Heat Pumps/ Biomass

Renewable Heat

Heating buildings constitutes the single biggest use of energy in the UK. With strict carbon reduction targets in place, low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps and biomass boilers can offer potential savings on energy and carbon emissions.

The UK is the first country in the world to incentive the implementation of renewable heat technology under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI); a clear signal as to the importance and the potential of this rapidly growing industry sector. At Funky Renewables, our main aim is in bringing you the very best in renewable heat technology, which will not only change the way you heat your property, but will also help you take advantage of the latest Government subsidies whilst driving down the cost of your annual heat requirements.

What is a heat pump?

Heat pumps are also called ‘heat engines’ as they move low grade heat from the outside environment , compress the energy and then use the energy to suppy heating and hot water. Think of them as working like fridges except in reverse.  

Types

Most heat pumps use one of three alternative sources of heat:

• Ground Source Heat Pumps collect heat from a glyco solution fluid that is pumped around round the ground loop or vertical loops in boreholes.
• Air Source Heat Pumps use the ambient air as a heat source. They do not require extensive ground works and can be retro fitted to urban buildings.
• Water Source Heat Pumps use a a stream, river or pond to take their heat from. They can either ‘closed loop’ with a heat exchanger in the water or ‘open loop’ where the water itself is drawn through the heat pump

The heat pump rely on electricity to extract the heat. For every 1 kW of electrical enertgy used the Heat pump will typically delivers 2½ to 4 kW of heat energy. Thus making them a low carbon technology. Used with renewable electricl source they are carbon free.

How much energy they produce

Heat pumps are normally designed to meet the total heat requirement of the building. In larger building bivallent systems (normally back up gas boilers) can be more efficient. They can be used with solar thermal systems to pre-heat the water thus reduce more the energy consumption.

What maintenance they need.

Heat pumps are like fridges and require very little maintenance. It is recommend a service visit once a year to clean the filters and check on the performance of the system.

Anything that is organic is technically biomass and can be used for fuel. The most popular form of biomass is wood. Biomass is a renewable, low carbon fuel that is available throughout the UK. Its production and use also brings additional environmental and social benefits. Correctly managed, biomass is a sustainable fuel that can deliver a significant reduction in net carbon emissions when compared with fossil fuels.

The benefits of biomass heating:

• Affordable heating fuel: with modern highly efficient biomass boilers, the running costs it is often cheaper than other heating options.
• Financial support: wood fuel boiler systems benefit from the Renewable Heat Incentive with low payback years.
• Low-carbon: Biomass has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of all renewable heating.

The carbon emitted when wood is burned is the same amount that is absorbed when the plants are growing. Carbon neutral. The process is sustainable as long as new plants continue to grow in place of those used for fuel. There are some carbon emissions caused by the cultivation, manufacture and transportation of the fuel, but as long as the fuel is sourced locally, these are much lower than the emissions from fossil fuels. The main source of biomass in the UK is timber from forestry, which falls under the remit of the Forestry Act (1967).

The UK Government introduced the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to provide long-term guaranteed financial support for renewable heat installations. It is the first type of scheme in the world to incentivise renewable heat over a long period. It is similar to the popular Feed in Tariff (FITs) for solar PV technology except the owner of the equipment is paid for ‘renewable heat’ produced.

Non-domestic RHI

The non-domestic RHI came into force November 2011 and gives financial incentives for the use of HPs as a form of renewable heating. ‘The RHI will represent over £850m of investment over the spending review period, driving a more-than-tenfold increase of renewable heat over the coming decade and shifting renewable heat from a fringe industry firmly into the mainstream’. To receive RHI funding, all HPs must be on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) list of approved equipment, heat output to be metered and the payments will be calculated from the amount of eligible heat multiplied by the tariff level.

For more details on the Renewable Heat Incentive, please visit: The Official Government Website

How will the RHI payments work?

After joining the RHI scheme, homes will receive a quarterly tariff payment for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of renewable heat they produce, for seven years for domestic (and 20 years for non-domestic).