Andrew Stunell MP shows support for Remeha Commercial and Zenex’s new energy saving technology

“It is really impressive. This is real stuff that really works.”

Andrew Stunell OBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, showed his support for Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery System (PFGHRS) technology and its energy and cost saving benefits last week during a visit to the Preston-based manufacturing facility of Remeha Commercial’s sister BDR Thermea Group company Baxi. 

Mr Stunell, whose responsibilities include Building Regulations, had come to meet representatives of Zenex Technologies, Remeha Commercial and Baxi to discover how using PFGHRS technology in heating and hot water systems can significantly improve the efficiency of even A-rated boilers in both the commercial and domestic markets, reducing fuel bills, energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Remeha Commercial, together with Independent Technology Advisor Chris Farrell of Zenex Technologies Ltd, provided live demonstrations of how they were leading the commercial heating industry in energy efficiency and real cost savings with the integration of PFGHRS technology into Remeha’s latest super condensing heating and hot water systems, the Quinta Eco Plus.

Following a tour of the factory which showed the technology in production, and additional demonstrations by Baxi of how PFGHRS can be applied to domestic boilers, Mr Stunell remarked:

“To come here and to see it is really impressive. This is real stuff that really works. It’s British, it can be built here – it gives me plenty to think about and discuss with my colleagues who share my passion for having a greener environment.”

The visit took place just after consultation documents had been issued for the upgrade to building regulations, notably Part L and energy efficiency measures. “This will take us to the next step on the journey to zero-carbon non-domestic buildings by 2019,” remarked Mr Stunell. “We are also tackling the retrofit market as a huge majority of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 – between 60-75% – are already built.”

Mr Stunell stressed the importance of challenging both the nation’s perception of heating systems as well as boiler technology itself. Drawing an analogy between people’s varying attitude to fuel efficiency when buying cars and property, he emphasised the need to place low energy high in the list of valued criteria in a property. “We need to have a cultural change to encourage people to think about how to save energy in existing properties. It is important that we continue to work on technologies that challenge the whole industry to think about how we get to the next step in terms of energy and cost efficiency measures.”

PFGHRS is the invention of Chris Farrell, MD of Zenex and Remeha Commercial’s Independent Technology Advisor. It sits between the boiler and flue and works by recovering waste energy from boilers and reusing it, as either pre heat for domestic hot water generation or passing it back into the heating system, to radiators and/or underfloor heating. Also known as the ‘GasSaver’ or the ‘Eco Plus’, it is incorporated into Remeha Commercial’s newest product, the super condensing Quinta Eco Plus, raising efficiency by 15% for heating and even higher for heating and hot water systems (probably as much as 48%). This means that the Quinta Eco Plus achieves maximum condensing at full output at all temperatures and times, offering a new level of efficiency of 97% GVC at 82/71°C for buildings. Put simply, it will always deliver £97 of actual usable energy for every £100 of gas input in real time installations rather than laboratory conditions – or 107% NCV.

Commenting on the visit, Mark Northcott, MD of Remeha Commercial said:

“We value the interest and support shown by Andrew Stunell into Remeha and Zenex’s ground breaking energy saving heating systems. Our Quinta Eco Plus represents a whole new concept in heating systems, offering proven reductions in carbon and NOx emissions and lower fuel bills, and helping organisations meet their CRC requirements. Crucially, given today’s economic climate, it is both affordable and replicable, allowing organisations to install it in all their buildings, and delivering significant savings to help ease the strain on the finances. With two more Remeha heating systems incorporating PFGHRS soon to be launched to the commercial market, we believe this is indeed a technology that merits recognition and support.”

For more information, visit www.remeha.co.uk/news/remeha-launches-new-quinta-eco-plus or call T: 0118 978 3434.