News
15 January 2008
British Gas invests in new boiler technology to cut household carbon emissions by up to 50%
Technology could cut Great Britain's collective domestic CO2 emissions by equivalent of eight power stations
Plans to develop household boilers powered by fuel cells, which produce up to two and a half tonnes less CO2 per year than a standard boiler and could cut household carbon emissions by up to 50 per cent1 were announced today by British Gas and Ceres Power. Collectively, the new boilers could save the equivalent CO2 emitted by eight power stations2.
The announcement comes as Centrica plc, British Gas' parent company, today agreed to buy new shares in Ceres Power Holdings plc (‘Ceres Power'). The transaction is subject to the approval of Ceres Power's shareholders. Under the terms of the agreement, British Gas will also provide funding to Ceres for activities leading up to the new product's commercial launch.
The new fuel cell powered boilers generate both heat and electricity for the home through an electrochemical reaction. Whereas conventional centralised power generation suffers from reduced efficiency through wasted heat and the losses associated with transporting electricity through the grid, the new boilers will generate electricity directly in the home, avoiding such wastage and capturing heat for domestic hot water and heating.
The Ceres fuel cell to be used in the new boilers is about the size and shape of a CD case, but wafer thin. The cells (each made from stainless steel with tiny amounts of ceramic coating) stack together to make powerful generators. The ceramic coatings include cathode, anode and electrolyte layers, with a combined thickness around that of a human hair. A fuel cell stack is designed to provide sufficient power to meet most of the needs of a typical UK home.
The new technology comes at a time when the Government is targeting reductions in domestic CO2 emissions, which currently account for just under one third of total UK CO2 emissions3. According to the Climate Change Bill currently going through Parliament, the Government aims to have reduced domestic CO2 emissions by 26 to 32 per cent by 2020.
Along with the carbon savings, the new boilers could also save households approximately 25 per cent on their total annual energy costs due to better efficiency4.
Gearoid Lane, Director of British Gas New Energy, said: "If the Government's target to reduce CO2 emissions is to be met, households and property developers must look at ways of reducing emissions and this technology will play an important part in doing this."
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Notes
1 For an average British Gas customer replacing a standard boiler
2 Based on 5.6 million UK homes having this micro combined heat and power system installed by 2020. The CO2 saved is equivalent to the emissions from eight (750 MW) new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power stations.
3 Reality or Rhetoric?, National Consumer Council 2007.
4 Compared with UK homes already using modern condensing boilers.
Contacts
Julian Mears at British Gas on 0845 072 8002 / 07789 576179 or julian.mears@centrica.com
