Country life and it's future

Energy for country life and its future

Calor and climate change

Calor supports the Government’s efforts to tackle climate change and is investing heavily in the development of new residential energy technology that could halve the CO2 emissions of a typical property – with only a limited additional cost to the consumer.

At Calor we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and we want rural property owners to have a strong voice in the energy efficiency debate – and the opportunity to reduce their carbon emissions and fuel costs.

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Calor and the countryside

  • Calor was set up 75 years ago with the aim of bringing clean, efficient and modern energy to rural Britain. This focus continues today with around 75% of our business in the British countryside.

  • Initiatives such as the Calor Village of the Year® competition, for instance, reward and publicise smaller communities that demonstrate exemplary sustainable practice.

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The nature of Rural Britain

  • Non-mains gas Britain comprises approximately 2,000,000 households and 4,600,000 people.

  • This rural population contains around twice the percentage of retired people than the general population.

  • The DCLG English House Condition Survey (updated Nov 2008) also concluded that there are nearly three times as many households in rural areas in fuel poverty and that the numbers are increasing compared to urban areas.

  • Rural Britain therefore needs efficient, cost-effective home energy systems.

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Energy options for rural British domestic buildings

  • Rural standing buildings tend to be older and possibly stone-built, very often with solid floors and located in relatively isolated communities. The nature of the building stock, and the fuel options available in rural areas, limit the range of low carbon energy technologies that can be employed.

  • The building of new properties in rural (i.e. non-mains gas) areas is relatively limited. Therefore, reducing carbon emissions in rural housing is predominantly about cutting carbon emissions from the standing housing stock.

  • Low carbon energy options are further limited by the high CO2 emission levels and limited capacity of electricity in Britain. UK electricity is amongst the highest polluting in Europe; a recent DEFRA report suggested 0.526 Kg CO2/kWh.

  • Much of the electricity in dispersed rural Britain is also only single phase, limiting the power available for electric powered heating systems to approximately 3.5kW.

  • Rural housing, often with long electricity transmission distances, is also subject to more frequent electricity blackouts than urban housing.

  • Biomass burns wood or processed wooden pellets but there is a limited UK supply. The CO2 emission figures do not take into account ‘carbon stock decrease’ or transport emissions.

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The next generation of home energy technology

  • LPG is the lowest carbon-emitting fossil fuel available in rural areas (0.265 Kg CO2/kWh) and LPG technology continues to develop quickly in response to UK low-carbon requirements.

  • Calor is working with the UK company Ceres Power, to bring the next generation of boilers to the UK rural market. The Calor LPG Fuel Cell Boiler will heat the property with a high efficiency condensing boiler, but will also generate around 80% of the electricity required in a domestic rural property. Generating electricity at the point of use avoids the wasted energy associated with power stations and transmission systems.

  • The Calor LPG Fuel Cell Boiler will be able to cut the CO2 emissions of an average property by up to 50% through an investment of only approximately £2,000 more than the cost of a modern condensing gas boiler.

The Calor LPG Fuel Cell Boiler is available from 2012.

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Domestic Heating Technology

Approximate cost for appliance system and installation

Additional modifications to a standing property

Fuel availability and practicality

Carbon savings compared to total CO2 emissions from average domestic property

Ground Source
or Air Source Heat Pump

 

 

£6,000-£12,000
(Not including
underfloor elements)

 

 

Extensive insulation in older buildings.
Under-floor heating.
Bore holes or burying
of collectors with
Ground Source.

Limited output on single phase electricity.

Limited practicality in older properties.

Vulnerable to electricity
cuts.

2.4-2.6 tonnes.

Using current SAP figure for UK
electricity CO2 emissions.
(0.422 Kg CO2/kWh).

Solar

 

 

£3,000-£5,000
Additional heating
required.

 

Installation of roof
panels.

Readily available, but a solar system will require a back-up heating system.

0.325 tonnes.

 

 

Biomass
Boiler

 

 

£6,000-£14,000

 

 

Wood storage.

Limited fuel availability.

Regular maintenance.

Does not generate
electricity.

3.7 tonnes.

60% reduction off-mains Presumes biomass is locally
produced and replaced.

Condensing Boiler

 

£3,500-£4,500

 

None.

Fuel available

 

1.8 tonnes.

30% reduction

 

Calor LPG
Fuel Cell Boiler

£5,500-£6,500

None.

Fuel available.
Generates electricity.

Black-out protection
system can keep the heating system running during power cuts.

2.8 tonnes.
Up to 46% reduction compared to an average UK property.

Up to 50% reduction where oil
is displaced.
 
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Why LPG?

Innovations such as the Calor LPG Fuel Cell Boiler could halve C02 emissions from homes in the countryside. LPG has traditionally offered a flexible fuel to meet the needs of the rural community and Calor has taken the initiative in developing efficient, cost-effective energy solutions which can also considerably reduce carbon emissions in these communities and help them meet government targets.

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