organisations that had at least one half hourly meter (HHM) settled on the half hourly market in 2008 will be required to take action under the CRC. Around 20,000 public and private sector organisations will need to participate in some way. The majority of these will simply be required to make an ‘information disclosure’ once every few years that tells the administrator about their electricity usage. However, there will be around 5,000 organisations that will be required to participate fully in CRC. Prior to October’s spending review, being a full participant meant that they must not only record and monitor their CO2 emissions, but also purchase allowances equivalent to their emissions each year. The Government’s latest decision however, will see the funds, estimated at £1bn a year by 2014-15, kept by the government and subsequently directed into public funding. Whilst the distribution of funds raised by the amended scheme may have changed, qualification remains the same. An organisation qualifies as a full participant in CRC if at any point during the qualification period it had at least one HHM settled on the half hourly

market, AND its 2008 annual electricity supply through all HHMs was at least 6,000 MWh. These 5,000 organisations will have to monitor their emissions and purchase allowances from the Government for each tonne of CO2 they emit. So the higher their carbon emissions the more allowances they will have to buy, thus creating a direct incentive for these organisations to reduce their emissions. While the CRC may be viewed by organisations as another unwelcome tax, this latest move simplifies the incentive which can not only be considered good news for the environment, but also good news for developers. Organisations can now plan full initiatives without having to leave allowances for cost benefits which will only come into play later on. The new structure of the scheme will also prompt companies to look at the credentials of their suppliers. Conformity to government environmental standards remains a priority and under the amended scheme greater visibility of these credentials will be required. The intention is that as well as reducing UK carbon emissions, by increasing energy efficiency the scheme will help organisations save money by reducing their energy bills. The pure cost of energy alone highlights the value in reducing energy usage which will subsequently see a reduced carbon footprint. In addition, the better an organisation performs in terms of reducing its emissions, the higher it will appear in the annually published league table, showing the comparative performance of all participants. Companies will be looking to feature as high as possible within these standings to underline their commitment to meeting the government-set targets. The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme has been the cause for much confusion, particularly after the Comprehensive Spending Review. Regardless of its format however, companies should view the scheme as a real positive incentive to tighten the monitoring of their carbon footprint.

For more information on the requirements of the scheme, visit, http://www.decc.gov.uk/

Technical Perspective #1 Pete Mills is commercial technical operations manager for Buderus. Here he takes a look at condensate arrangements for modern modular cascade systems. What is the best condensate arrangement for a flue header? With modern condensing boilers being increasingly used in modular cascades to offer the total plant output requirements, a range of flue options becomes available. One popular method is to use a combined flue arrangement based on natural draft, which allows for a single large flue to be run and terminated vertically. This arrangement, however, poses a question over the need for condensate drains in the flue itself, as condense will continue to be produced from the flue products as they rise within the flue. Generally, it is good practice to have a condensate drain at the base of the vertical part of the flue and at the end of the horizontal flue header. The flue header will, in most cases, need a standard 3% fall, as would any condensing boiler flue system, to allow condensate to collect at the drain point. With the revision of BS 6644 well underway, (Specification for installation of gas fired hot water boilers of rated input between 70kW (net) and 1.8 MW (net)), installers should have clearer guidelines in the future on the connection of the condensate pipe work from the drain point. The most important step for the installer to take is ensuring that a trap is fitted immediately below the drain point to enable the flue to be sealed. The trap should be a minimum of 75mm and any pipe between the flue and the trap should be of a similar material to the flue, as it will be subject to the same conditions. Good support for the condensate pipe work is essential to ensure that the correct fall is maintained throughout the working life of the boilers. Condensate is mildly corrosive and will soon start to weaken steel and copper materials if it is allowed to leak from poorly run waste pipe work.