Greater energy efficiency towards Net Zero can be widely and quickly achieved through practical, economic and technical solutions, says Rinnai's Chris Goggin...
Chris Goggin of Rinnai looks at the imbalance between two distinct sides of the NetZero equation. On one hand there are academics and Govt policymakers expecting an energy & fuel scenario that ticks all boxes of theory and then there is the national & international marketplace with its own expectations, options and solutions.
He argues that a pragmatic, economic and technical approach is vital to aim for decarbonising UK commercial and residential building & housing stock.
UK energy consumers - both domestic and commercial - are confronting a list of uncertainties regarding the provision of future decarbonising power and energy. The wide variance of existing building stock and consistent misinformation spread through mass media along with the tactical use of academia amounts to an opaque vision of the UK energy landscape.
Academics and some of the dominant national media are wedded to the concept of total efficiency for both operational suitability & capability which will, in their logic, result in a Net Zero world. They have largely dismissed all other energy and power vectors as being Net Zero energy inefficient.
This approach has inherent weaknesses. Is it right to respond with just known technologies and policy solutions? This rush to identify what can be done is based on a somewhat reductive logic that doesn’t accept the inevitability of much more nuanced approaches which include planning truly and deliberately for the longer-term.
The belief that there is only one way holds more potential for many slips and trips along the way to 2050, the year written into UK statute law that we, as a nation, must achieve Net Zero. Energy policy makers may well stipulate that all future UK decarbonising aims will be met through the widespread and rapid adoption of very specific fuels, appliances and systems but there are practical realities along the way that must be faced and resolved.
Academia and mass media have both expressed views that support a narrow scope of potential low carbon alternative fuel sources and technologies. All notable media views approve of instant decarbonisation yet do not mention the numerous difficulties the domestic UK energy market has to confront.
For instance, mass media and academics who only voice just one viable route of decarbonisation do not appear to face the detail of coping with the current UK housing stock of 25 million dwellings.
Non-residential buildings are a more complex picture. The Non-Domestic National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework 2020 (England and Wales) published on 20th November 2020 by UK Govt Official Statistics made a summary and analysis of the non-domestic building stock and non-domestic building energy consumption in England and Wales using the latest version of the Non-Domestic National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework (ND-NEED).
The statistics in ND-NEED covered non-domestic buildings in England and Wales, under the ND-NEED definition. Information on the non-domestic building stock (building number, building use, building size) reflects the end of March 2020 Information on energy consumption covered 2016-2018, and comprises electricity and gas consumed via the public distribution system (onsite generated electricity consumption is not included).
The key results were:
• Under the ND-NEED definition, there are 1,656,000 non-domestic buildings in England and Wales (end of March 2020). The top three uses of non-domestic buildings are Shops (29%), Offices (20%) and Factories (14%).
• The total energy consumption of non-domestic buildings in England and Wales is 293 TWh (2018).
• The three building uses that consume the most energy are Factories (34%), Other (15%) and Offices (10%) (2018).
• The building use that has the highest energy intensity is Hospitality (2018).
The UK has almost 27 million buildings and all need to achieve the 2050 goal of NetZero, a date which we cannot change unless the law is changed.
Rinnai’s solution is to provide practical, economic and technical solutions. Rinnai offer decarbonising technology and systems suited to every possible site. Obtaining a hot water and heating system designed to the specificities of any site or property ensures that savings can be made in purchase, running costs as well as carbon emissions.
Some properties are better suited towards a specific heating and hot water delivery system. For example, hybrid heat pump or solar thermal with BioLPG options could be considered the better solution for heating and hot water delivery when thinking of off-grid rural locations, especially off-grid properties with high heating and hot water demand with limited space.
Urban occupants could be advised to look at systems that utilise hybrid designs including hydrogen-ready units for gas blends of up to 20%. If say, a customer owns an urban retirement community consisting of three Edwardian houses with a mixture of heating and hot water delivery applications, Rinnai can design and install ONE WHOLE system that guarantees maximum output and minimises fuel and operational costs.
Not only will Rinnai advise the customer on what system should be installed, Rinnai will design a heating and hot water system that complements the customer’s site. Whichever location or dwelling, Rinnai can offer and design a heating and hot water system that will help reduce costs and carbon emissions.
Policy makers, academics, large media outlets and customers alike all demand efficiency in a world where little is genuinely efficient. Rinnai recognises the obstacles of international energy policy, distribution and immediate UK low carbon requirements. As a result, Rinnai have adapted its product range to allow commercial and residential sites to choose the best option specific to them.
Decarbonising options include heat pumps, solar thermal, hybrid systems, hydrogen ready water heaters and hot water heating units – all configured to give the very best value and efficiency in the variety of fuels - natural gas, hydrogen, renewable sources, electricity and BioLPG and other renewable liquid fuels for off-grid properties. Rinnai remain committed to supplying a variety of cost effective, low-carbon systems that encourage domestic and commercial decarbonising solutions. Rinnai seek to produce technological, economic and efficient solutions in a world where little is truly efficient.
