Remeha helps Knauf Insulation slash energy use by two thirds

Dec. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Energy consumption in Knauf Insulation's Cymbran office buildings has plummeted from 574,560kWh to 186,960kWh since introducing the two Remeha Quinta Eco Plus 115 passive flue gas heat recovery heating systems twelve months ago. The company reports savings in energy use and heating bills of 67 per cent, with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions since upgrading its ageing boilers to Remeha’s ‘super condensing’ technology and adding smarter controls.

Data shows a drop in carbon at Knauf Insulation’s Cwmbran offices from 109 to 35 tonnes*. The savings are particularly significant given that the mean temperature over the UK in winter 2012/13 was 0.4°C below the 1971-2000 average, according to figures supplied by the Met Office. Furthermore, March 2013 was the coldest March since 1962, with a mean temperature 3.3°C below the average.

The actual savings also exceed the estimated reduction of up to 40 per cent.

The Quinta Eco Plus was recommended to project managers MII Engineering by Knauf Insulation. The move is part of a wider commitment to improving sustainability by Knauf Insulation, which has also seen the manufacturer achieve zero waste to landfill at Cwmbran, as well as its three other UK production sites.

Oleksandr Prykhodko, plant manager at Knauf Insulation’s Cwmbran facility, commented: “Minimising our environmental impact is a central focus of our sustainability strategy and reducing energy use is a key aspect of this. The Quinta Eco Plus system provided by Remeha has certainly helped us achieve that and we’re really pleased with the results.”

The Quinta Eco Plus guarantees maximum condensing efficiency of 107% NCV ≥ 82/71°C in all systems regardless of the primary flow and return temperatures, recovering otherwise wasted energy for space heating or pre-heating domestic hot water. This makes it the optimal solution for retrofit projects as it recovers energy from old heating systems that take more energy to heat.

In addition to the significant energy and carbon savings, the refurbishment resulted in valuable extra space for Knauf Insulation. Due to the very small footprint of the Quinta Eco Plus, the company has been able to partition the original plant room into two separate rooms and gain a new office space.

“I’m so impressed with the Quinta Eco Plus that I’ve already recommended it for a number of other refurbishment projects,” said Andy Norman of MII Engineering Ltd. “It’s simple to install and hugely space saving – and for businesses, it will bring enormous energy savings which can only be welcome.”

Sales enquiries:www.remeha.co.uk, E: boilers@remeha.co.uk, T: 0118 978 3434

Energy Data at Knauf Insulation’s Cwmbran offices

*Energy previously used for heating: 574,560kW/year = £14,364kW/year = 109 tonnes carbon/year

Energy used now: 186,960kW/year = £4,674kW/year = 35 tonnes of carbon/year

Savings: 387,600 kW/year = £9,690 = 74 tonnes of carbon/year

About Remeha Commercial

Remeha Commercial has been producing ultra energy-efficient commercial heating and hot water solutions since 1935, earning a reputation for quality, reliability and excellence. Today, Remeha Commercial continues to innovate and challenge accepted efficiency levels with a unique range of sustainable systems that deliver lower fuel costs and reduced carbon emissions. These include the Remeha range of energy efficient, low NOx condensing boilers, ground-breaking ‘super condensing’ full time heating systems incorporating PFGHRDs, and high performance renewable solutions from biomass to heat pumps that will help the UK move to a low carbon future and bring maximum carbon and energy savings.

About Remeha Quinta Eco Plus

The Remeha Quinta Eco Plus is a new and innovative passive heat recovery technology that ensures that the maximum useable waste heat is being recovered from the boiler thus giving the highest possible efficiency irrespective of return temperatures.

The Quinta Eco Plus combines the high efficiency of the market-leading Quinta Pro condensing boiler with passive flue gas heat recovery technology in a prefabricated structure to recover the latent and sensible heat otherwise lost to the atmosphere for the benefit of LTHW return preheat or DHW cold feed preheat. The inclusion of this recovered waste heat raises net efficiency to 10-15% higher than that of a standard condensing boiler, achieving a new level of attainable efficiency of 107% NCV even at 82/71°C, making it particularly effective for commercial refurbishment projects.

By recovering and using otherwise wasted heat, the Quinta Eco Plus uses energy input more effectively and profitably for clean and efficient operation, thereby lowering energy consumption with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions. The reduced carbon footprint also helps companies meet their environmental requirements. With heating and hot water production accounting for as much as 60 per cent of a building’s total energy use, this also helps towards protecting our national energy security. A key benefit of the Quinta Eco Plus, especially in refurbishments, is reduced fuel heating costs which helps combat fuel poverty when used in a sheltered housing or similar type of project.