Welsh retirement homes welcome CHP
Combined heat and power and a wood-pellet boiler and are supported by a standby gas-fired boiler to generate electricity and heat for a new £15 million retirement home complex in Swansea. The energy centre for Hazel Court, a 120-apartment village for over-55s includes four Dachs CHP units from Baxi-SenerTec UK, each of which can generate 12.5 kW of heat and 5.5 kW of electricity with an overall fuel efficiency of 79 to 92%.
The savings achieved by generating electricity on site are being passed on to residents.
Following the success of this installation, Family Housing Association (Wales) which commissioned the complex along with the City and County of Swansea and the Welsh Assembly Government, is using CHP on other projects. Darrin Davies, head of property services, says, ‘Our experience on Hazel Court has encouraged us to adopt the technology elsewhere. We are impressed enough by the CHP to have specified it again on a 48-unit retirement home scheme in Ceredigion, west Wales. A 40-unit scheme in Pembrokeshire is also likely to feature CHP.’
The M&E element at Hazel Court was worth £3.2 million and was carried out by MITIE.
