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Scottish Gas and Link Housing Association, part of the Link group, are helping to lift a tenant and her family out of fuel poverty, having teamed up to trial a Baxi Ecogen micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) appliance - one of the first of its kind to be installed in Scotland.
Scottish Gas approached Link with a proposal to install the micro-CHP unit in the home of the Link tenant. Baxi Ecogen can deliver renewable electricity and heat by utilising bio-natural gas. Carbon emissions are reduced by generating electricity at the point of use - avoiding the system losses associated with central power production. While producing heat the unit also generates electricity, making it a very cost effective way of heating and providing energy in a home, with the potential to help reduce fuel poverty.
The unit was supplied by Baxi and installed free of charge by Scottish Gas in the home of a tenant in Drip Road, Stirling. It replaced electric storage heaters which were costing the family, a staff nurse who works nights, her daughter and baby grand-daughter, at least £50 per week for heating.
Both organisations are now monitoring the results of the trial and the cost saving benefits it is expected to bring to the tenant. Following the coldest winter in 30 years, initial results are impressive.
The combined gas and electricity bill for October to January was only £293 - saving them almost £300 on their expected fuel costs. The Baxi Ecogen generated 1154kWh, and the electricity that was not used in the home was exported back to the grid.
The householder was absolutely delighted. "During the hardest winter for years, we worried about the cost of keeping warm, based on the money we spent last year," she said. "It has been a great relief and wonderful surprise to find that, simply by changing our heating, we have made such huge savings."
Willie Clemie, Technical Service Manager with Link Housing said: "We were pleased to extend our existing relationship with Scottish Gas by taking part in this innovative trial project. In line with our Affordable Warmth Strategy we are looking forward to finding out more about the unit's potential to bring cost saving benefits to tenants and also how it may help to reduce the impact of fuel poverty."
Deborah Skelton Business Development Manager for Scottish Gas, Contract Partnerships said "This is the first Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP boiler to be installed in Scotland and we are very pleased to be a part of this project with Link Housing Association.
"Baxi Ecogen is a fully automatic gas fired, wall mounted, condensing heat only boiler which will produce up to 1kW of electricity for the tenant. The electricity that isn't used at the time of production will be fed back into the national grid and is already saving the tenant money, as well as saving energy and reducing carbon emissions."
