Energy Efficiency and Chimneys
In the drive for more efficient homes the latest revision of the building regulations mean that all new houses must comply with tighter rules, aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from houses by a further 25%.
By choosing an appropriate heating appliance and an efficient chimney/flue system, you can help meet the Government's target without compromising on the cosy focal point that truly makes a house a home.
Improve Energy Efficiency & Reduce Carbon Emissions
The aim is to move away from less efficient heating appliances to ones the less carbon it uses.This is not the case.An electric fire is deemed to be 100% efficient but electricity is a high emitter of CO2.Wood on the other hand is effectively carbon neutral and when used in an efficient appliance will significantly reduce the carbon output from a house. Under the new regulations in the UK stoves can now be used as secondary or primary heating. A house can be fitted with two primary heating systems, for example a condensing gas or oil boiler and a linked stove system to maximise the carbon saving benefits of the wood burning stove.
Chimney Specification
The chimney plays an important role in the overall performance of a heating system. An efficient heating appliance requires a well designed and consistently insulated chimney to perform at optimum efficiency.This is where the Isokern & Schiedel Swift chimney systems come in.The Isokern DM and Schiedel Swift systems provide continuous insulation along the entire length of the chimney ensuring that the chimney remains warm during the operation of the appliance.
Having spent time and money heating the air in a room the last thing you want is for that hot air to escape up the chimney.With an open fire it is calculated that 40 cubic meters of air will pass up the chimney each hour. The Schiedel Swift Open Fire systems and Isokern firechests have dampers that can be closed when the fire is not lit.This halves the assumed air loss in the SAP DEAP calculations to 20 cubic meters per hour. (SAP is the UK calculation method used to determine the amount of CO2 produced by a house. DEAP is the Irish calculation method.). Installing a stove and a chimney with a diameter of less than 200mm diameter will also have an air loss of only 20m3.
The Schiedel Swift Air goes one step further and when used in conjunction with a stove designed to take all its combustion air from outside the house reduces the air loss in the SAP and DEAP to zero.
Choosing your appliance
Both primary and secondary heating MUST be specified at the design stage if the required carbon savings are to be realised.This is a big change in our thinking as the choice of appliance would usually have been left until building was complete or the house occupied. If the choice is not made before the build, the SAP and DEAP programmes will default to the worst case scenario.
Carbon Saving and Fuel Choice
A common misunderstanding is the more efficient the appliance the greater the carbon saving.The carbon dioxide produced by the fuel used in the appliance has a major impact on carbon emissions. For example, an electric fire is assumed to be 100% efficient but, electricity is more carbon intensive than other fuels. As a result it is more environmentally friendly to use a 70% efficient stove burning wood that an electric fire. Significant carbon savings can be achieved by burning wood in a closed appliance like a log burning stove
or a pellet boiler.
