Coleshill firm pilots new generation of eco boilers

Leading community regeneration specialist Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) West Midlands is piloting one of the UK’s first domestic gas boilers that reduces carbon emissions by generating electricity and heat at the same time.

The micro-combined heat and power boiler, which looks like an ordinary gas boiler, provides a low carbon option to powering homes by generating heating and hot water, whilst also generating electricity as a by-product which can be used within the home, or fed back to the national grid.

FHM installed the turbine-generated boiler to a void property in Maxwell Street in Wolverhampton in June this year, and will be assessing how well the eco technology performs over the coming months.

The home is owned by Wolverhampton Homes and is one of four houses to be transformed by FHM on the All Saints estate in Wolverhampton.

All of the homes demonstrate different types of renewable and low carbon technologies that can be fitted in residential dwellings.

FHM is currently working with both the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Sustainable Housing Action Partnership (SHAP) to guide best practice and innovation in retrofit.

This property may form part of a “Beyond Decent Homes Standard” report currently being compiled by the HCA to be submitted to the Coalition Government later this year. It is hoped the new standard may help shape future legislation and standards introduced throughout the UK.

Dave Cartwright, FHM’s Sustainability Champion, said: “We’re one of the first companies in the UK to fit a Miniature Combined Heat and Power unit and we’re very excited to see how well it will perform.

"The boiler has huge potential to reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions as well as ensuring less energy is lost in transmission across the national grid.

“This system could be the next generation of gas boilers to be fitted in the UK.

"With increasing demands and peak energy prices, the need to introduce small scale micro-generation is apparent. We hope this helps to forge a path that others may follow in the future.”

The gas boiler operates like a normal combination boiler, firing on demand for heating or hot water.

When the boiler fires the exhaust emissions, which are usually dispelled through the flue, they are instead channelled to drive a small turbine.

This turbine creates electricity which can be used in the home or fed back into the national grid.

Every unit of electrical energy produced by the unit is metered and will be eligible for the “Feed in Tariff’s” (FIT’s) introduced earlier this year - the amount you can be paid for exporting renewable electricity to the national grid.

The FIT’s will be paid back to Wolverhampton Homes as an additional revenue stream.

The tenant should also see substantial savings on their utility bills as any electricity produced by the boiler is effectively free electric and will be used before power is pulled from the National Grid.