Press Releases

March 2007

Whilst the changes to Part L2 and L2a of the Building Regulations are driving the Government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the non-domestic sector, Graham Williamson, business director of commercial heating at Ideal Boilers, says that for every new HE boiler installed, more than 10 will be repaired. Here, Williamson outlines why this is creating a false economy and discusses what installers can do to help their end-user customers make a more informed choice.

Factors such as rising fuel prices and legislation changes have placed greater demand on businesses to be more energy efficient. This has forced building service managers to look at the materials being used in the fabric of their building and identify cost-effective and energy efficient equipment for their premises that will help reduce their fuel bills.

For manufacturers, this has ultimately raised the bar on product development and the response has been excellent. There is now a range of high efficiency commercial condensing appliances on the market that meet and exceed legislation requirements.

However, even though there has never been a better time for businesses to take advantage of a high efficiency heating and hot water system for their premises, when faced with a repair or replace scenario, many are being deterred from making the much needed investment in a more efficient system, preferring to postpone the work or eke out a few more years of costly service from an existing appliance instead of replacing it.

In this respect, the Building Regulations have created a short termism view amongst end-users, which has resulted in the market for spare parts growing rapidly. This is because when faced with the possibility of a £2,000 repair of their existing system compared to a £10,000 replacement for example, the majority will always go for the cheaper option as is looks more economically viable in the short term.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and is one of the main issues in the repair versus replace debate. End-users are being distracted from making the much needed investment in a more energy efficient appliance because of the capital involved in the initial purchase price and cost of installation.

More importantly, the system’s overall efficiency, running costs and service and maintenance will have a more important bearing on how much a system will end up costing. The fact remains that repairing a SE appliance will only keep an inefficient boiler running longer, which will ultimately costs a business more money in the long run, both through the repair work needed to keep it running and the cost of running the appliance compared to a HE appliance.

Where boilers are concerned, it is better to take a planned approach rather than having to make a distressed and costly purchase when a boiler fails, which can have major implications on the smooth running of a business.

As an industry, it is vitally important that manufacturers and installers work together to communicate these issues to end-users to put them in a better position to make an informed choice, as many will not have the necessary technical background in heating systems to do so themselves.

Along with building confidence in the sector, taking this proactive approach has a number of key benefits. Firstly, there is still a lack of awareness amongst end-users on what they need to do to comply with legislation changes and the impact it has on their business. It is therefore vital that as an industry we guide them through this process, ensuring more energy efficient equipment is specified and the key benefits of this technology is understood.

Essentially, a condensing boiler recovers heat from the products of combustion (flue gases) causing the flue gas temperature to fall below its dew point and desposit condensate. There are further environmental benefits when a condensing boiler is operating at optimum efficiency, including reduced time in use, lower fuel demands and consequently less damaging emissions.

The second driver is the energy savings that can be made. A HE boiler when operating at full capacity potentially returns energy efficiency levels of up to an impressive 94%. Not only will this save end-users money off their fuel bills in the long run, but it will also help contribute towards the Government’s ambitious targets of reducing carbon emissions by 20% by 2010 and 60% by 2050.

Typically, with heating and hot water accounting for approximately X% of a building services manager’s fuel bill, if their commercial heating system is over X years old, it will be worth replacing it with a new, energy efficient model. For example, a SEDBUK A rated appliance like Ideal Boilers’ Imax xtra can save businesses up to X% off their fuel bills.

However, it must also be recognised that condensing boilers are not the be all and end all, as a condensing appliance installed into a system using traditional design parameters will not gain the maximum benefits. To realise the full potential of a HE boiler, factors such as flue terminal position, changes in the water distribution characteristics, updating controls and radiator sizes need to be considered.

Overall, by communicating the key issues in the repair versus replace debate and concentrating on the factors that end-users really care about, namely return on investment, the reward for the end-user will be a more energy efficient heating system and reduced fuel bills. In the end the choice is clear, commercial buildings can stay with old, potentially unreliable systems and continue to pay over the odds to heat buildings or they can take action now and invest to reap the benefits in the long term.

For more information on the high efficiency range of commercial appliances from Ideal Boilers visit www.idealcommercialboilers.com, email commercial_heating@idealboilers.com or call the commercial heating team on 01482 498 690.