Boiler checks could save businesses £400m a year


UK businesses and public sector bodies could save up to £400m a year by taking simple steps to improve the efficiency of their boilers and hot water systems, according to two new reports from the Carbon Trust.

The new guides, the latest in a series of reports designed to highlight the steps firms can take to improve their energy efficiency, argue that it is possible to cut heating costs by up to 30 per cent by implementing simple, low-cost efficiency measures.

The company said that with hot water and heating typically accounting for over a third of an organisation’s energy consumption, any measures to enhance boiler efficiency can deliver significant cost and carbon savings.

“Heating water uses a huge amount of energy so if you want to cut your bill and boost your bottom line, checking your boiler is not a bad place to start,” said Richard Rugg, director of Carbon Trust Programmes in a statement. “UK organisations could be saving over £400m a year by following simple, low-cost measures.”

The guides include a series of recommendations to help companies cut their heating bills by around 10 per cent, including advice on how to carry out regular boiler maintenance, insulate boilers and pipes effectively, and install water treatment systems to remove contaminants and impurities.

It also urges organisations to consider replacing old or inefficient boilers, arguing that newer systems can deliver significant energy and carbon savings.

The guides, entitled Steam and high temperature hot water boilers and Low temperature hot water boilers, cite the example of an unnamed Scottish knitwear manufacturer that saved 35,000 litres of fuel oil and £13,200 per year by switching from an oil-fired boiler to two smaller gas-fired boilers equipped with digital combustion controls.

In addition, water heating systems that use renewable energy sources, such as solar hot water technologies and biomass boilers, can take advantage of the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, shortening the payback period for many green boilers.

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