BAXI heating

Baxi parent company, BDR Thermea Group heats historic homes with 100% hydrogen boilers in world-first pilot

Baxi parent company, BDR Thermea Group heats historic homes with 100% hydrogen boilers in world-first pilot

Pure hydrogen boilers, manufactured by BDR Thermea Group’s Dutch brand Remeha, supplied with hydrogen via existing natural gas grid Baxi’s parent company, BDR Thermea Group, the leading manufacturer of smart indoor climate solutions, today launches a world-first pilot using its 100% hydrogen boilers in 12 inhabited homes with hydrogen supplied

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Virtual Training Prioritised with Baxi Assure

To boost the confidence of professionals installing energy efficient heating and hot water products for residential new build developments, Baxi has continued to prioritise training with bespoke virtual learning modules. Throughout the pandemic, Baxi has supported housing providers, developers and their contractors with virtual training opportunities. This approach has allowed

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Latest Issue

BDC 321 : Oct 2024

BAXI heating

Baxi parent company, BDR Thermea Group heats historic homes with 100% hydrogen boilers in world-first pilot

Baxi parent company, BDR Thermea Group heats historic homes with 100% hydrogen boilers in world-first pilot

Pure hydrogen boilers, manufactured by BDR Thermea Group’s Dutch brand Remeha, supplied with hydrogen via existing natural gas grid Baxi’s parent company, BDR Thermea Group, the leading manufacturer of smart indoor climate solutions, today launches a world-first pilot using its 100% hydrogen boilers in 12 inhabited homes with hydrogen supplied via an existing natural gas grid. The pioneering pilot in the eastern Dutch town of Lochem is the first time hydrogen heating is being tested at this scale anywhere in the world. The detached listed houses, all built around 1900, will each be equipped with one of the boilers, which burn pure hydrogen with zero carbon emissions. The hydrogen is fed into the existing gas grid at a nearby industrial zone.   A collaboration between BDR Thermea’s Dutch brand Remeha and grid operator Alliander, the pilot will run for three years, ensuring extensive testing in wintertime, when heat demand peaks. The houses were deliberately chosen as older residential housing stock, with restrictions to the changes that can be made to them due to their heritage status.  Bertrand Schmitt, CEO of BDR Thermea Group, said: “Heating of buildings and water contributes significantly to energy use and CO2 emissions: space heating accounts for 63.6% and water heating 14.8% of EU residential energy use. Decarbonising buildings is therefore an urgent imperative, and hydrogen is one of the key technologies to do this, alongside heat networks, all-electric heat pumps and hybrid solutions that twin heat pumps with gas boilers.” The landmark pilot builds on a raft of exploratory projects involving Baxi and the wider BDR Thermea Group. Baxi is currently participating in the Government-funded Hy4Heat programme, which sees the manufacturer showcase prototype hydrogen boilers at the UK’s first 100% hydrogen public demonstration in Low Thornley, near Gateshead. Meanwhile, its boilers are also being used for the world’s first green hydrogen-to-homes heating network pilot, involving 300 homes in Levenmouth, Fife, and are set to be used for the UK’s first ‘hydrogen village’ in Whitby, Ellesmere Port, in 2025. Karen Boswell, Managing Director at Baxi UK & Ireland, adds: “The pilot in Lochem demonstrates our ongoing commitment to exploring installer-friendly home heating solutions for the future – in this case supplying hydrogen via the familiarity of an existing gas network. We recognise the important role a hydrogen-compatible grid could play in decarbonising UK homes and will use insights from this pioneering trial to accelerate that drive.” As part of BDR Thermea Group, Baxi is pioneering a greener future through a series of commitments to sustainability in addition to its pilot projects. The business has committed to be carbon neutral across its operations by 2025, while every product it manufactures from 2025 will work with low carbon energy. Recent research commissioned by the European Heating Industry and published by consultancy firm Guidehouse shows that a mix of heating technologies is the fastest way to cut natural gas consumptions in 2030 by 45%, and would generate an aggregated cost benefit of over EUR 520 billion until 2050. Heat pumps play a key role in decarbonising heating and are perfect for well-insulated houses and newbuilds. Hybrids can reduce carbon emissions quickly in less-insulated existing buildings, reducing gas use by up to 70%. In time, the remaining gas use can be cut by using renewable gases, such as green hydrogen. To find out more about Baxi, visit www.baxi.co.uk

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Virtual Training Prioritised with Baxi Assure

To boost the confidence of professionals installing energy efficient heating and hot water products for residential new build developments, Baxi has continued to prioritise training with bespoke virtual learning modules. Throughout the pandemic, Baxi has supported housing providers, developers and their contractors with virtual training opportunities. This approach has allowed for more valuable training to continue, covering the installation, commissioning and maintenance of the Baxi Assure complete home service range of boilers, hot water cylinders, air source heat pumps, energy saving accessories and controls. The virtual training programme has proven so successful that Baxi will continue to offer it as an option, even when nationwide training centres re-open later in the year following government guidelines. Tom Murray, Specification Director Commercial and Residential at Baxi Heating, said: “With the energy transition to a net-zero future at the forefront of the residential specification market place, being able to train customers on new technologies and products that will aid the industry to meet the carbon challenge is really important. For the residential new-build market, this will mean a greater emphasis on the importance of technologies such as air source heat pumps. However, our training valuably covers the complete range of our products including our gas and electric boilers, hot water cylinders, energy saving accessories including the SHRU, FGHR and heating controls.” As part of the complete home service, advice from qualified Baxi SAP assessors to help boost efficiency and a Baxi Design service is provided for accurate sizing and specification. Projects benefit further from support at every stage from a dedicated team of specification managers, and a Project Hub to manage project product registrations, in addition to technical support and advice from installation to legislation. To find more information about Baxi Assure Bespoke Training services and to register your interest please visit http://www.baxi.co.uk/assuretraining and follow Baxi Assure on social media linkedin/baxiassure    

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Expert Panel Joined by Government Climate Change Minister Moots Priorities for Heat Decarbonisation

The UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is soon expected to deliver its strategy for heat and buildings decarbonisation. Today – 31 March – BEIS Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Climate Change, Lord Callanan, joined an expert panel to discuss the beginning of the journey to zero emissions, on which the heating industry and its customers are about to embark. A key theme and outcome of the panel discussion was the pressing need for government and industry to engage consumers and influential heating installers. The widely-held view was that it was becoming essential to explain the benefits and transition path to new forms of low-carbon heat, namely hydrogen boilers, heat pumps and heat networks. Karen Boswell OBE, Managing Director of Baxi UK & Ireland, opened the virtual seminar by outlining the company’s plans to lead a sustainable heating revolution. This included Baxi’s ongoing research and development of low carbon technologies and its own role educating customers and installers. The expert panel was also attended by Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of Energy UK, Ian Rippin, CEO of Microgeneration Certificate Scheme and Mike Thornton, CEO of Energy Saving Trust, who explored the imminent need to begin decarbonising heating with current low carbon technologies, while future technologies and solutions are developed. The panellists highlighted that, although there are known technologies and solutions that will help in this process, there are still challenges. This includes upskilling heating engineers to be able to install new low-carbon heating and hot water technologies. Although the mix of low carbon technologies and its implementation has much further to go panellists agreed it was critical to deliver clear-cut solutions to meet the energy needs for the wide variety of buildings in the UK. To be successful, it was emphasised that now is the time for action in order to deliver a sustainable future for generations to come. Karen Boswell says: “We are pleased to have started the first of many discussions which demonstrate Baxi, the Government and key industry organisations are fully committed to plans for the decarbonisation of heating and buildings. “Making low carbon solutions readily available, ensuring there is a rich body of professionals to install them, and engaging the general public will be key to starting this progress. We can’t wait for a single, clear-cut solution that will likely never arise. Right now, we must get consumers and industry professionals on side to support the solutions, training and new services that are needed long into the future. “Baxi is committed to leading the low carbon heating revolution. All products we manufacture will from 2025 work with low carbon energy sources and we have pledged that, by 2030, we will be net zero across our operations in the UK.  In the meantime, we’re eager to get the conversation started with our industry partners and customers to ensure we make the transition that is coming is as smooth as possible.” To find out more about Baxi Heating’s sustainability commitments, visit: www.baxiheating.co.uk/sustainability

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