Gas Boiler Replacement
Well - you have seen the old boiler and here it is again (left).
Although we moved in during May this Gas Boiler was not replaced
until August. It was high on the list of things to do after the
extra insulation. However it took three months because we spent
a lot of time trying to get a Wood Pellet Boiler in to replace
the Gas Boiler. However, by August we realised that this was not
going to happen very quickly so made a quick decision to replace
the Boiler during the warm weather rather than procrastinate
until the Autumn or Winter months. The problem with the Wood
Pellet Boiler (more details below) was that we had to get a
licensed appliance for our Smoke Control Zone plus Planning
Permission for the Flue in our Conservation Area. This, coupled
with the lack of response from one of the Suppliers, killed a
lot of time with no progress. So we bit the bullet and got a
very quick turnaround from a local plumber we had used before.
Within about a week he was in a ripping out the antique leaving
a gaping hole on the wall (shown right). In total it took two
men four days to do the job even if they worked at a somewhat
leisurely pace. It only cost us more Tea and Biscuits!
Soon the new boiler is in place. It is much smaller than the old
one. The flue is smaller too which means that you have to get
part of your wall bricked up so as to not leave a large hole.
The Condensing Boilers also need a water drain into a waste
pipe. It can't just be left hanging out the wall like the
over-flow pipe to a toilet. It has to be protected from freezing
up. You will also find that, even if you don't want them, your
plumber will want to fit Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV) on
all but one or two of your Radiators. This will be to bring you
up to Building Regs - or so they say. No worries these are much
better for controlling local room temperature than normal
valves. Our plumber wanted to replace the Immersion Heater Tank
but we drew a line there. We knew it had only been there for
about five to seven years so it wasn't that old. The second
reason is that it would probably be replaced anyway when the
Solar Thermal Panels go in. At our request we also had the main
room Thermostat and the central Controller/Timer replaced. These
are described in a little more detail below.
The Boiler we have
had fitted is just 18kw. We might have had a large one but we
explicitly requested that it be under-sized because we knew we
would be fitting:
-
Solar Thermal Hot Water Panels on the
roof that would supply 50 to 60% of the Hot Water
requirements anyway
-
A Wood Pellet Boiler rendering the Gas
Boiler as a backup only. Since the Immersion Heater can
supply Hot Water then even in backup mode we would only need
it for Heating in Winter
-
Cavity Wall Insulation and 300mm of Loft
Insulation before Winter
 We had the new
Timer/Controller placed inside the Kitchen (adjacent to the
Garage where the boiler is) so no more tip-toeing out to the
Garage to change the settings. This caused some sudden and
unexpected debate between my wife and I as she would have
preferred the Controller out of sight and out of mind. However,
I persuaded her that it would be in her best interests as she
will be the last person wishing for a trip to the Garage at
night to fiddle with the controls. We can now see very quickly
if anything is on or off allowing a quick over-ride if required.
The Controller controls the Hot Water and Heating on separate
programs so one can be off whilst the other is on. We have three
program slots per day with a separate program at the weekends.
This avoids us having to have the boiler on for too long,
instead it can 'pulse' during the day and maintain the
temperature. The weekend program also helps us get the optimum
heat when we need it which tends to be a couple of hours later
than on a working day. Boilers are at their most efficient when
they are hot. To this end the programs applied have tried to
have the Hot Water and Heating on at different times so that the
Boiler is working on one or other but not both. (This also helps
as the Boiler is slightly undersized.)
 The new Room
Thermostat was originally requested largely for cosmetic
reasons. The old one looked very dated and was of questionable
functionality and probably at the end of its life. However, when
invited to replace it our plumber (long knowing our love of
energy-saving gimmicks) fitted a Thermostat with a built in
time-lag. This responds to ambient temperature so it will delay
the heating process if it believes it will reach the target
temperature quickly. It sounds good but in practice it is hard
to see if this would be anything other than a cause of
frustration for users wanting instant response. It might be
useful if you want the house to be warm when you come home from
work but where the house is mostly occupied during the day this
is of questionable value. After-all you do have a sophisticated
Timer to control when the heat comes on. We'll see how this
works in practice. However, one very useful feature of the new
Thermostat is that it has a simple internal mechanism that
limits the upper and lower reach of the thumbwheel gauge. This
can be set to prevent users for 'wacking it' up to 30 degreesC
and leaving it there in the belief that the house will get
warmer quicker. This was set to limit the Thermostat to 24
degreesC - more than enough.
 All-in-all the new
package of Condensing Boiler, Controller, Thermostat and TRV's
should wipe 40% of the fuel bill over-night. This in addition to
the new Cavity Wall Insulation and 300mm of loft Insulation
should see us reducing the cost of Heating and Hot Water by
half. These costs will drop again when the Solar Thermal Panels
come on Tap. With the addition of the Wood Pellet Boiler, to
take most of the heating load, and large-scale Photovoltaics for
most of the power should render us very near carbon-neutral.
The Battle of the Wood Pellet Boiler
 We will have a Wood
Pellet Boiler eventually. However it has been an adventure
trying to make any progress on the matter. We did a lot of
research on the matter and read a few books. We knew we were in
a Conservation Area so we would need Planning Permission for an
external Flue. So there was no way we could hide the install
from the Council. As the area was also in a Smoke Control Zone
we would (at least in theory) need a licensed appliance - and
they are not many of those. In May 2008 we contacted two
companies selected because:
-
One was 'local' ie, within about twenty
miles
-
The other had published experience in
getting non-licensed appliances installed in Smoke Control
Zones - Green Systems UK
If you do the
research you find that it is technically at the discretion of
your Local Environmental Health Officer (EHO) to allow
non-licensed Wood Burning Appliances to be installed within
their Smoke Control Zones (SCZ). There are many cases where the
EHO would inspect the appliance after installation to confirm
that there is no visual smoke. That is all that is necessary.
Others may require proof that the Appliance reaches European
Standards. Still others refuse to do anything at all and only
allow listed appliances. The interpretation of the Clean Air Act
is so diverse that the EHO can interpret it any way they want.
So, if your supplier/installer knows how to sweet-talk the EHO
and the EHO is receptive then the world should be your oyster as
there will be dozens of appliances available in the UK for
installation in SCZ's.
 As things turned
out, after initial interest from the local supplier they dropped
off the radar. After several weeks of them ignoring and failing
to return my E:Mails & Phone calls I gave up pursuing them. The
second supplier was better and gave me good quotes for a Baxi
and a KWB. However as soon as I asked about the flue they also
vanished off the radar and I couldn't get hold of them. They had
all disappeared off to do a job. Obviously it was a very small
company with no capacity. This left me a little nervous that I
had all my eggs in one basket. The KWB is licensed for a SCZ but
is extremely expensive. The Baxi is not licensed and had only
just decided to attempt to get a license. This could take 6 or
more months and cost them £10k (GBP). Baxi are a big Company so
they can afford it. What was clear was that nothing was going to
happen quickly.
So we sat back and
decided to look around the market to see what else was out
there. On the 20th August 2008 (or thereabouts) I contacted
nearly twenty supplier/installers with an invitation to tender
for the job. We quickly got a
diverse set of replies. Many declined to help but several were
very helpful. In summary we learnt this:
-
Bioenergy came back for a quote for the
Mescoli CombiFire2 but it isn't licensed. They have sent me
more brochures and a long E:Mail but there Boilers seem
over-sized. They, like several others, are convinced they
can persuade the local EHO but two previous attempts by
other installers has failed. I won't pursue them. However
they did supply lots of useful information. For example
Building Regulations say that the Flue has to be 3m from a
neighbour's house and 1m above the nearest opening window
within a 3m radius from the open top stub.
-
Ashwell Engineering sent us a
brochure-cum-quote in the post. They also phoned and seemed
keen to help. Their installer in Warwickshire phoned me too
(Bob Smith at Sterland Elgar). They gave me lots of
information on the phone about flues, Thermal Stores, Hot
Water Tanks and the ease in which they can connect
everything in parallel to an existing Gas Boiler as backup.
However their boilers are not licensed so they cannot help
me.
-
Treco E:Mailed me and phoned me. They
also believed that they could convince the EHO that their
installation would be smoke free. They spoke to the local
EHO but could not make any headway. Sadly they can't help
further.
-
Graham Thornhill at Cosi was very
friendly and had lots of advice even if he couldn't help me.
He was not aware of the SCZ restrictions.
-
ECOlink came back to me with Brochures
and Price for one PH23 Boiler but it seemed too big. There
was no specific quote for the install and the basic boiler
cost over £15k + VAT. Very pricey for a useless lump of
metal. There was no other supporting data and no info on a
SCZ License. I won't pursue them further.
-
Oxon Wood Heat came back with a very
comprehensive quote for what we assumed would be their Solar
Focus Pellet Top. However they seemed to estimate that we
needed a Boiler in excess of 18kw apparently consuming 3.5
times more fuel than we currently burn (including cooking!).
Their largest hopper size is 250l which they suggested would
not be adequate so they quote for a separate hopper and
auger system. The total cost came to a mind-boggling £20k+
which was easily £5k more than the next most expensive
install. It all seemed too big and too expensive. The only
good news was that they were hopeful of getting a SCZ
License soon.
-
Broag Remeha had been very helpful and
offered their HPK - RA Pellet Boiler (Broag-Gilles).
They are licensed however their quote excluded everything
from installation to VAT. I suggested that they put all the
hidden extras in. I did my own rough guesstimate of all the
missing costs and it looks as if they remain very price
competitive. However, the reply from them on mid-September
was quite depressing. They couldn't even tell me the correct
VAT rate quoting 17.5% whereas I already know it would be
5%. They went on to reveal that they are not registered as
an installer with the Low Carbon Buildings program
suggesting you won't get a grant. They suggested a hire an
external Consultant and Contractor to design and perform
systems integration with my existing Heat System. The very
idea is ludicrous. However I did find that there was an
installer called Energy Innovations (UK) Ltd who were
eligible for grants from the Low Carbon Building Program.
-
Windhager E:Mailed suggesting their
BioWin Boiler which will become licensed. However they
initially told me it would be impossible to fit a Gas Boiler
in parallel. However I followed up with their Installer as I
don't think they have considered using a Thermal Store.
Their installer has called me and was very helpful. He
recommended a twin coil tank rather than a thermal store (as
did Ashwell Engineering) and had lots of ideas for
connecting up the Gas Boiler as backup. He even was aware
that WindHager had a new control system for release next
year that would get around all the connection problems as it
could control a second boiler. He will make enquiries and I
invited him to tender for the install. I have also found
that Glendevon Energy & Solar Thermal are certified with the
Low Carbon Buildings program to install BioWIN.
-
Green Systems UK with the KWB as
mentioned earlier. They are also certified to install with a
grant from the Low Carbon Buildings program.
-
One that hasn't been tried is the Herz
Firematic range available from Rural Energy who are
accredited as installers for the Low Carbon Building
Program. This is certified for a SCZ but maybe slightly
over-sized as their web site only lists "small Commercial"
installs, not domestic...?
-
Another is the Binder RRK 22-49
which is certified for a SCZ and available from Wood Energy
Ltd who are accredited under the Low Carbon Buildings
program. They maybe over-sized though...?
 As things stand on
September 2008 we are still awaiting some replies. Some of the
difficulties we have had are in trying to get an appliance in
our price range with an inclusive quote. Every quote has a
problem, it either misses out most of the work, isn't for a
licensed product or can't connect in parallel with our Gas
Boiler. We have had problems getting a meaningful description of
the Flue (although we have just enough information now to apply
for Planning Permission). So we either wait for Baxi to get
their Wood Pellet Boilers licensed or for one enterprising
installer to convince the EHO that their Boiler is OK in SCZ.
One thing is clear - this is turning into a long running
project. The average householder in the UK today (in any built
up area) is going to have to have a lot of money, a lot of
patience and a lot of luck. The market is clearly in its infancy
with plenty of barriers for early adopters. Obviously the
Planning Regulations for Flues are a hurdle as is the Clean Air
Act which is clearly our of date. Local EHO's don't have one
firm opinion on the matter so it is down to luck if your Local
Air Quality Officer will entertain non-licensed product in their
SCZ. We also need a lot better choice in small Wood Pellet
Boilers with bolt on Hoppers of decent capacity. The contrast
with our Gas Boiler refit is clear. For the Biomass Market to
catch up with Fossil Fuels then we need to:
-
Rewrite the Clean Air Act to exclude
modern biomass appliances in the same way that gas boilers
are excluded
-
Re-engineer Pellet Boilers so they can be
flue-less
-
Reduce the size of the boilers and reduce
their price. You can get a Gas Boiler wholesale for £600
(GBP) but the wood pellet boiler will cost at least ten
times as much. There is not enough choice.
We'll keep you
posted on the "Battle of the Boiler". Carbon Cutters
would like to thank all of the people and Companies named above
for their sterling efforts. However, a big thumbs down to the
local Air Quality Officer for being completely unable to do
something that her colleagues in the London Boroughs (just 20
miles away) do all the time. You have a lot to learn. Out of
interest I picked up this gem from the Government's own Planning
Policy Statement 22 "Emissions from biomass fuel combustion
include limited quantities of gaseous nitrogen and sulphurous
oxides [but these emissions] are significantly less than
those from comparable fossil fuel stations. Under certain
conditions (particularly in cold weather) a steam plume may
emanate from the chimney. This is non-polluting, the only
consideration being the visual effect.” As a matter of
Policy the Government recognises that Wood Pellet Boilers are
less polluting than Fossil Fuels. As a matter of Law the Wood
Pellet Boiler is more tightly controlled. Why? The law is an
ass.
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