Mitsubishi Electric hopes Boiler Scrappage Scheme will help increase take up of green technologies

(26/01/2010)

The Boiler Scrappage Scheme offers a £400 incentive to households looking to upgrade their old heating system. The cash is available to anyone who replaces a G-rated boiler with a modern boiler, or a renewable heating unit. The Boiler Scrappage Scheme will help households cut their energy bills by at least £230 a year and significantly lower emissions, as over 70 per cent of the energy used in an average house goes on heating and hot water.

“We were initially concerned that the scheme would only look at replacing old gas boilers for new gas boilers, which would have penalised green technologies such as air source heat pumps, so we are delighted that they have been included in the scheme,” said John Kellett, General Manager of Mitsubishi Electric’s Heating Systems Division.

Whilst modern gas boilers are more efficient than older models and will help save energy, they still leave the household vulnerable to escalating energy prices and the country hostage to the global market as Britain is now a net importer of gas.

“We are at the point where it actually makes little sense to carry on relying on gas,” commented Kellett. “Prices continue to rise and even the most modern systems are less than 100 per cent efficient compared to a modern air source heat pump which can easily provide all the heating and hot water needed at efficiency levels of 300 or 400 per cent.”

Mitsubishi Electric has developed the Ecodan® range of modern air source heat pumps to offer a viable, low-carbon alternative to traditional oil and gas heating.

Ecodan can cut CO2 emissions by half and reduce running costs by at least 30 per cent over a gas boiler and the company has recently started manufacturing the system at its plant in Scotland. Mitsubishi Electric has already recruited around 500 accredited installer companies nationwide to meet the growing demand for low carbon, low running cost residential heating.

Even in temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees centigrade, Ecodan can extract enough energy from the outside air to meet a home’s heating and hot water needs. It requires just a small amount of electricity – no oil or gas – and takes renewable energy from the air to deliver three or four times more heating energy than the electricity consumed.

“We have designed Ecodan to be easy to install for an approved plumber and it works with both radiators and underfloor heating systems so that the household notice very little difference,” added Kellett. “We are already seeing increased interest in this modern form of heating and the scrappage scheme can only help increase take up.”

Related categories:  Boilers - Domestic   Boilers - Gas   Energy Conservation   Heat pumps   Residential applications