Archive for the ‘British Gas Heating’ Category
British Gas has continued to innovate in the development of heating boilers and has been developing a new type of intelligent boiler, which can be monitored from hundreds of miles away and will have the capability to call out an heating engineer before the system breaks down or a customer’s safety is put at risk.
The implementation of such technologies would mean that a British Gas boiler service engineer could be on your doorstep before you even knew a problem with your central heating was about to occur. This would also enable maintenance visits to be scheduled before the problem resulted in a boiler breakdown with the consequential home disruption.
Previous British Gas innovations mean it is already leading the way in improving servicing technology for its millions of boiler and central heating maintenance customers – its engineers can currently ‘diagnose’ a boiler’s performance by plugging their laptops directly into the appliance. This removes the need to dismantle and inspect a boiler – a process which often creates more problems that it solves.
In the future, household appliances such as boilers could be connected to a monitoring station which – via the phone line – could tell British Gas if they are safe and performing efficiently. This is a similar approach to burglar alarm monitoring systems. Time spent waiting for parts to be available and delivered could also be reduced or even eliminated, thanks to service engineers knowing which parts are required before they visit the customer’s home.
First of the innovations the RD1 (Remote Diagnostic Boiler) is manufactured exclusively for British Gas by a leading boiler manufacturer. The technology involved in this British Gas boiler could help to revolutionise household appliance servicing, saving time for both customer and engineer with faults to appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and cookers. This technical capability is now being built into all British Gas own-brand boilers – as the system develops, more and more homes will get the chance to benefit from this modern, efficient service technology.
Think of this different way of maintaining systems – British Gas can offer customers the means of detecting faults remotely – before the appliance breaks down. As a result they will ring the customer for a service appointment rather than receiving a breakdown call.
The RD1 boiler works by providing detailed information to a monitoring centre in Loughborough. Between midnight and 6am, information will be supplied on how the boiler has performed during the previous day.
The data provided will also include information about the energy efficiency performance of the boiler and what heating controls are set.
The cost of installing a boiler with remote diagnostic capabilities is similar to that of existing central heating systems. In the future, a low cost modification to existing boilers will enable them to be connected to the remote monitoring system.
Safety could also be enhanced by the new system. Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors could be connected to the British Gas remote monitoring centre – if a CO warning signal is picked up, then British Gas could contact the householder to alert them of the danger and even turn off the gas supply.
In April 2007 British Gas has announced the commencement of construction on the UK’s largest offshore wind farm development by making a significant investment in offshore wind turbines at the Lynn and Inner Dowsing sites in the Greater Wash, situated off the Lincolnshire coast.
Lowest Carbon Dioxide content
British Gas already enjoys the lowest carbon content of any major UK energy supplier, and this eco investment will improve its position versus the competitors in the energy market. British Gas’s parent, Centrica, is entering into a contract with Siemens Power Generation to supply fifty-four 3.6MW turbines for the 180MW development. The project is expected to cost £300 million and hence is a meaningful investment in this environmentally friendly energy production initiative.
Construction work is scheduled to start on the offshore site, three miles off the coast, in spring of 2007, onshore work which will connect the power generation cable in Lincolnshire is already in progress. The energy output from this initiative will be able to supply clean, environmentally friendly, electricity to approximately 130,000 homes. This is equivalent to a town the size of Reading and the benefit of the development will be to will save 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year by the end of 2008.
Wind farm portfolio
This wind farm will add a further 180MW of capacity to British Gas’s power generation portfolio. The company already has the largest collection of gas fired power stations and one of the largest portfolios of undeveloped offshore wind sites in the UK. This includes a 50 per cent interest r in Barrow Offshore Wind, the UK’s equal largest offshore wind farm.
Centrica has also announced it will become a 50 per cent partner in the onshore Braes of Doune wind farm in central Scotland, which recently generated its first power, taking the UK’s total installed wind capacity above 2000MW. Braes of Doune is currently in its commissioning phase, with completion expected during spring 2007.
Solar energy is one of the energy sources that is gaining in public interest. Solar heating on roofs is one of the most easy ways to reduce your energy costs and reduce the usage of fossil fuels benefiting the environment. Thermal solar energy conversion should not be confused with photovoltaic energy conversion which uses solar energy to produce electricity. Thermal solar energy is where solar radiation is transformed into heat, as for instance in solar boilers.
Solar Panels
Solar energy production is an extremely simple process to understand. Solar panels can be installed on rooftops or any part of your property that receives a lot of sunshine. Solar heat can then be used for solar water heating, solar space heating in buildings, and solar pool heaters if you have a swimming pool. Solar energy is one of a few renewable resources that can be used in energy and power generation. Solar power addresses the environmental concerns we all have because it uses sunlight for generating energy and this is available free, whilst being harmless to the environment. Solar power is undoubtedly a viable energy source for your home because it has no recurring cost and a very low, almost negligible, maintenance cost. Use of Solar Energy can reduce your heating bills by 50%. If all houses used this technology we would significantly reduce our impact on the environment and lower our carbon footprint.
Solar Heat in Homes
An average home requires approximately 3000 KWh per year for its hot water supply. A sensible use for solar energy is hot water production with the help of solar collectors. Only a few years ago, it was very uncommon to find solar energy homes in Europe because solar panels were very expensive and had little return on investment. The main form of heating is gas central heating.
Solar Boilers
In general, solar hot water uses for washing and bathing are usually preferable to solar central heating or solar electric installations. Solar Boilers are designed with fewer moving parts ensuring an extended working life. A major role is now being played by solar boilers for domestic purposes. Although solar boilers can be used on their own, they are most often used in conjunction with traditional water heaters which are powered by gas or electricity. Solar boilers can be used in any type of climate but are most practical in areas which don’t have freezing weather during the wintertime. The majority of the UK now seems to have moved to this position.
Government acceptance
In the UK the energy debate has seen solar heating move in and out of favor. Government grants have been made available and then suspended. This is not the case in other countries. The Dutch government expects that by the year 2020 about one million solar boilers will be in use. Solar power has been accepted in the Netherlands, resulting in the rapid growth of solar applications during the last couple of years.
British gas boiler installation services have been developed to install your new or replacement central heating boiler from British Gas.
The first step in installing a new boiler is for you to book an appointment with heating sales advisor. This free visit will enable the heating sales advisor to ascertain your heating needs and recommend the right boiler for your family.
All the heating sales advisers have professional energy efficiency qualifications. During the 90 minute review they will conduct an energy assessment of your property and your existing central heating system. Using a laptop based analyses suite they will then calculate how much of a new boiler or central heating system could save you in heating bills.
If you require financial assistance to purchase the new boiler the heating adviser can also review with you a detailed quotation and the monthly cost.
The final decision rested in your hands. If you are happy with the quotation provided to you can arrange a convenient time for British gas boiler installation engineers to visit to complete the installation.
To ensure that the installation can be completed without any delay, British gas will forward to you any materials or parts required one or two days before the installation is due to commence.
All British gas central heating installation engineers are corgi qualified. Trained at the British Gas national academy, you can be certain that they will conduct the installation to the highest standards and that they have been kept appraised of the latest changes in any national safety procedures.
When they have tidied up and left you will be the proud recipient of a new heating boiler. Should any maintenance or care be required in the future you can trust British gas maintenance engineers to look after your system. Currently all new and replacement boiler installations receive complimentary after-care with one year’s free home-care 200 which will look after your boiler and central heating system. The service offers unlimited call outs parts and labour.
Full details of British gas boiler installation services are contained within this site.
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