Households looking to install renewable heating systems are now eligible for a government grant of to £1250 towards the cost. Those who opt for a greener heating system such as biomass, Ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and solar panels can apply to the £15m premium payment fund set up to help support 25,000 installations.

The scheme is aimed mainly at the 4m UK homes in areas without mains gas supply and who are currently running heating systems that produce more carbon emissions such as oil. The Scheme run by the energy saving trust will be open for applications on the 1st august 2012 and will focus more on homes with higher carbon emissions such as electric and oil.

Greg Barker, Climate change minister said: “Today starts a new era in home heating because we’re making it more economical for people to go green by providing discounts off the cost of eco heaters”.

“This should be great news for people who are reliant on expensive oil or electric heating as the premium payment scheme is really aimed at them”.

“Getting money off an eco heater will not just cut carbon emissions it will also help create a market in developing, selling and installing kit like solar thermal panels or heat pumps.”

The department of energy and climate change is planning on monitoring energy data and performance with meteors and detailed surveys to learn how to get more from these technologies. Although the household will see the benefits straight away there is still more to learn about how to get more from these technologies.

The main barrier for most households is the initial cost of the heating systems the new scheme will help overcome this.

The grants that are available to apply for from the energy saving scheme are:

• Ground Source Heat Pump – £1,250 (homes without mains gas)
• Biomass boiler – £950 (homes without mains gas)
• Air source heat pump – £850 (homes without mains gas)
• Solar thermal hot water panels – £300 (all homes)

More information on the governments new renewable heating system grant here.

Water Treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end use. The goal of all Water Treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the concentration of such contaminants so the water becomes fit for its desired use. One such us is cleaning and filter water within a central heating system in order to make the heating process more effective and efficient.

British Standard (BS7593) – Code of Practice for treatment of water in hot water central heating systems’. The purpose of BS7593 is to ensure awareness of potential problems, and of the remedies required to maintain efficiency and maximise the life of the hot water central heating system.

The standard also gives guidance on the preparation of the primary circuit of wet central heating systems prior to initial commissioning or re-commissioning following major remedial work and ongoing Water Treatment to ensure continued efficiency in operation. Although intended to cover domestic systems with up to 45kW heat output, it is recognised that their recommendations are also applicable to similar systems of higher heat output that require Water Treatment. We supply a wide range of Water Treatment products including:

• Inhibitor - Inhibitor is a general purpose treatment for total protection against limescale and corrosion in all types of indirect central heating systems, including those containing aluminium. Will extend the life of the system, and ensure maximum efficiency and minimum fuel usage. Once added, Inhibitor never needs to be replaced unless the system is drained down.
• Antifreeze - Antifreeze is a multipurpose inhibited antifreeze which is formulated to help give effective frost protection and control corrosion, limescale, boiler noise and hydrogen gasses in all types of indirect heating systems including those containing aluminium components. If minimum levels are maintained the Antifreeze ensures a permanent protection and does not need to be replaced.
• Heating Cleaner - At BHL our range of Heating Cleaner including boiler descaler, sludge remover and central heating cleaner from leading manufacturers including Fernox and Sentinel, helps keep your boiler working when you need it most, keeping you warm through the winter.
• Lime Scale Removal - Lime scale Removal is used for removing limescale from any type of water heater to restore its efficiency. It is safe to use with steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper, brass, PVC, ABS rubber polythene and most plastic pipework. Limescale Removal is a powerful acid limescale remover and can dissolve up to 50% of its own weight of limescale, it is also corrosion inhibited.
• Boiler Noise - Boiler Noise is usually the result of limescale deposition within the heat exchanger of a boiler. This condition is worsened if magnetite is also present in the system, as this combines with the limescale to form a much harder deposit.
• Leak Sealer - Leaks in central heating water systems can result from external frost damage, dry solder joints, accidental perforation during maintenance or decoration, or internal corrosion.
• Disinfectant - Disinfection is necessary to protect against bacterial and micro-biological contamination in central heating and chilled water systems as well as underfloor heating and renewable applications. BHL offers a range of Disinfect products which are effective in penetrating and removing bio-films in the control of Legionella and Pseudomonas.
• Water Test Kit - Water Test Kits are a postal service for analysis of central heating system water which has been designed to provide the installer or system owner with rapid validation of correct cleaning, flushing and treatment with Inhibitor. It can be used during new system commissioning or during commissioning of existing systems after component replacement.
• Heating Filter - A Heating Filter is a proven high efficiency product designed to tackle all central heating systems, removing virtually 100% of suspended magnetic debris.
• Power Flushing - Power Flushing provides you with faster, easier cleaning for problematic, dirty heating systems, quickly helping restore optimum efficiency. Using Power Flushing with sludge remover can remove magnetite sludge clearly, safely, rapidly and efficiently from central heating systems.
• Scale Inhibitor - Scale Inhibitors feature a wide variety of products currently available for clamping, wrapping around or inserting into water pipes to inhibit water hardness scale. These can be magnetic, electrolytic or electronic devices and do not change the chemical composition of the water, although a physical change may take place.
• Polyphosphate - The Polyphosphate unit provides protection for domestic hot water systems from the effects of scale deposition. It works by proportionally blending a minute amount of Polyphosphate into the system water.
• Thermal Fluid - The term Thermal Fluid consists of two words; ‘thermal’ meaning heat, and ‘fluids’, which refers to liquids, gases and vapours. Pressure, volume and density all play an important role in Thermal Fluids. Temperature, flow rate, phase-change and chemical reactions may also be important in a thermal fluids context. There are two types of Thermal Fluid: Solar Fluid and Heat Pump Fluid
• Condensate Neutraliser - Condensate Neutraliser is an in-line unit containing a special media that will neutralise the acidic waste from condensing boilers. The flow of condensate through the unit is manipulated to achieve optimum contact with media ensuring effective neutralisation.

Water Treatment products are available to Buy online from BHL. We supply a wide range of Water Treatment products and online from leading manufacturers including; Fernox, Sentinel, Scalemaster and Liff.

Read more about Water Treatment here….

For more than 135 years, Vaillant has been setting the standards in the heating market, creating products that have revolutionised the industry, from water heaters in the early 1900′s, to pioneering the ‘combination’ boiler over 35 years ago. Today, Vaillant are as proud to be leading the way in renewable technologies, developing systems which utilise sustainable sources of energy. This enables you to enjoy simple, healthy and energy saving solutions for your heating, cooling and hot water needs.

As one of Europe’s leading heating technology manufacturer, ‘thinking ahead’ is a culture which is embraced throughout Vaillant. Their products feature high energy efficiency ratings and low emissions, and come with an enviable reputation for performance, quality and reliability. Vaillant’s constant drive to provide leading levels of customer service and training support, helps to demonstate why customers recommend Vaillant and BHL.

Vaillant Boilers are leading manufacturers of gas fired domestic and commercial central heating boilers including Vaillant Combi Boilers and Vaillant Condensing Boilers in the UK. Vaillant manufacture a wide range of gas boilers for the home including Vaillant Combi Boilers and Vaillant Heating Boilers. Vaillants range of gas boilers include an impressive range of combination boilers such as the Vaillant ecoTEC Pro, Vaillant ecoTEC Plus and the Vaillant ecoTEC Exclusive. Vaillant also produce the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus System Boiler and the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus heating boiler. Vaillant offers a wide range of Boiler Controls. Vaillant Programmable heating controls provide a comfortable living environment within your home and help to minimize domestic heating bills.

Vaillant’s latest range of stainless steel unvented cylinders gives you the option of a broad range of capacities from 125 litres up to 310 litres. Whichever Vaillant Cylinder you choose, you can be sure of the quality and performance that you expect from Vaillant. In addition, a high recovery heating coil and superb reheat times being best in class make uniSTOR the only choice in unvented cylinders.

Renewable energy is the term used to describe energy flows that occur naturally and continuously in the environment, such as energy from the wind, waves or tides. The origin of the majority of these sources can be traced back to either the sun (energy from the sun helps to drive the earth’s weather patterns) or the gravitational effects of the sun and the moon. This means that these sources are essentially inexhaustible, where the radiation from the sun can be collected by Vaillant solar panels which include; auroTHERM VFK, auroTHERM VTK and auroTHERM Plus.

The key issue is how to extract this energy as effectively as possible and convert it into more useful forms of energy. This can range from directly using the energy from the sun to heat water to using mechanical devices, such as wind turbines, to convert the kinetic energy in the wind to electrical energy. Vaillant Solar provides various solar systems, designed to supply various needs. Vaillant Solar domestic water systems can generate between 50-70% of your hot water using radiation from the sun.

Today, Vaillant are as proud to be leading the way in renewable technologies, developing systems which utilise sustainable sources of energy. Vaillant’s constant drive to provide leading levels of customer service and training support, helps to demonstate why customers recommend Vaillant and BHL. Vaillant Heat Pumps are manufactured in two different types:

Ground Source Heat Pump – Vaillant ground source heat pumps collect energy in the earth or in the air and use it to heat water in a cylinder for distribution to taps, appliances and radiators. They can also cool the house in the summer. These Vaillant Heat Pumps contain the most advanced technology available for home heating, hot water and cooling. Due to the fact that the earth itself ‘stores’ energy, it is an extremely reliable and constant energy source, it creates no harmful emissions and uses a very small amount of electricity to drive the pumps themselves.

Air to Air Heat Pumps – Vaillant Heat Pump systems can efficiently heat the room during the winter and as an added benefit, also provide cooling during the summer. This means you can enjoy a climate controlled environment all year round. advanced filter solutions also bring good news for allergy sufferers with the air to air Vaillant Heat Pump system cleaning the air as it circulates in the room. And, due to it’s high efficiency in heating mode, it is more environmentally friendly than many conventional heating systems.

Read more about Vaillant here…..

The BHL team recently visited EcoBuild 2010 at Earls Court, London. The exhibition was massive with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors.

EcoBuild displays the latest energy efficiency and renewables products and materials from the leading manufacturers within the building industry. Many manufacturers use the exhibition as an opportunity to launch new and innovative products.

We wanted to see the Plumbing and Heating stands and be the first to learn about some of the new and exciting developments within the industry. It was also interesting to see all the other disciplines within the construction industry on display.

Worcester Bosch, as you would expect from one of the UK’s leading heating manufacturers had a large and impressive stand displaying their wide range of products including Worcester Bosch Boilers, Worcester Bosch Heat Pumps and Worcester Bosch Solar.

EcoBuild 2010 featured over 1000 exhibitors displaying a wide range of products and materials including Boilers, Solar Panels, Flooring, Green Walls and Wind Turbines

Kingspan had a large presence at EcoBuild and displayed a wide range of their products including Range Tribune Cylinders and Albion Ultrasteel Cylinders.

The Guardian’s Architecture and Design correspondent Jonathan Glancey in the EcoBuild 2010 Arena Lecture.

The New Albion Aerocyl Unvented Hot Water Cylinder and Aerocyl Buffer Tank on display for one of the first times.

The impressive Remeha (Broag) range of Avanta Boilers on display and showing off their build quality and use of top quality parts.

Glow-worm Clearly Heat Pumps on display at EcoBuild.

Worcester Bosch Underfloor Heating System which as the sticker suggests is new for 2010.

EcoBuild’s most impressive structure was Cityscape, an imposing 8 metre high cube clad in the very latest living wall technology.

Ideal Heating displayed a wide range of products including the Ideal Gas Boiler and Stelrad Radiator range. Ideal also sported their new corporate logo.

Baxi Ecogen, from Baxi is a combined heat and power appliance (CHP) generates electrical power and useful heat from the single source. The model displayed above explains it all. Baxi also displayed the Zenex built GasSaver, which I discussed in a previous blog post, Save Money with a Boiler Gas Saver.

Be sure to read our blog in the coming weeks when we will report on our findings in more detail including further details of the exciting Glow-worm Clearly Hybrid, which, according to Glow-worm is the first totally practical hybrid renewables solution that looks after the earth and your pocket.

We at BHL are always trying to keep abreast of the latest developments happening within the plumbing and heating industry.  The buzz word at the moment is renewables – and there has been tremendous growth and interest in renewable technologies recently.

BHL will be visiting this years EcoBuild 2010 at Earls Court, London. EcoBuild is the country’s largest exhibition for the sustainable building sector and it offers the opportunity to view the latest energy saving and renewable products including Solar Water Heating Panels, Solar PV Panels, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Water Harvesting and High Efficiency Condensing Boilers, as well as developments in sustainable design, construction and the build enviroment.

All the leading names from the industry will be displaying their latest products at the conference including Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Glow-Worm, Baxi, Grundfos, Bristan, Biasi, Ideal Boilers, Pegler Yorkshire and Cistermiser.

Amongst the manufacturers displaying new lines at EcoBuild is Worcester Bosch who will showcase a selection of new products, including  the new Worcester Greenfloor underfloor heating system as well as the Worcester Micro CHP unit – which is due for release in 2011. Worcester are also launching MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) which will be displayed as part of a model house.

To find out about our visit to EcoBuild and the products we discovered, be sure to follow our blog in the next few weeks.

Rarely do Central Heating Boilers make the front pages but the governments recent Boiler Scrappage Scheme initiative changed all that, certainly for a day or two.

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme has been mooted for some time and is inspired by the successful Car Scrappage Scheme. The campaign for the Boiler Scrappage scheme was started by Mick Williams and I have followed and supported the scheme for some time now.  Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the Boiler Scrappage Scheme in his pre-Budget report in December.

The new Boiler Scrappage Scheme enables homeowners to get £400 off the installation costs when you scrap an old and inefficient G-rated boiler replacing it with a new, high efficient A-rated condensing boiler (and even renewable heating technologies) – Not sure if your boiler applies? Well if it has a pilot light it probably does. Need further clarification? Click here

There are currently 3.5m homes in England with the most inefficient type of boiler. The government is offering households (albeit only 125,000) £400 towards the cost of upgrading their old boiler.

It would be pretty obvious to most that an old boiler is not going to be that efficient, certainly not the 90% or better that a new A-rated boiler can boast. A new condensing boiler will use less fuel resulting in lower CO₂ emissions and running costs. Renewable options, including heat pumps do not burn fossil fuels, thus ticking all the green boxes.

To apply for the scheme the boiler you are replacing must be in full working order. You yourself must be under 60 and living in England. If you are over 60 you can still apply even if the boiler does not work. The scheme is not currently available in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

If you want to apply for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme you must first get quotes from different installers. Once you have chosen an installer you will need to get a quote in order to register for a voucher. Remember, installations must be carried out by Gas Safe, Oftec or Microgeneration Certification scheme registered installers.

Once you have received your voucher, you can then proceed with the installation. You will need to pay upfront for the new boiler and installation before you can then claim back the £400 by sending the voucher and invoice to the Energy Saving Trust. Payment will be issued within 25 working days of receipt of the voucher and invoice.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the scheme you’d better act fast. With 3.5m G-rated boilers but only funding for 125,000, some will be disappointed. But before you consider signing up, consider this. If your boiler is trouble free and operating effectively, is it worth replacing it? Sure, a new boiler will be more efficient but it probably wont last as long as your existing, cast iron appliance. However, should you decide to apply it is worth buying your boiler boiler directly, from a supplier like BHL rather than through your installer. BHL have a wide range of A-Rated Boilers at low online trade prices from leading manufacturers including Baxi, Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Glow-Worm.

As we were informed on our visit the technology behind Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) is not new. Indeed this product has been successfully used on the continent for many years now.

Tucked away in the corner of the Sustainable Building Center is Worcester Bosch’s latest product, the Greenstore GSHP (pictured).

The Scandanavian made Greenstore is larger than I imagined, about the same size as a refrigerator (it also emits the same noise!)

Powered by electricity the Greenstore uses the natural energy stored in the earth to heat your home. The result is low cost heating that uses sustainable energy with no direct emmisions.

GSHP provide both space heating and in some instances the pre-heating of domestic hot water. For every unit of electricity used in the running of the GSHP, 3-4 units of heat are produced.

How a Heat Pump Works

There are three important elements to make the GSHP work;

A Ground Loop (dug in a trench) is filled with water and antifreeze. This is pumped around the pipe absorbing heat from the surrounding ground.

The Heat Pump has three parts. The Evaporator – this is the  Ground Loop. The Compressor – This moves the refrigerant around the Heat Pump. The Heat Exchanger – the refrigerant gives up heat to a hot water tank which feeds the distribution system.

Finally, the Heat Distribution System. This could either be underfloor heating or traditional radiators.

The technology is impressive, almost too good to be true. But the units are both expensive to buy and install (external trenches will need to be dug). The unit is also very large, demanding either a large untility room or garage in which to locate it.

This heating solution will be a great success but its appeal will perhaps be limited to those living in larger, mainly new build properties.