Baxi welcomes recommendations on energy incentives

Date:

29/09/2008

Following its involvement in fringe events at the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences, Baxi has welcomed recommendations made by the Green Party that combined heat and power (CHP) should be considered as a viable means of contributing to UK carbon emissions reduction targets.

In 'The Alternative Energy Report' the Green Party states that measures currently outside of the current Government's policies, such as the use of combined heat and power, could contribute to a decrease of almost 40 per cent of UK electricity related carbon emissions by 2020*.

The Green Party's recommendations on microgeneration echo the messages contained in Baxi's recently published Sustainable Home Heating Report, which calls on the Government to recognise the potential that micro-CHP presents to reduce the harmful Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions caused by domestic gas and electricity use.

Caroline Lucas MEP, leader of the Green Party, describes CHP as a readily available energy efficiency solution. Speaking on Radio 4's Today Programme**, she said: "Energy efficiency should not just be considered as a short term solution to reducing carbon emissions and combined heat and power is tried and tested method."

Baxi Group Chief Executive Officer, Mark Kelly agrees with the Green Party's call for 'better incentives' for CHP that are, as stated by the party, 'given in proportion to their contribution to emissions reduction'.

Mark comments: "Through the publication of our Sustainable Home Heating Report, and our presence at the recent Labour Party Conference, we have urged the Government to consider rewarding households for using renewable and low carbon energy.

"As a leading multinational heating manufacturer we recognise that low carbon technologies, such as solar thermal, biomass, heat pumps and micro-CHP can make a serious contribution to reducing carbon emissions, and believe that a structured programme of incentives would transform the household energy sector."

Baxi has developed a micro-CHP unit to augment its existing sustainable energy product offering and will be the first manufacturer to offer a microgeneration product for domestic use. The groundbreaking new technology meets all the heating and hot water demands of the home, whilst also meeting the majority of its electricity needs and can be installed as a direct replacement for an existing boiler.

Mark concludes: "Real changes will only take place if households are fully rewarded for renewable and low carbon energy usage and, aided by suitable incentives, micro-CHP will become an accessible, viable means of reducing emissions.

Links

* The Alternative Energy Report, published by the Green Party, is downloadable from www.greenparty.org.uk

** A full transcript of the interview with Caroline Lucas on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 23 September 2008, can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7630000/7630706.stm