In July 2010, a Vaillant auroTHERM exclusive three panel solar collector set and an ecoTEC 637 condensing boiler was installed at Woodlands bed and breakfast in Glossop, Derbyshire.

The installation followed the recommendation of a Vaillant solar panel system by Vaillant approved solar installers, Gas Care UK.

Woodlands’ tea rooms are now exclusively powered by the Vaillant auroTHERM solar panel system.

Brian Mairs and his wife Julie, owners of the bed and breakfast, were very pleased with the benefits that the new system has brought. “Our electricity bills have been horrendous for years. After having a conversation with Dave Wright, the director at Gas Care UK, we made the decision to have a Vaillant solar panel system installed”, Brian explained.


Dave Wright, Director at Gas Care UK, said: “Vaillant is one of our installer partners; we regularly use Vaillant products and trust the quality of the brand. Solar power was the ideal solution for Woodlands - as a guest house it has a high usage of heating and hot water. The solar panels can provide the heat source for the water and heating – so the owners shouldn’t have to pay gas or electricity bills. For this business, the investment in solar energy will pay for itself.”
Brian said: “The project has been partly-funded by an interest-free loan from a government body. It’s great to see that people like us, who want to invest in such projects, are being given a helping hand. Even in cloudy weather, the solar panels absorb the sun’s radiation, which means that the system is almost constantly running.

“This system is 90% more efficient than our previous boiler system and, in less than a year, we’ve already saved £850 in bills. We would recommend a Vaillant solar panel system to everyone; we are very pleased with this project.”
For more information on Vaillant, call 01634 292300 or visit: www.vaillant.co.uk
For Plumbing Merchants providing energy efficient boilers see http://www.energy-smart.org.uk/

Yell’s web design team has released a new infographic urging plumbers to use the internet to boost their business.

‘Stop the leak’ highlights the opportunity for plumbers to market themselves and gain more customers by having a website. It also outlines the active customer base they may miss out on if they do not adapt to the online world. 

Google statistics show that there are 823,000 searches for the keyword ‘plumbers’ nationwide, every month. UK plumbers who do not have a website could be missing out on a large number of these ‘in market’ consumers.

The infographic highlights the regular demand for plumbers with many Google searches being location-specific; there are 40,500* of these queries each month for London plumbers alone.

As stated in the infographic, 58% of all purchase decisions now begin with a search engine**. The internet is becoming the main research tool for anyone looking for a product or service, so plumbers without a website could find themselves being left behind.

Many plumbers feel that the best way to market themselves is by word of mouth and do not realise the potential value of an online presence***. These businesses fall into the 54% of small enterprises that do not have a website****.

Yell’s infographic shows various ways that plumbers can use online channels including email, web content and advertising, to turn search queries into real customers.

Marketing.yell.com, the online marketing resource from Yell, is aimed at giving free advice and information to small and medium sized businesses on how to market their businesses online. Yell provides web design services and has built more than 600 websites for plumbers.

For energy efficient boiler see http://www.energy-smart.org.uk/

Plumbers unprepared for move to energy-efficient homes

The report calls for more investment in 'upskilling' heating engineers and installers to cope with the shift to low-carbon heating. Photograph: Public domain

Plumbers are almost wholly unprepared for the "drastic change" to the way the UK's homes are heated as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions, leading engineers said on Thursday, meaning householders could need to turn to architects and engineers at a potential cost of over £20,000 per house.

In a report published on Thursday, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) also warned that government plans for insulation and green energy are not adequate for the changes needed for a shift to low-carbon heating. They called for a massive switch to renewable energy such as solar water heaters and wood-burning stoves to a street by street effort to upgrade insulation in Britain's draughty homes.

About a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions come from heating residential buildings, largely with gas. To meet future carbon reduction targets, the amount of fuel used must come down drastically and millions of homes will have to use new technology such as heat pumps.

The lack of necessary skills among plumbers and heating installers is proving a major brake on the UK's ability to make this switch, the RAE found. The study found examples of inexperienced or underqualified installers causing serious problems.

One household paid thousands more than it should have because a heat pump had been wrongly connected - instead of energy bills falling as they had expected, the bills soared from £30 to £250 a month. It cost thousands to fix. In another case cited by one of the study authors, solid wall insulation was badly installed in some old housing stock, causing condensation to collect on the walls and rot floor joists.

The authors called for more investment in "upskilling" heating engineers and installers, and a coordinated approach across the UK that would enable houses to be upgraded at a lower cost.

"We can no longer just muddle through," said Scott Steedman of the RAE. "We need to make drastic changes."

The engineers were wary of government plans to upgrade homes through its much-vaunted "green deal" policy, which will come into force late this year. Under the scheme, households will be offered loans to improve their properties' energy efficiency.

However, individual households will be responsible themselves for choosing to sign up to the scheme, which will be offered by a wide range of providers from energy utilities and supermarkets and large retailers to one-man-band plumbers and builders.

Rather than take this approach - which relies on people taking a long-term view of their future energy costs by agreeing to pay back loans over years through additions to their bills - it would be much more efficient to offer insulation street-by-street and housing estate by housing estate, the engineers said. This could work by asking householders in a particular area to opt out of a bigger scheme to insulate each building, rather than having to opt in.

"Street by street, group by group, estate by estate [would work]," said Steedman. "The green deal needs to be implemented very carefully or it could be just a mad scramble for DIY equipment. It has to be done in a considered way, to standards. This is a big investment and it has to be made in the national interest."

The authors also found that the UK could not rely on heat pump technology, as other studies have suggested, because it would lead to a 50% increase in electricity use. Heat pumps need electricity to work, but generate more energy than they use.

They also found that relying on large-scale renewables on the electricity grid, and switching houses over to electric heating, would not work because of the difficulty of meeting peaks in demand. "To attempt to meet the whole of such a load by renewables based on wind, tides or sun would require a level of installed capacity that would be almost impossible to build and that would be standing idle for most of the summer months, making energy very expensive," said the report.

But if houses can be upgraded and low-carbon heating systems installed, the UK is likely to save billions and generate new jobs. "Managing the UK's [heating] energy systems in a way that reduces CO2, avoids expensive imports, ensures energy security, does not exacerbate fuel poverty, supports job creation and works with - rather than against - the market will be hugely difficult," said Roger Kemp, professor of engineering at Lancaster University. "Government is only just coming to terms with the complexity of these multiple demands on policy."

News source guardian.co.uk

For energy efficient plumbing materials see www.energy-smart.or.uk

Ecoflam burners specified for ‘contractor range’ of boilers

The MAX OIL burner from EcoflamEcoflam has supplied its MAX OIL burners to TR Engineering for the Trianco range of Contractor SE Kitchen/Utility boilers.

The MAX OIL burners were chosen for their performance, high efficiency and quiet operation. The Contractor SE Kitchen/Utility range of floor standing boilers is available in outputs from 14kW to 65kW.

Commenting on Ecoflam, Peter Beighton, manufacturing director, TR Engineering, said: “We’ve had a long and well-established relationship with Ecoflam for many years and have always found the company’s products to be manufactured to the highest standards. The MAX OIL range of burners is no exception and we are really pleased with their performance in the Contractor range of SE boilers.”

Mark Bingley, technical manager, Ecoflam UK, said: “The drive for energy efficiency and compliance with the new Building Regulations means that more and more new boilers are being developed for the oil market. With our many years’ experience working with manufacturers, we are able to deliver the right burners for the job which are energy efficient, reliable and easy to service.”

The MAX OIL range of low NOx oil burners is suitable for domestic and commercial applications. Available in outputs from 17kW to 546kW, the range features an efficient fan ventilation system - making it compatible with a wide variety of boilers with high combustion chamber pressures.

To make maintenance easy, the MAX OIL has a single bolt burner fixing with the capability to firmly secure it to the flange in three fixing points. Plus, the hinge flange also allows access to the burner head without losing burner settings. Additional features include an air damper with progressive micrometric air regulation, easy to assemble combustion head and monoblock electrodes for simple nozzle installation after maintenance.

For more information, call Ecoflam UK on 01386 556092

For energy efficient plumbing supplies see energy smart www.energy-smart.org.uk

Plumbing News: Beat the big freeze

Frozen condensate pipes were a huge problem last year and many households were caught out during the severe cold weather spell – which in some areas went down to -20°C.

This has resulted in a large increase in the number of calls to boiler manufacturers and heating installers from householders with condensing (high efficiency) boilers where the condensate drainage pipe has frozen and become blocked with ice. This then causes the condensate to ‘back up’ into the boiler and can cause a complete shutdown.

British Standards, Building Regulations etc. currently allow condensate drainage pipes to be run either internally or externally, or a combination of both.

These documents give guidance on how to install the pipes in order to reduce the possibility of freezing. However, this guidance may not be sufficient to prevent freezing in extreme conditions - with widespread and prolonged very low temperatures.

In view of the possibility that UK weather patterns will show more “extremes” in future due to the effects of global climate change, the following guidance updates previous recommendations on condensate drainage pipe installation.

All other technical requirements for condensate drain installation given in British Standard BS 6798:2009, or in boiler manufacturers’ installation instructions should still be followed.

HHIC technical manager, Glyn Thomas, said: “These guidance documents have been developed in close consultation with HHIC member companies who manufacture and install boilers.

“They give additional information for installers on ways to avoid freezing of condensate drains, developed in the light of recent experience during prolonged spells of very cold weather in the UK - and for householders on possible actions to take if they have problems with frozen condensate drains during the winter ahead.”

HHIC’s Isaac Occhipinti said: “December temperatures have fallen every year for the last five years. Winter 2010 was the chilliest spell since 1979 with the coldest December on record. Our changing climate has put additional pressures on householders heating systems. That is why HHIC has issued official guidance for installers in case the high level of frozen pipes occurs again due to extreme weather.”

To find out more about the HHIC guidance, visit: http://www.centralheating.co.uk/checklists/frozen-condensate-pipes/frozen-condensate-guidance-installer.

For energy efficient plumbing supplies and cheap boilers contact energy smart www.energy-smart.org.uk or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/energysmartuk

Energy efficiencies of instant water provision

Issues relevant to today’s society, such as environment preservation, energy conservation and health care - as well as demand for lower NOx emissions and more efficient use of energy - have led to big advances in combustion and gas control technologies, particularly in instant hot water systems.

Design improvements by leading gas water heater manufacturers have increased heat efficiency of hot-water appliances, from 80% to 95%, while decreasing gas consumption by around 14%.

A continuous flow water heater system is the best option for all applications - from all types of domestic dwelling through to office buildings, hotels and leisure parks and caravan sites. With a continuous flow water heater you can never run out of hot water, no matter how many individual baths or showers are taken simultaneously. What is the point of wasting energy and money heating water for a number of hours for a brief period of use? 


With a continuous flow system the only time you are using energy is when there is a demand, in other words it is only burning gas when a tap or shower is turned on for use.

Conversely, stored hot water has to be kept at 60°C to combat Legionella and other waterborne diseases which add costs because you are permanently heating that volume of water to maintain that temperature. Even if you do not use any hot water, a standard cylinder will lose a maximum of 3kW of heat a day as a standing loss. All cylinders suffer from this to some extent and it actually equates, over a year, to 1095kW of energy wasted; a big hole in the pocket for the benefit of having a cylinder taking up space. If you also look at the gas saving alone it equates to 101.8m³ of gas used.

Another downside to a stored water system is that room has to be found for a cylinder and considerable care would have to be taken when mounting it: for example, when full a standard one could weigh 250kg and be 579mmW x 1486mmH. On the other hand, with an instant system the water heater is wall mounted and is typically only 582mmH x 355mmW x 234.5mmD and weighs just 24kg, so no floor space is lost.


The use of single internal continuous flow gas water heaters can really make a difference to running costs, but step up to a condensing system with a secondary steel heat exchanger within the unit and this is where the very high efficiency figures kick in. The other advantage of a condensing unit is that there is a higher modulation range as these units will modulate down from 59.5kW input to as low as 2.83kW input.

The condensing process can deliver up to 95% thermal efficiency, which translates to significant energy savings when compared to standard tankless water heaters.

A gas continuous flow hot water system is simplicity itself to install as basically it is just three pipes gas in, cold in and hot out. There is no extra specific qualification required as there is with a sealed hot water system engineers do not require G3 unvented cylinders. This means less training and subsequently reduced overheads for the installers.

To make even greater savings, the linking of a renewable energy source to a continuous flow system is very easy to accomplish. The flow of domestic hot water is heated by the renewable energy source and is then fed through the water heater; the idea being that the water unit is pre-set to a temperature of 60/65°C then if the renewable energy source does not get to this temperature the water heater makes it up. The reason for the high temperature is to get the most from the renewable source.


With regards to maintenance this, as all gas appliances, is required once a year and would take on average less than one hour to complete.


For energy efficient plumbing supplies check out Energy Smart.

Plumbing News: SkillPLUMB 2011 crowns a winner

Twenty-five year old Tom King from Brian King Plumbing & Heating has been named the 2011 SkillPLUMB champion after three days of intense practical competition at Leeds College of Building.

The finalists’ task was to fit a simulated domestic central heating system, a wash basin, hot and cold shower pipework and plastic waste pipework to a simulated WC.

Tom, a student at Grimsby Institute, beat nine other competitors to take the gold medal after judges scored him most highly against a strict criteria including bend and joint quality, bend angles and clearances, plumb and level pipework and appliances, soundness testing, material usage and health and safety.

The competition, which has the UK Copper Board as its premier sponsor, awarded silver and bronze places to Lee Cuthill (DI Jones Heating Engineering) and Phillip Kempsell (KEJ Services) respectively.

Raymond McWilliam of Speyside Plumbing Services and Alex Henning of Gower College Swansea were also awarded with special Highly Commended medals for an excellent performance.

Speaking after his win, Tom, said: “The competition was so tight, we really couldn’t tell who was ahead, so I can’t believe I have won. It was a challenge to get everything done to the specification, so it’s great to know that I came out on top. I’ve made some good friends here, meeting the other guys has been brilliant, and I’d like to thank Brian King Plumbing for all its support.”

Neil Collishaw of SummitSkills, organiser of the competition, said: “Just watching these talented people compete has been fantastic. Aside from their obvious technical skills I’ve been particularly impressed by the conduct and professionalism of the competitors – they are a credit to their families and an asset to their employers.

“Judges were impressed by Tom’s planning and pace of work. His dimensional accuracy and bend quality were superb; both these areas contributed to his very high overall score.”

As an added bonus for the top three competitors’ colleges - Grimsby Institute, Yale College Wrexham and Bedford College – each will receive a press-fit tool courtesy of the UK Copper Board.

News source: hpmmag.com

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