Micro-CHP provides alternative to solar energy in housing regeneration project
A regeneration partnership in Lancashire has opted for has opted for Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP to provide low-carbon heating and hot water for the redevelopment of 14 homes on Staley Street in Nelson. PEARL2 (Pendle Enterprise & Regeneration Ltd) is a partnership between Pendle Council and Barnfield Construction. This project includes 12 of the homes being joined to make six spacious double-fronted homes.
The orientation of the properties prevented the use of solar-thermal water heating and solar-PV panels, so micro-CHP was selected to reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.
Extensive field trials have shown that an Ecogen unit can reliably satisfy up to two-thirds of a typical household’s electricity requirements. About half of this energy can be used in the home and half exported to the grid at 10 p/kWh using the Feed-in Tariff.
The combination of reduced electricity demand and income from the Feed-in Tariff could save about £600 a year.
Ecogen units are based around a free-piston Stirling engine which provides heating and hot water and up to 1 kW of electricity. Intelligent controls ensuring maximum electricity generation and user comfort, while minimising fuel costs.
