Baxi Ecogen not the only new arrival for Nehal

Date:

27/07/2009

The first day of May 2009 is a date that Nehal Mehta, National Planning Manager for British Gas, is unlikely to forget; it is the day his first child was born and the same day his Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP unit was installed.

Nehal and his family live in a three-bedroom bungalow in Stockport.  He is pleased to be one of the first households in the country to have a Baxi Ecogen installed, as part of nationwide field trial activity carried out in conjunction with British Gas. 

"The old boiler was in the house when we moved in nearly ten years ago," he explains.  "It was a great opportunity to upgrade the heating system to a high efficiency boiler, reduce our home's carbon footprint and to be a pioneer for this exciting new technology.

"The installation only took a day and a half - including moving the boiler and all the associated pipe work to the garage.  And it all went extremely smoothly, which was just as well, because our baby chose to come along during the work!

"The British Gas heating engineers found the unit straightforward to install, after watching the step by step installation DVD provided by Baxi.  As it was one of the first units the engineer had fitted, the Baxi technician was called to help with commissioning.

"I have been encouraged by the amount of electricity we have been generating: around 70 kWh during the first week.  And it is fascinating to watch our electric meter rolling backwards as we export electricity back to the grid rather than drawing from it!

"When you know how they work, the controls are simple to use and easy to understand, and I like the way we can alter the water and heating temperatures to suit us, especially since we have a new baby in the house.

"Before the unit was installed, we were concerned that the engine in the boiler would be noisy, but there are absolutely no issues.  It's very quiet.

"I'm pleased to report that mother, baby and Ecogen are all doing well!" adds Nehal.

Baxi Ecogen looks and acts just like a conventional wall-hung boiler.  It uses a Free Piston Stirling Engine to generate 1 kW of electricity per hour while it is providing space heating and hot water.  Because electricity generated close to its point of use is much more energy efficient than that provided by power stations, the environment benefits from significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

Recently the Government published detailed proposals for the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme, or Feed-in Tariff to be introduced in 2010. The proposals are a timely boost for microgeneration products, such as micro-combined heat and power like Baxi Ecogen, which can help householders save money on their fuel bills and reduce their CO2 emissions.

The scheme has the potential to ensure that householders who generate their own low carbon electricity receive a fair reward for it, in terms of units generated and sold back to the grid.

Earlier this year Baxi Ecogen added to its impressive list of success, winning the Micropower Council's prestigious Innovation Award. 

For more information please visit www.baxiecogen.com, email mchp@baxigroup.com or telephone 0844 871 1525.