OFTEC IRELAND NEWS
Update:
PLUMBING & HEATING MAGAZINE PROVIDES AN INSIGHT INTO OFTEC IRELAND AND THE PROMOTION OF THE LIQUID FUEL INDUSTRY IN IRELAND…
The team behind the project (L-R): Mark Bailie (Nextgen), Chris Renehan (GBL), Magnus Hamick (GBL), David Blevings (OFTEC) and Patrick Keatley (Nemo Energy).
IN A PIONEERING PROJECT, A CONSUMER IN BALLYFRENIS, MILLISLE, HAS TAKEN THE PLUNGE AND CONVERTED A NEW LIQUID FUEL BOILER TO RUN ON HVO WITH THE HELP OF OFTEC, NEXTGEN POWER, NEMO ENERGY AND GBL… Carbon reduction using HVO in real life
I f you were planning to move, build, or renovate your house and were given a choice of what fuel to use for your central heating and hot water demand, what would you choose: air source heat pump, ground source, natural gas, oil or biomass? There is a wide range of heating solutions on the market and the recent energy ‘spike’ has made consumers more energy-aware as we look to a Net Zero carbon future. WHAT OPTION IS REALISTIC AND AFFORDABLE TODAY? As Northern Ireland looks forward to a heat consultation in the summer months, many pundits are suggesting we need a range of technologies, and that all low- carbon pathways should be explored. In GB and the Republic of Ireland, both governments are proposing an all-electric future, with air source heat pumps (ASHP) being promoted as the
preferred option and district heating in urban areas. In the author’s opinion, an ASHP is an ideal product for a new build or thermally efficient house, but with 70% of bungalows, 50% of semis, 53% of detached and 44% of terraces in Northern Ireland being in SAP Band D – G, the question remains: will these houses be suitable for a heat pump?
answer. He has taken the plunge and converted his new liquid fuel boiler to run on a renewable liquid biofuel called hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The solution was designed by NextGen Power, and London-based Green Biofuels Ltd. GBF supplied the advanced HVO fuel, called GD+, which is made from renewable waste cooking oil and reduces CO 2 equivalent emissions by up to 90%. As part of the project, the hot water is hydraulically separated from space heating and supplied by a solar-assisted heat pump. This allows the boiler to operate in condensing mode all the time. The client has also added 4.5kW of solar PV linked to battery storage in the garage. He charges the battery pack overnight and any excess is exported back to the grid. The new homes in Ballyfrenis were completed in 2022 and are built to a high energy efficiency specification. A biofuel-
Many will claim they will, but with Governments’ data showing that
retrofitting or upgrading insulation and installing a heat pump will cost anywhere from £23K to £30K, and with consumer finance at a real-time low, is this really a viable option for the approximately 500,000 homes currently using oil and circa 200,000 using natural gas in NI? TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO HVO One consumer in Ballyfrenis, Millisle, believes that low-carbon liquid fuels and off-peak battery storage are the
“The recent energy ‘spike’ has made consumers more energy- aware as we look to a Net Zero carbon future.”
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