Scottish Youth Hostel opens doors to green energy
to overview
A Scottish Youth Hostel on the Isle of Arran has integrated the latest green technology as part of an exclusive refurbishment project.
The 700 m2 Lochranza Youth Hostel, has been equipped with two Stiebel Eltron LWA 252 air source heat pumps. The units extract energy from the warm, moist air and use it to heat the hostel’s domestic hot water.
The 58 bed hostel has benefited in two ways because of the Stiebel Eltron green technology. The warm, moist air removed from the bedrooms and bathrooms has resulted in much cleaner, comfortable accommodation. Also, the cost of energy used within the hostel has significantly dropped as the heat pumps run much more efficiently than its previous system.
The Stiebel Eltron heat recovery pumps were put in as part of a full scale mechanical refurbishment, which also included a rainwater harvesting system and replacement domestic services system. They were installed by Glasgow based renewable energy design and installation specialist MMAXX.
Neil McFarlane, project manager of MMAXX, which installed the green technology said:
“The Stiebel Eltron heat recovery pumps were the best option for the hostel. We were able to install them within the building due to their low sound emissions. The hostel was also able to gain a grant for the work, due to the high performance of the products being installed. We have worked with Stiebel Eltron for a number of years now and we use their products for their high efficiency and dependability.”
Maurice Macklin, Scottish sales director for Stiebel Eltron highlighted the importance of shared accommodation using green technology.
“Lochranza Youth Hostel realised the benefits, financially and environmentally, of installing green technology,” he said. “Heat pumps will play a vital role in making the UK greener and by installing a unit it can not only reduce carbon emissions but as shown here, can recycle the latent air that is already within the building. We expect to see demand for heat pumps continue to increase due to the introduction of the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive and Feed-In-Tarrifs (see background). This means you are able to gain significant financial return on any green energy investment. ”
Stiebel Eltron can undertake a free energy efficiency report for any property in Scotland. This report will examine the heat demands of your building and detail a set of recommendations of how best to go green.
Background
Feed-In Tariff
The Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme will pay people for all the renewable power they produce from this April 2010. The scheme guarantees a fixed payment to the user for every unit of renewable energy
generated over a period of 10-25 years. A recent public opinion poll by YouGov showed 70% of UK homeowners would be interested in investing in domestic renewables under the scheme, if they felt the returns were attractive enough. With interest rates at a current historic low, the 5-8% under the FITs offers a better investment than leaving money in the bank. At the same time investors can cut carbon, help to build a successful UK industry and enjoy protection from unpredictable future energy price rises. While new to the UK, the ‘feed-in Tariff’ approach is currently used by over 40 countries. FIT supports the following renewable electricity technologies up to 5MW in size; solar PV;
wind; hydro-electric; biomass electricity; Anaerobic Digestion of organic wastes.
Renewable Heat Incentive
In February the Government published detailed consultation proposals for the world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which will pay people for the heat they generate themselves. The scheme, which is due to start in April 2011, is expected to lead to a rapid increase in the number of homes and offices heated by woodfuel, biogas, solar thermal, heat pumps and waste-to energy technologies.
This will be driven by the RHI guaranteeing that the average household will be paid well over £1,000 for the renewable heat they generate themselves.
Today, renewable heat technologies meet just 0.6% of UK heat demand, but by 2020 the Government aims to meet 12% or more of the UK’s heat demand through renewables. Demand for heat dominates energy use in the UK and is responsible for half UK energy use and half of UK Carbon Emissions.
The RHI offers long-term, fixed payments based on the type of installation. There will be payments also for every unit of renewable gas fed into the gas network. This “biomethane” is chemically identical to North Sea gas.
