International Energy Agency Report Praises Heat Pumps

In a new report, which looks at how Europe can most effectively meet its energy efficiency and CO₂ reduction targets to 2050, The International Energy Agency  cites heat pumps as the technology which can make the greatest impact in the building heating and cooling sector.  In the Report Technology Roadmap for Energy Efficient Buildings: Heating and Cooling Equipment, Heat Pumps are rated ahead of solar thermal and CHP as having the potential to impact most in the heating and cooling of buildings in the years ahead, and are also the technology best suited to large scale deployment. Full report here

Building Regulations

Building Regulations – Part L

Historically, little if any attention was paid to the importance of building fabric, energy sources, heating controls and building insulation. However there are now several very good reasons why we should embrace the recent advances in the 2008 Irish Building Regulations.

There is no law of “diminishing returns” for investment in this aspect of a new build, however sensible returns and pay-back periods should be expected. Every cent spent on a well designed and controlled heating system, in conjunction with best practice guidelines for insulation will both offer substantial savings and increased comfort levels while ensuring the reduction of carbon emissions.

 

Extracts and summaries from the 2008 Building Regulations Part L as amended:

Conservation of Fuel and Energy

L1            A building shall be designed and constructed so as to ensure that the energy performance of the building is such as to limit the amount of energy required for the operation of the building and the amount of CO₂ emissions associated with this energy us insofar as is reasonably practical.

For new dwellings the requirements of L1 shall be met in part by:

 

• Providing that the energy performance is such as to limit the calculated primary energy consumption and related CO₂ emissions insofar as is reasonably practical, when both energy consumption and CO₂ emissions are calculated using the Dwelling Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) published by the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI).
• Providing that a reasonable proportion of the energy consumption to meet the energy performance of a dwelling is provided by renewable energy sources. Note, “renewable energy technologies” means technology, products or equipment that supply energy derived from renewable energy sources, e.g. solar thermal systems, solar photo-voltaic systems, biomass systems, systems using biofuels, heat pumps, aerogenerators.
• Limiting heat loss and where appropriate availing of heat gain through the fabric of the dwelling.
• Providing and commissioning energy efficient space and water heating systems with efficient heat sources and effective controls.
• Providing the dwelling owner sufficient information about the dwelling, the fixed building services and their maintenance requirements so that the dwelling can be operated in such a manner as to use no more fuel and energy as is reasonable.

I must have control!

No matter what type of heating sysytem we have in our homes, more and more thought is being given to how to we control that system so as to maximise its efficiency. So what is control and how do we exercise it in the context of heating our home?

What is Control?

Control is maximising the efficiency of your heating system while ensuring desired comfort levels are maintained. A smart heating control system seamlessly interfaces with the heat sources to deliver optimum performance & economy from your heating system. A correctly installed / commissioned control system will provide the end user with a fully automated system, while allowing simple tailoring by the end user.

Building Regulations                                                                                                                     

A system must, at a minimum, comply with the current building regulations

Temperature/Time Management                                                                      

Allows proper control over your system ensuring that you can maximise the use of lower tariff electricity rates and prevent your rooms from overheating putting the correct level of heat that YOU seek at the time that YOU seek it.

Zoning                                                                                                                             

Dividing the house into areas to allow different time/temperature control.                                                                               

Domestic Hot Water

Ensuring adequate supply of hot water.

Heat Sources                                                                                                        

Seamless integration of multiple heat sources for best efficiency / usage

Weather Compensation

Combined with individual room control will minimise overheating of rooms, ensure desired temperatures are maintained while maximising the efficiency of the energy source.

Savings                                                                                                                                             

The delivery of savings through the proper seamless system integration.

Floor Temperature Monitoring

Will allow the homeowner some flexibility with natural ventilation in winter days of high passive solar gain.

Network

The HeatLogic system is network based and offers the user central access via our touch screen to both space and domestic hot water heating along with temperature profile monitoring, run-time histories and an optional inexpensive remote access device via either a standard telephone line or a dedicated internet IP address.

Do energy efficiency incentives work?

Do energy efficency incentives work? Well, it would appear so.

A cost-benefit analysis published today by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) shows that the Irish Government State-supported energy efficiency programmes are reducing householders energy bills by on average €450 per annum and are sustaining up to 6,000 jobs.

The cost benefit analysis report highlights the strong financial benefits to Irish society that investments in improved energy efficiency bring. Every euro spent on Better Energy Homes delivers a net benefit of €5 to society, through energy, CO₂ and other pollutant savings. The analysis shows that investments in home energy upgrades will be fully repaid through energy savings within eight years.

To date, over 100,000 homes in Ireland have been upgraded through the National Energy Upgrade programme.

The link to the full report is here

 

So, to continue on the money saving theme ,will a geothermal heating system  save money/pay for itself?

The simple answer is that a properly installed and commissioned Geothermal Heating System offers a superb return on capital employed. It is generally accepted that it offers the fastest return over most renewable heating devices. The other main advantage is the minimum cost of servicing and maintaining such systems combined with the extreme longevity of the heat pump and collector. The payback is typically less than seven years but this is accelerated with a larger heat load.

A good guide to the benefits and savings from Geothermal is available here

 

 

 

 

Some good news as Ireland wins award

The SEAI have announced that Ireland has won a prestigious award for its better energy programme. Link here.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Mr. Pat Rabbitte TD said, “It is a great achievement to be included in the stellar line-up of energy efficiency award recipients this year and strong recognition of Ireland’s position in leading such energy efficiency initiatives.  This programme is supporting jobs, improving home comfort, reducing energy bills and reducing emissions. It is heartening how popular the programme has proven, with over 100,000 homes upgraded so far, and demand from the public remains as high as ever. This is a very important national programme, and it is gratifying to see it internationally recognized.”

 

Winter is coming………………

Winter is coming, the evenings drawing in and getting colder. It is natural, therefore to think of energy costs. In particular, given the recent increases in gas prices, it’s important to consider what is the most cost efficent way to heat my home. Well here goes…….

While there is no definitive method to “advance” calculate the cost of heating your home however there are many different methods used to estimate the heating costs. Based on these estimates, decisions can be reached as to what is the most appropriate heating solution.

The preferred method in Ireland is to assume heat-losses of 50 Watts per square metre in a modern well insulated house. The assumed annual run-time for the production of both space and domestic hot water heating is 2,500 hours.

Using the above criteria the following can be determined when viewing a sample 250m² house
i.e., (250m² x 50W/m² x 2500 running hours per annum / 1000 for kW):
The heat load is estimated at 31,250 kW hours per year.
 

The additional cost to install a geothermal heat pump and system over and above that of either an oil or LPG gas condensing boiler is approximated at a factor of 6 times the cost of the fossil fuel plant, which equates to an estimated additional outlay of circa €11,000.

From the graph below we can determine that the heat pump currently runs at a cost of less than one third  (33%) of that of an oil system, saving an estimated €1,600 per annum* resulting in a payback term of approximately 7 years.

However, it is worth noting the relatively stable price of the cost of running the heat pump (in green) as distinct from that of either oil or gas.If oil reverts to June 2008 prices or continues to rise then the payback time will reduce to less than 4 years.

 

*  Footnote: Fuels are based on 90% efficiency and figures extracted from SEAI archives.
    Heat pump at COP of 4:1, Electricity usage of 70% night.
    Note: CO₂ surcharges not included. See:
 http://www.seai.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Fuel_Cost_Comparison/

 

 

 

 

Energy innovation – an important driver of Ireland’s economic recovery

Ireland has significant and growing strengths in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable technologies and business and policy makers must now work together to deliver on the export potential that exists within these key areas, according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

Speaking at the Energy Show 2011, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte T.D. underlined the importance of energy innovation as an important driver of Ireland’s economic recovery. He said: “Sustainable energy offers many opportunities for businesses in Ireland – both for companies bringing innovative energy saving products and services to international markets, and for companies who have adopted energy efficiency as a core practice. Green jobs have an important role to play in our economic recovery as businesses are beginning to realise the benefits to be achieved from sustainable energy.”

According to SEAI’s Chief Executive, Professor J. Owen Lewis: “Around the world, clean technology is on the agenda for policy makers, entrepreneurs and investors. In Ireland, momentum is building and the message from business here today is that this is an active sector, where new markets are being sought and where innovation is happening on a daily basis. We must now take the opportunity to ensure this dynamic sector is front and centre of our export-led economy, and that we align the structures at policy level and the ideas at business level to deliver on the potential of a thriving export-led green economy .”

Here at Geostar Engineering, Irelands leading manufuactuer of Geothermal Heat Pumps, we have developed our Heatlogic system. We use state of art technology and quality materials to provide our customers with reliable, efficient and reasonably priced sustainable energy heating solutions.

What’s all of this BER stuff about?

BER - What's it all about?

Figures released in April (28th April 2011) from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reveal that Building Energy Ratings (BER) have now been issued to over 200,000 Irish homes.

A total of 201,854 homes have been rated by BER assessors across the country, marking an increase of 100,000 since February 2010. Introduced in 2007 as part of the European Directive to improve the energy performance of homes, the rate of BER publications has steadily increased over the last two years since the introduction of a mandatory requirement for the inclusion of a BER certificate when selling or renting a home.

So – what does all of this mean?

A BER is an indication of the energy performance of a home, displaying an energy label on a scale of A1-G. An A1-rated home is the most energy efficient and will tend to have the lowest energy bills. A BER certificate is issued in conjunction with an advisory report which identifies how householders can improve the energy performance of their homes.

Recent research, carried out by SEAI, shows that awareness levels of the BER Scheme has increased significantly over the last two years with almost six out of ten people expressing an awareness of the term BER in relation to homes and buildings. However while the research shows that there has been a rise in awareness amongst those looking to sell their homes (70% compared to 54% in 2009), those in the rental market remain the least aware at 42%.

What should I do to get a BER?

In order to obtain a BER, a homeowner must have an assessment carried out by a certified BER assessor who is trained under the National Framework of Qualifications and registered with SEAI. There are currently 2,100 SEAI registered BER assessors across the country. A full list and further details are available at www.seai.ie

Noel Dwyer is General Manager of Heat Logic

Welcome to the Heat Logic blog

Welcome to the HeatLogic blog.

HeatLogic is the Complete Renewable Heating Solution for heating your home or business. The HeatLogic system is a product of Geostar Engineering, manufacturers of geothermal heat pumps and heating control systems. We use state of art technology and quality materials to provide reliable, efficient and reasonably priced sustainable energy heating solutions for you.

On this blog we will keep you informed about developments and other information.