Energy Efficiency

Over 40% of the UK's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change, is produced by the things we do every day.

To help lower your CO2 emissions and reduce your fuel bills, one of the biggest changes you can make to any home is to update the boiler and system controls to make the heating and hot water system perform more efficiently.

The life span of most central heating / hot water boilers is 15 years. Anything older than this is probably not heating water as efficiently as it could. Generally this is caused by scale and sludge deposits within the boiler's heat exchanger.

Changing your boiler to a condensing model can save you money on your fuel bills and with prices increasing, this could be a worth while investment.

Condensing boilers convert over 90% of the fuel they use into useful heat compared to around 60% from older, conventional boilers. Condensing boilers have a heat exchanger that uses heat in the flue gasses to pre-heat the water. (They are called condensing boilers because most of the heat recovered, comes from condensing water vapour in the flue gasses.) The condensed water is drained away and less energy is then required to raise the temperature of the pre-heated circulating water to the desired level.

By law all new gas boilers fitted in England and Wales, (with a few exceptions) must be condensing boilers and can only be installed, as from 1st April 2009, by Gas Safe Registered engineers.

60% of your household's CO2 emissions are produced by the boiler. This is why a condensing boiler can save you so much money. Not only will it reduce your CO2 emissions by more than 800 kilograms a year it could also save you around a third on your heating bills.

To save further energy the right heating controls have to be fitted to the system to comply with Building Regulations which require controls to be upgraded whenever a boiler is replaced.

A time controller can be set to switch your heating, or hot water, on and off at times when you need them, preventing the boiler working constantly.

Room thermostats stop the pump from circulating water around your radiators when it reaches a pre-set temperature. These are typically situated in hallways, generally the coldest part of the home.

Programmable thermostats. Extra energy savings can be made by replacing a simple room thermostat with a programmable thermostat. Householders can then set different temperatures throughout the day. Seven-day models can have a different day time, temperature profile for each day of the week.

Thermostatic radiator valves allow you to set every room to a different temperature. For example, bedrooms, that are not used regularly, could be be set to a very low temperature so that the radiator only comes on if the temperature drops significantly. They work by sensing the air temperature in the room and stopping the water flow through the radiator when the set temperature is reached. TRVs can be installed in any room except where the main thermostat is sited.

Cylinder thermostats are used on systems which do not have a combination boiler but have a cylinder of stored hot water instead. They are generally set to 60oC and stop the cylinder from being heated when the water has reached this temperature.

Renewable Solar Energy

As of April 2008 householders are able to install renewable products such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps, without having to apply for planning permission.

Solar PV. Cut your carbon footprint. An average PV installation could save 1 tonne of CO2 per year. Cut your electricity bills. Once you have paid for the initial installation, your electricity costs will be significantly reduced. A typical system can produce around 40% of your annual electrcity. Earn cash for the electricity you produce. Alongside your existing electricity meter you will have a generation meter installed. This measures the amount of electricity that the solar panels have generated, you will then get paid for every kW you produce. Feed in tariffs. Since the feed in tariff came into force in 2010, small generators will earn money for every kW they produce regardless of whether they use it or sell it back to the National Grid. To qualify for the feed in tariffs the installation must be carried out by a MCS (micro certification scheme) member. The tariff guarantees a minimum payment for all the electricity generated by the system. It will also pay you for the amount of electricity you sell back to the grid. The tariff is guaranteed to run for 25 years after sign up with the same pay scale.

Solar Thermal. Using radiation from the sun, a sophisticated solar collector is used to transfer the maximum amount of energy possible into a fluid which runs through the collector and which is then used to indirectly heat water in a storage cylinder.

As solar thermal technology does not rely on sunlight but on solar radiation, it can work efficiently in our climate to provide around 50-70% of annual domestic hot water requirements.

Ground source heat pumps. Transfer heat from the ground to heat your home. Geothermal energy is energy obtained by trapping the heat from the earth itself. Ground source heat pumps offer energy savings of up to 75% and use electricity to run the compressor and the controls.

Ground source heat pumps are an excellent partner for underfloor heating.

Underfloor Heating. Radiant floor heating circulates warm water through flexible and durable PEX pipes installed underneath the floor. This turns almost any type of floor into a large, gentle radiator.

Underfloor heating utilises low temperature hot water, typically 40-55oC unlike flow temperatures of 80oC from traditional heating systems such as radiator systems. This warms the floor to a maximum surface temperature of 29oC in normally occupied areas with a room temperature of 20oC and 23oC in bathrooms with a floor temperature of 24oC. Comfort conditions are therefore achieved with an air temperature 2oC below what would normally be anticipated with general forms of heating. As a consequence energy costs are significantly reduced, typically in domestic applications by in excess of 20% and in larger buildings such as factories and warehouses savings of up to 50% are not unusual.

Some benefits and features. Energy efficient 'invisible' warmth. Uniform heat and level of comfort. No exposed hot surfaces. Low allergy - convected airborne dust levels are reduced. Silent running. Ideal for high ceilings. Permits freedom for interior design with no radiators to consider. Installation is fast and simple. Wet floors dry quickly. The water in the pipes can be heated using different heat sources, oil burners, gas burners, solar energy, electricity, etc.

Please contact me, Kevin Cooke for further details about the services Cooke’s Heating Ltd can offer you.

'I will be happy to visit you for a FREE quotation.'