The heat of the moment
July 04th 2007

Many specifiers are now taking a closer look at how renewable energy sources can be integrated into heating systems. Ian Dagley of Hoval explains why

Including low or zero carbon (LZC) energy sources is now a given for most new build projects and refurbishments, and many specifiers are also looking at ways of retrofitting carbon-neutral solutions in existing buildings.

To that end, wood-burning biomass boilers are proving increasingly popular – either used on their own or integrated with high efficiency condensing boilers. Where appropriate, they may also be used in conjunction with other renewables sources such as solar heating and heat pumps. Hoval now offers all of these heating solutions, backed by the experience and expertise to ensure they work in harmony to achieve maximum carbon reductions.

Wood pellet biomass boilers often find themselves at the core of such schemes because they are a familiar form of heating plant, they are now very efficient (>90%) and can be controlled automatically just as easily as a gas or oil boiler.

The Hoval STU and BioLyt biomass ranges offer capacities from 10kW right up to 1000kW and are supplied complete with automated controls. They are currently being used in projects as diverse as schools in Nottinghamshire, Northumberland and Wales, the Share Village outdoor pursuits centre and funeral directors S Clarke & Son. At Share Holiday Village, for example, two existing oil-fired boilers were replaced with a Hoval 300kW STU wood-pellet biomass boiler, providing significant reductions in running costs as well as carbon emissions. In a smaller project, funeral directors S Clarke & Sons opted for a 50kW Hoval BioLyt boiler in their Newtownards premises as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Working together

In many projects, the maximum benefits are achieved by combining biomass boilers with high efficiency condensing boilers such as Hoval’s Ultragas. In this scenario, the biomass boilers provide the heat for domestic hot water where the return water temperatures are too high for efficient condensing. In parallel, the condensing boilers supply space heating requirements and exploit the lower return water temperatures to achieve high efficiencies through condensing.

When a combination of fossil fuel and renewable energy sources is combined in this way – possibly with solar heating and/or heat pumps as well - Hoval’s advanced control packages really come into their own. Specially designed for this purpose, they are able to ensure that heat is derived from the most efficient source all of the time and guarantee the fastest possible payback.

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