Mini-CHP is green success for London Fire Brigade
Indicative of the energy savings being achieved by Baxi-SenerTec Dachs mini-CHP installations and solarPV by London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire station at Battersea. In just four months, this station received 4100 kWh of electricity from the CHP unit and 1730 kWh from solarPV. Battersea has reported a £2500 annual saving in fuel cost, which means the payback on the purchase cost of the CHP system could be less than six years. The site’s carbon footprint is being reduce by 23 t a year.
Over 35% of London Fire Brigade’s stations now have such Mini-CHP installations, and the proportion is expected to reach 50%, excepting only those buildings without suitable space.
Lloyd Bentley, LFB energy and compliance manager, says of mini-CHP, ‘It is the most appropriate technology for energy intensive 24/7 buildings like fire stations. It is an “easy fit” technology, which offers the bonus of free electricity.’ The heat is used for water and space heating.
Heat meters were installed with every mini-CHP unit to measure output. Automatic meter reading helps establish a detailed picture of energy patters via gas and electricity metering.
Dachs mini-CHP engines are designed to operate for thousands of hours, delivering up to 440 MWh of electricity and 1200 MWh of usable heat at a combined efficiency of over 90%. They will also reduce carbon emissions by over 100 t during their operating life compared with conventional methods of delivering heat and electricity.’
