Decarbonising heat will be the challenge of our lifetimes. For the industrial and commercial sector, we may potentially be looking at just one or two asset replacement cycles until 2050, when the Committee on Climate Change says heat must effectively be zero carbon. So what are the options? The Energyst has surveyed end users in Read more…

In this sponsored post, Micronics details how its U1000 heat meter saved time and effort in solving heat system water flow issues at a high end London hotel. Many Micronics U1000 Heat Meters have been used by Carrier Controls of Leatherhead in Surrey over a number of years. Nick Baron, Carrier’s Operations Director had been Read more…

Enfield Council is now supplying heat to new homes in Arnos Grove, the first of its heat networks. The council’s energy company, Energetik, plans to supply some 15,000 homes and businesses in north London via a series of heat networks. Some of these will use waste heat from industrial parks, while others use CHP and Read more…

In last month’s LPG spotlight, Flogas looked at the significant cost-saving benefits of LPG. This week, the firm focusses on LPG’s environmental benefits. Traditionally, oil was the fuel of choice for businesses operating off the mains gas grid, but with energy efficiency and environmental impact becoming increasingly important, LPG is emerging as the front-running alternative. Read more…

Clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter specialists Micronics has reached an agreement with Engelmann Sensor GmbH, to market its range of in-line heat meters within the UK. Micronics says introduction of the product range enables it to compete within the energy metering and billing market for new build, full refurbishment and retrofit projects, offering customers a choice of meter types Read more…

Over the past two decades, developments in water heater sizing methods have changed the industry significantly. Long-winded, manual calculations have made way for today’s quick and easy online tools. Chris Meir, sales director at Andrews Water Heaters, reflects on how sizing practices have changed over the years and discusses the solutions available today.   When Read more…

Are you a landlord of a tenanted commercial building or residential flats? Perhaps you have a communal heating or cooling systems and more than one tenant occupying the building? If you have answered yes to both these questions, then as a landlord, you will be affected by the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations. The Read more…

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has called for “proper and effective low carbon hydrogen trials” so that the UK can make informed technology decisions in the mid 2020s to hit 2050 decarbonisation targets. CEO Matthew Bell also suggested energy efficiency must be central to decision-making to maximise outcomes and that funding for heat pumps Read more…

Sponsored: It is well-established that imperfections in a heat exchange surface can have a negative impact on heat transfer. Tony Willis of Sabien Technology explains how a CIBSE award-winning additive to reduce the surface tension of the heating fluid can improve performance. The efficiency of heat transfer from a heating fluid in radiators, air handling Read more…

Heating and hot water within buildings is responsible for 40% of the UK’s energy consumption and 20% of its greenhouse gas emissions. The Heat Network Regulations 2014 aim to tackle this but lack of publicity and messy delivery mean that many commercial and domestic landlords are left either unaware that they need to comply or Read more…

Local authorities and other public sector bodies can start applying for new heat network funding from today. The government has made up to £39m available via a pilot scheme, part of £320m earmarked for heat network development over the next five years. If bids for are deemed successful, the funds will be made available by Read more…

Sponsored: Reduced boiler run-times on modulating and two-stage boiler plant do not necessarily equate to energy savings. The only accurate measures are a reduction in kWh or fuel consumption, says Tony Willis of Sabien Technology With many organisations having already implemented obvious energy-saving measures, additional so-called ‘quick fixes’ using retrofit technologies have considerable appeal. When Read more…

Newcastle United keeper facilities manager Eddie Rutherford has pulled off a huge save: The football club’s use of a combined heat and power (CHP) system is cutting its carbon emissions by 390 tonnes a year. Via a 12-year energy performance contract with Ener-G, whose CHP business was recently acquired by Centrica, the system is paid Read more…

A new report by BRE suggests that as much as 10% of UK power generation is being used to cool non-domestic buildings – even at the evening and weekends when staff have gone home. The two-year study on air conditioning use was commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) – now part of the Department of Business, Read more…

  Once you’ve implemented all of the obvious energy-saving measures in the boiler room, what comes next? Tony Willis of Sabien Technology suggests the next logical step in this sponsored post. It may be summer now but the next heating season will soon be with us, so this is a good time to consider added Read more…

The department of energy and climate change (Decc) has launched a consultation to gauge how the £320m put aside for heat network development should be spent. It is also trying to pick the best route towards a market framework that makes heat networks comparable with other utility asset classes such as electricity and gas distribution networks. Read more…

Verifying the success of an energy-saving project requires a holistic approach that takes account of all variables, says Sabien’s Tony Willis in this sponsored post. Many organisations that invest in energy efficiency initiative will want to quantify the savings that have been achieved. There are many possible reasons for this, including evaluation of a particular Read more…

Bristol City Council will allocate of £5m in capital to fund the next phase of its district heating network. Mayor Marvin Rees approved the funding this week. The council wants the city to become carbon neutral by 2050. It also wants residents to gain from its investment. Bristol has already launched a local energy company Read more…

Decarbonising direct electric heat across an estate spanning 136 buildings in 26 cities is no mean feat. But Unite Students energy & environment manager James Tiernan sees it as an opportunity to test a range of technologies and approaches. He has already dispelled some preconceptions. Tiernan looks after the energy needs of 46,000 students across the UK. The estate Read more…

Decc says there are 2,000 heat networks in the UK. But actually, says Chris Jennings, strategic development manager at consultancy Sustain, there are 100,000 small ones that could be decarbonised with the right energy efficiency policies in place. It’s “great” government has started to focus on heat, says Jennings. The downside is it “appears mostly Read more…