Paul Hawkins, Commercial Sales Manager at Vokèra by Riello Commercial, explains how mixed technology solutions could help the HVAC industry meet the UK Government’s target of net zero carbon by 2050.
Reducing CO2 emissions associated with heating our buildings is vital if we are to achieve the ultimate goal of zero carbon. However, decarbonising a sector which has become so reliant on fossil-fuels – and within the next thirty years – is clearly a challenge. It will require every new home to be designed and constructed to use clean heat, and for heating systems in existing properties to be switched to low carbon alternatives.
One of the issues the industry faces when trying to make heating systems more climate-friendly is that renewable energy sources tend to be less reliable than traditional heating methods. Given the rather unpredictable UK weather, technologies that rely on latent temperatures like solar power, for instance, may not be sufficient to ensure year-round comfort for building occupants. Although cutting carbon emissions is obviously the main objective of installing a sustainable heating system, performance and reliability are also important, particularly for the end-user. However, we know we cannot rely on traditional systems alone to meet the UK’s carbon emissions target. So, using the hybrid car analogy, could combining heating technologies offer the best of both worlds: a low carbon system that maintains occupier comfort?
Hybrid solution
Specifying new build developments with a centralised heating plant is already helping developers to meet increasingly demanding emission targets. Compared with installing a gas supply and numerous separate boilers, a centralised modular boiler system connected to each property by a heat interface unit (HIU) can help cut a building’s carbon footprint significantly, without compromising comfort for residents. Combine this system with renewable technologies, such as commercial air source heat pumps (ASHP) or solar thermal energy, to create a hybrid solution and the carbon footprint can be reduced even further.
A prime example of a hybrid heating system is a commercial boiler that works alongside renewable energy sources as a sort of ancillary system – the boiler only kicks in when the renewable source, such as an ASHP, is unable to match demand. Given the obvious benefits, forward-thinking manufacturers like Vokèra by Riello Commercial can now offer a complete range of fully integrated commercial heating products, including high efficiency Commercial ASHP and easy-to-install HIUs, with the ability to be part of a hybrid solution. In fact, we are already supporting the design and installation of such systems in commercial applications.
Maximising efficiency
Modern commercial boilers, like our Condexa Pro condensing range, have been specially designed to deliver optimum efficiency, with energy-saving features that include advanced electronic controls and a wide modulation ratio. In order to further increase efficiency, and help meet emissions targets, these boilers can now be integrated with renewable technologies. For instance, a hybrid system combining our NXH Commercial ASHP range could be used to meet the majority of heat demand, with the gas boiler available at times when the renewable source is unable to sufficiently match the demand. As an additional advantage, this approach could also help promote wider uptake of sustainable heating products, like heat pumps, as the HVAC industry makes the transition to net zero.
Taking all these benefits into consideration, we believe that installing modern, high efficiency, modular boilers combined with renewable technology could provide the perfect balance between carbon, comfort and energy efficiency for a wide range of commercial heating applications.
For more information as well as news and updates, visit vokera.co.uk/commercial
