Rinnai expands cost-effective continuous flow hot water heaters

Rinnai is introducing the innovative KCM series of continuous flow hot water heaters into the UK market. The KCM series is designed to specifically increase customer savings in energy, capital, and carbon footprint with the inclusion of internally refined technological advancements. It operates at 93% efficiency.

The KCM unit has micro-processors to ensure hot water is delivered at the exact pre-set temperature. The advanced micro-processors will also measure incoming water temperatures and modulate gas input. This guarantees the system will only use the required amount of energy to increase water temperature whilst supplying limitless volumes of clean hot water.

The inclusion of micro-processors enables the customer to pre-set water temperatures supporting the minimization of Legionella and eliminating the risk of safety issues such as scalding.

The Rinnai KCM series is of a compact design thus reducing the requirement for installation wall and floor space (unit dimensions length 670x 470x 257). System set up, monitoring and error codes are all made easily available via inbuilt status monitors located at the front of the panel.

An all-electric ignition system has been added to ensure no energy wastage – as no additional power is required to maintain unused water temperature. Hot water temperature is internally monitored, if any fluctuations that rise above 3 degrees of the maximum set temperature, operation of the system will immediately stop ensuring customer safety and low operational costs.

The Rinnai Infinity KCM Series of continuous flow water heaters maintains an extensive array of the following operational features and benefits –

Compact size saving wall and floor space (dimensions length 670x 470x 257)

Light weight 26kgs (no need for heavy lifting gear)

Hot Water Delivery Capacity 15.4 ltr/min raised 33°C.

Temperature Accuracy -1 / +1 from the appliance set point.

Exhaust System Forced Room Sealed

Max Flue Run 13m (less 2m per 90° bend & 1m per 45° bend)

Temperature Range 50°C – 60°

Ignition Method Direct electronic

Gas Consumption Natural Gas 38.1 kW max

Gas Consumption LPG 38.1 kW max

Gross Efficiency 93%

Net Efficiency 103%

Rinnai continue to produce innovative technological solutions to UK customers who require durable low-cost appliances that deliver heating and hot water to domestic and commercial applications. Rinnai is sensitive to UK customer needs and will therefore present more technologies that provide cost effective property comfort.

To receive a free brochure on this innovative water heating solution register today at https://www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/contact-us/request-brochure

RINNAI OFFERS CLEAR PATHWAYS TO LOWER CARBON AND DECARBONISATION PLUS CUSTOMER COST REDUCTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of hot water heating units in gas/BioLPG/DME, hydrogen ready units, electric instantaneous hot water heaters, electric storage cylinders and buffer vessels, a comprehensive range of heat pumps, solar, hydrogen-ready or natural gas in any configuration of hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H1/2/3 range of products and systems offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable low carbon/decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions.
Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.
Rinnai products are UKCA certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours.
Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question.
Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s.
The Rinnai range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, DME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters More information can be found on Rinnai’s website and its “Help Me Choose” webpage.

RINNAI FULL PRODUCT AVAILABILITY 24/7 FOR NEXT DAY DELIVERY of ALL HOT WATER HEATING UNIT MODELS INCLUDING 48-58kW UNITS-

SAVINGS OF

20% REDUCTION of opex cost,

30% REDUCTION of initial cost

15% REDUCTION in carbon

75% REDUCTION of space

Visit www.rinnai-uk.co.uk

Or email engineer@rinaiuk.com

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com

By nature, for life

Eco-Point is setting new standards when it comes to cleaning solutions for a wide range of businesses, and thus helps companies to reduce their own environmental impacts.

Safely Removing Carcinogenic Chrome VI

It is now more important than ever for businesses to take action on every element of their environmental performance – and that is why companies such as Eco-Point are so important.

‘By nature, for life’ is the motto of Eco-Point, a company that was founded in 1991 with the purpose of developing and producing sustainable industrial cleaning and maintenance solutions for a variety of industries from energy to automotive, to construction, to marine, and more. Importantly, the products are all made from natural and synthetic materials such as residues from sugar beet, rapeseed, coconut, orange peel, and corn, upcycled into new products that cause no harm to the environment and are hazard-free. These products offer powerful solutions, equal to competitive non-sustainable products, without environmental damage.

Chrome-6-Neutralizer

Eco-Point cares about creating sustainable cleaning and maintenance products that are kind to the environment and safe for the user. In collaboration with two renowned manufacturers of combined heat and power installations (CHPs) and turbines, has developed Chrome-6-Neutralizer. A unique and revolutionary product that neutralizes carcinogenic Chrome VI and converts it into the harmless Chrome III. With this innovation, Eco-Point is taking a huge step towards neutralizing Chrome VI.

The Reason

Chrome VI is found in multiple forms such as metals and is created when stainless steel is exposed to heat for prolonged periods. CrIII is converted into CrVI and presents as a yellow substance on the stainless-steel surface. It is precisely this hexavalent chromium that is toxic and carcinogenic when exposed and therefore has a very high priority to clean or neutralize.

What are the dangers of Chromium 6

Chromium 6 (Also known as hexavalent chromium) is a carcinogenic form of the element chromium. Chromium VI can occur naturally, but it is also produced by industrial processes such as metal plating, leather tanning, and textile manufacturing.

Chromium VI compounds present a significant effect on health and pose several hazards to both human health and the environment, including:

Swelling of the lungs and airways.
Cough, swelling of airways and chest pain.
Inflammation of the lungs, kidney damage, and cancer of lung
Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and heart failure, as well as damaging the gut, liver and kidneys.
Dermatitis or skin ulcers if left untreated.
May be harmful to the reproductive system.

The Solution

Eco-Point Chrome 6 Neutralizer converts harmful Chrome 6 into harmless Chrome 3 and can easily be removed afterwards. Because the acidic product reacts and the dust is simultaneously wetted, the concentration of Chrome 6 dust is drastically reduced and prevents dust absorption into the air. Chrome-6 Neutralizer has been specially developed for work with CHPs, (gas) turbines, engines, or other generators. Chrome-6 Neutralizer has no hazard symbols and is biodegradable. A revolutionary solution to a major global problem.

In this way, Eco-Point makes the world safer, more sustainable and we further shape the green revolution.

Always kinder to the planet

Eco-Point believes that the environment, quite simply, comes first. Its sustainability ethics run throughout the company – not just in the products that it supplies but to its people, premises, and production as well.

And, it is more than a supplier, providing knowledge and guidance to ensure that you get the right product for your needs. It has its own knowledge centre, and its specialists are aware of the latest developments in the field of legislation and cleaning and product applications and are happy to share advice.

Many products on the market can remove pollutants, but most contain harmful chemicals and solvents, are difficult to use and often need specialised equipment or safety gear; and storage and disposal of used containers or unused product, this takes time, space, and money.

Eco-Point believes in doing things differently and has developed its portfolio to excel. For instance, it offers non-toxic solutions that effectively remove paint, resin, and graffiti, without harming you or the planet.

The company offers similar planet-friendly and non-hazardous options for oil and grease removal as well as hard to remove substances such as tar and bitumen.

For further information, please see eco-point.co.uk, e-mail Clive Harper or call 077384 78666.

New technology that provides personalised energy-saving retrofit advice

Aside from addressing climate change concerns, the need for energy-efficient homes is more crucial than ever given the ongoing cost of living crisis. With many householders, housing developers and installers keen to implement energy-saving measures but unsure how to get their projects started. Nicola Kennedy, CEO of Heero Technologies, explains the importance of having access to unbiased and bespoke information.

According to National Energy Action, the number of UK households in fuel poverty increased from around 4.5 million in October 2021 to 6.5 million in January 2024[i]. While the current energy price cap means costs have been reduced by 12% from 1 April 2024, those living in non-energy-efficient homes will pay more for gas and electricity. For example, those who live in EPC D-rated properties can expect to pay 15% more than those in EPC C-rated homes[ii].

Indeed, all kinds of properties can benefit from energy-efficiency retrofits, not just homes. However, when it comes to houses, those most in need will be older properties that were built before current building regulations and best practices began to take energy efficiency into account. These are more likely to have less effective insulation, and less efficient heating, as well as suffer from issues like porous brickwork, empty wall cavities, rendering weaknesses and draughts.

With energy-saving retrofits providing a clear means to reduce fuel poverty and there being an obvious impetus for homeowners and housing developers to implement them, getting projects off the ground has proved challenging. One of the main obstacles is getting hold of the right information. Those looking to retrofit can be overwhelmed by the multitude of renewable technologies and products now available, and they can be misled by biased marketing that poses as impartial, expert advice – often touting solutions that appear too good to be true. Faced with this confusion, many plans never start, with homeowners and housing developers remaining unsure about the best renewable products, government support and available financing and grant options.

Two common areas of misconception are the costs of installing energy efficiency upgrades and the amount of disruption or inconvenience the retrofit project will create. In both cases, people searching for answers will find polarised information that is extremely inaccurate, for example, some will say that government grants will cover most of the cost, while others will quote wildly expensive figures. The result is that homeowners are left with a lack of confidence and clarity. Indeed, according to an Ipsos survey for Barclays, more than a third of respondents shelve plans completely for this reason.

Delivering the right advice

It is not just homeowners, housing developers and installers that need support on their retrofitting journey. Local authorities, housing associations, private landlords and holiday letters can also benefit from unbiased, expert and personalised information and advice that can help them achieve seamless and effective retrofits. But what kind of advice is required?

Of key importance is providing a clear understanding of the various energy efficiency measures available, and the benefits each of these can bring in terms of reducing energy consumption, cutting energy costs and minimising CO2 emissions. However, with every home being different, the information and advice need to be personalised and consistent. Only in this way can stakeholders be empowered to make informed decisions.

How new technology is helping

Traditionally, installers have been best placed to deliver personalised advice to those wanting to undertake a retrofit. Their hands-on experience means they can provide guidance about the various options and their potential suitability for individual properties regarding cost, timescale, disruption and benefits. However, considering the wide range of solutions, government schemes and financing options available today, even installers may find it challenging to provide fully accurate information.

With the Clean Tech industry eager to make this process clearer and more attractive to householders, the latest technology can play a pivotal role. Advanced software applications have now been developed that enable installers to guide clients through the entire energy-saving retrofit process. Providing personalised energy improvement insights and recommendations, the user-friendly App streamlines the process so it is less confusing. As a result, homeowners can access all the information needed to achieve a seamless, end-to-end retrofit, including the most beneficial energy efficiency measures for their home, the installation costs and how much they can save. Local authorities, housing associations and private landlords, meanwhile, can customise the app for their specific geographical locations, enabling them to access an extensive, pre-qualified installer network.

As the cost of an energy-saving retrofit is often one of the main obstacles, the latest software provides accurate, up-to-the-minute information on financing and installation. This includes sending alerts about new grants, finance offers and any changes of circumstance.

An empowering innovation

Overall, the latest energy-saving retrofit app enables homeowners to overcome many of the issues that prevent projects from getting completed. By assessing their home’s current energy-efficiency needs and providing agnostic, personalised and trusted recommendations, together with accurate costs, energy-savings and finance options, the App empowers them to make confident and fully informed choices.

[i] https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8730/#:~:text=The%20charity%20National%20Energy%20Action,6.5%20million%20for%20January%202024.

[ii] https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/households-rating-face-paying-extra-32500527

A guide to SBTi’s Net-Zero Standard (2024)

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard (Version 1.2, 2024) serves as a crucial guide for companies aiming to align their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction efforts with global climate goals. Here’s a detailed look from Optimised at the key sections and their implications for setting ambitious, science-based targets:

NET ZERO STANDARD FRAMEWORK

This section establishes the structure for setting comprehensive science-based targets, which includes:

Near-term Science-based Targets: Companies must set 5–10-year GHG mitigation targets consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. These targets serve as immediate action milestones, critical for maintaining the global emissions budget.
Long-term Science-based Targets: These targets define the required reduction in value chain emissions by 2050 or sooner, aligning with net zero emissions in 1.5°C pathways. They ensure long-term business planning aligns with global climate goals.
Neutralisation of Residual Emissions: Any remaining emissions after achieving long-term targets must be neutralised, typically through credible carbon removals, ensuring a company’s net zero claim is robust and meaningful.
Beyond Value Chain Mitigation: Companies are encouraged to engage in mitigation efforts beyond their immediate value chain to contribute to global decarbonisation efforts, although this is not a substitute for direct emissions reductions.

MITIGATION PATHWAYS

This part delves into the scientific basis for target setting, emphasising:

Scientific Foundation: The necessity for targets to be rooted in climate science, ensuring they contribute effectively to limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Pathway Utilisation: How different mitigation pathways, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific, inform the setting of credible, achievable targets.

PROCESS TO SET SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS

A crucial section providing a methodology for target setting, including:

Base Year Selection: Companies must choose an appropriate base year for tracking emissions reductions, ensuring data accuracy and representativeness.
Emissions Calculation: A comprehensive GHG emissions inventory is required, covering at least 95% of scope 1 and 2 emissions and a significant portion of scope 3 emissions (exclusions in the GHG inventory and target boundary combined must not exceed 10% of total scope 3 emissions).
Target Boundaries: Near-term targets must cover a minimum of 95% of scope 1 and 2 emissions and, if applicable, 67% of scope 3 emissions. For long-term targets, the coverage increases to 90% for scope 3 emissions, ensuring a broad and impactful target scope.
Target Setting Methods: The Standard outlines various methods for setting targets, ensuring they align with the ambition levels dictated by climate science.

CORPORATE NET ZERO STANDARD CRITERIA AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This section lists the essential criteria for SBTi validation and additional recommendations, focusing on:

Ambition: Targets must align with the 1.5°C warming limit, reflecting the highest level of ambition in emissions reductions.
Timeframe: Near-term targets should be set within 5-10 years, whereas long-term targets must aim for net zero by 2050 at the latest, ensuring timely and meaningful action.
Reporting: Regular and transparent reporting of emissions and progress towards targets is required, fostering accountability and stakeholder trust.

SECTOR-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

This section highlights the importance of tailoring net zero strategies to address the specific challenges and leverage the unique opportunities within different sectors. Key requirements include:

Customised Targets: Companies within certain high-impact sectors, such as energy, manufacturing, and transportation, are encouraged to develop targets that reflect the specific pathways and mitigation strategies viable for their industry.
Innovative Solutions: The section underscores the need for sector-specific innovations that can drive significant emissions reductions and contribute to the global transition to a net zero economy.
Collaboration and Alignment: It highlights the importance of intra-sector collaboration to overcome common challenges and achieve collective progress towards net zero goals.

ANNEX D: REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Annex D underscores the role of effective reporting in maintaining accountability, building stakeholder trust, and demonstrating a company’s commitment to achieving its science-based climate goals:

Regular Disclosure: Companies are required to report their GHG emissions and progress towards their science-based targets on an annual basis.
Comprehensive Reporting: The guidance specifies that reports should cover all relevant emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3, ensuring a full account of a company’s GHG impact.
Adherence to Principles: Reporting should follow key principles such as transparency, consistency, accuracy, and completeness to ensure the reliability and credibility of the information disclosed.

ANNEX E: GUIDANCE FOR COMPANIES IN LAND-INTENSIVE SECTORS

This section focuses on sectors where land use significantly influences GHG emissions, such as agriculture and forestry. The key requirements include:

Inclusion of Land-Use Emissions: Companies in land-intensive sectors are required to account for and report emissions from land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) within their GHG inventories.
Sector-Specific Targets: The annex emphasises the need for these companies to set specific science-based targets that address the unique challenges and opportunities associated with land-use emissions.
Best Practices for Measurement and Management: It offers guidance on best practice for measuring, managing, and reducing GHG emissions related to land use, ensuring that companies adopt comprehensive and effective strategies.

The updated guidance does not include any new criteria and no criteria have been removed. The main changes consist of clarifications to ensure consistency between SBTi guidance documents and revise some naming. The update aims to improve clarity by providing additional explanations and enhance readability.

The SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard, with its detailed target setting requirements, including target boundary, coverage, methods, and criteria for ambition, timeframe, and reporting, provides a comprehensive roadmap for companies committed to credible, impactful climate action. Following this Standard ensures that corporate emissions reduction strategies are scientifically grounded and aligned with global efforts to combat climate change.

https://www.optimised.net/science-based-targets

This article appeared in the May 2024 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.

Powering the AI revolution through energy storage

Alan Greenshields, Director of Europe at ESS Inc.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) surge is driving demand for electrical power, with datacentres predicted to consume over 20% of global energy by 2025.

At a time when the climate crisis is intensifying, there is a critical need to power these datacentres sustainably and meet their electricity requirements with renewable energy. This pressure is exacerbated by the need to ensure energy security and limit the energy cost volatility that has challenged businesses and consumers in recent years.

At the core of the problem is the sheer power required by AI chips. The most popular AI chip, Nvidia’s A100, requires ~400W of power for each instance. When this is replicated tens of thousands of times over in the datacentres of Google, Amazon, Microsoft and others, it adds up to AI becoming a formidable consumer of electrical power.

Addressing energy needs

While AI power consumption might be seen as a challenge for a world trying to reduce carbon emissions, the reality is that it is a necessity for any developed economy to ensure global competitiveness.

However, as technology advances, so do power requirements. The top-performing Nvidia H100 AI chip consumes 700W of power which is equivalent to a standard microwave oven and thousands of these will be required in an AI datacentre. UK-based AI Supercloud company NexGen Cloud, for example, is planning to deploy 20,000 Nvidia H100s by summer of 2024, while Microsoft has committed to a £2.5 billion investment in the UK, with the ambition of doubling its AI datacentre capacity in the UK by 2026.

Impact of increased AI datacentre deployment

Increasing deployment of datacentres to meet rising demand has major implications for the environment, grid stability and energy sources.

The power used for the day-to-day running of data centres has meant they now contribute more to global carbon dioxide levels than the aviation industry underscoring the need to meet this demand with renewable energy.

Thankfully the adoption of renewable energy for AI is already taking place with major datacentre providers like Google Cloud committed to a carbon-free operations by 2030, while Digital Reality has a global renewable coverage of 62% across its data centres.

Others need to follow suit if an AI-driven climate crisis is to be avoided. It is crucial new datacentre power demands are met through the mass deployment of wind and solar energy.

Energy storage provides clean baseload energy

Solar and wind are low-cost and low-carbon, but their intermittency poses a challenge to AI datacentres that operate 24/7. A potential solution is energy storage, in particular long-duration energy storage (LDES).

New LDES technologies, like ESS’ iron-flow batteries, become crucial in addressing the intermittency issue. These solutions can store up to 12 hours of renewable energy, meeting datacentre demands even when the sun is not shining and wind is not blowing.

However, adding renewables and energy storage to the grid at large is not straightforward. Despite national climate targets, the UK grid is facing delays of up to a 15-year wait to connect new clean energy projects to the grid.

Developing modern grid infrastructure

When powered by the grid, datacentre demand can affect local grid reliability in addition to broader climate impacts. Last year, the head of a Norwegian arms company blamed cat videos for their adverse effect on his organisation’s production of munitions for Ukraine; a datacentre located near the munitions factory was consuming vast quantities of electricity from the grid, affecting their production.

New energy storage technologies afford an opportunity to drive the deployment of new architectures, such as microgrids, that can balance the unpredictability of renewables with the resilience and reliability needs of AI.

This is not theoretical. Today, a microgrid installed at a technology recycling company in the USA using an ESS Energy Warehouse has been integrated with a solar array. This system is helping not only reduce peak demand and provide 24/7 clean energy but is also mitigating the impacts of grid outages to ensure reliable, resilient operations.

New AI technologies, powered by new clean energy technologies, have the potential to deliver a climate-positive feedback loop as further datacentre demand is met by new clean technologies deployed at scale. This portends a future where datacentres’ potential climate liability has become an asset delivering global benefits.

This article appeared in the May 2024 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.

Rinnai’s new high-efficiency, space saving external continuous flow hot water heaters now available

Rinnai is launching the Infinity E series of externally mounted continuous flow water heaters. Each unit arrives with water ingress protection (IPx5D) and provides a limitless volume of temperature controlled clean hot water, whilst electric, gas and water services are connected. The gas-fired water heaters are lightweight (18kgs) meaning that there is no need for heavy lifting gear.

The continuous flow water heaters are powerful yet diminutive with a max flowrate of 20 litres per min making them an ideal water heating solution where space is limited.

For a brochure on this new range of external water heaters contact the company direct with the following link – https://www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/contact-us/request-brochure

The 17e Hydrogen 20% blend ready certified gas-fired water heater is an ideal solution for glamping sites, leisure facilities, festival ablutions, small commercial outlets and where a requirement for cost effective and durable appliances is needed. The inclusion of micro-processors enables the customer to pre-set water temperature that is delivered accurate to +1 / -1 degree of the set point helping eradicate legionella proliferation and delivery temperature inaccuracies that can create discomfort or scalding. These features have ensured that Rinnai external continuous flow water heaters are used widely in equine and leisure industries.

Rinnai continues to introduce innovative technological solutions to hot water and heating provision in domestic and commercial applications. One such innovation is inherent within E series as the gas-fired water heaters are fitted with micro-processors that will measure incoming water temperatures and modulate gas input. This guarantees the system will only use the required amount of energy to increase water temperature whilst supplying litre upon litre of clean hot water.

Rinnai’s Infinity E Series features an internal monitor that regulates hot water temperature. If any fluctuations rise above 3 degrees of the maximum set temperature, operation of the system will immediately stop ensuring customer safety and low operational costs.

Additional features that are included when purchasing the Rinnai Infinity E Series are as follows:

Compact size saving wall and floor space (dimensions length 531x 270x 191)
Lightweight 18kgs (no need for heavy lifting gear)
Hot Water Delivery Capacity max flowrate 20l/min
Temperature Accuracy -1 / +1 from the appliance setpoint
Direct force exhaust
Temperature Range 37-65°C
Ignition Method Direct electronic
IPx5D rated.
Gross Efficiency 93%
Net Efficiency 103%

Rinnai understands the UK customer requirement for cost effective and robust appliances that consistently deliver clean hot water and heating to domestic and commercial buildings across the UK. Rinnai are committed to offering UK customers with low cost and practical solutions that cover all energy options.

RINNAI OFFERS CLEAR PATHWAYS TO LOWER CARBON AND DECARBONISATION PLUS CUSTOMER COST REDUCTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY.

www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/about us/H3

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of hot water heating units in gas/BioLPG/DME, hydrogen ready units, electric instantaneous hot water heaters, electric storage cylinders and buffer vessels, a comprehensive range of heat pumps, solar, hydrogen-ready or natural gas in any configuration of hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H1/2/3 range of products and systems offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable low carbon/decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions.
Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.
Rinnai products are UKCA certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours.
Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question.
Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s.
The Rinnai range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, DME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters More information can be found on Rinnai’s website and its “Help Me Choose” webpage.

RINNAI FULL PRODUCT AVAILABILITY 24/7 FOR NEXT DAY DELIVERY of ALL HOT WATER HEATING UNIT MODELS INCLUDING 48-58kW UNITS

SAVINGS OF

20% REDUCTION of opex cost
30% REDUCTION of initial cost
15% REDUCTION in carbon
75% REDUCTION of space

Visit www.rinnai-uk.co.uk Or email engineer@rinaiuk.com

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com

What is BS ISO 14068-1:2023 – Carbon neutrality about?

7--BS-ISO-14068-1 — Images courtesy of BSI

Greenwashing, obfuscations of scope and unsubstantiated emissions statements are not helping organizations to achieve and evidence climate or carbon neutrality. For a more credible alternative, BS ISO 14068-1:2023 is a new international standard setting out strong principles and detailed and verifiable requirements on quantification and reduction or removal of GHG emissions. Users gain clear, best practice guidance that will allow them to make verifiable claims of carbon or climate neutrality.

There will be a period of 24 months from the date of publication of ISO 14068-1:2023 before the PAS 2060:2014 document will be withdrawn. This is to allow users to address changes that may be needed to meet the revised requirements detailed in the new BS ISO 14068-1:2023 standard.

Who is BS ISO 14068-1:2023 – Carbon neutrality for?

BS ISO 14068-1:2023 can be used by any organization, in the private or public sectors, that wishes to make either the organization or a product climate neutral. Organizations can be of any size, but exclude territories such as cities. Products may be consumer-facing or business to business, and include all types of goods and services, including events and financial services.

What does BS ISO 14068-1:2023 – Carbon neutrality cover?

BS ISO 14068-1:2023 specifies principles, requirements and guidance for achieving and demonstrating carbon neutrality through the quantification, reduction, removal and offsetting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. BS ISO 14068-1:2023 establishes a hierarchy for carbon neutrality where GHG emission reductions (direct and indirect) and increased GHG removals enhancements take precedence over offsetting. The hierarchy is then used to determine a pathway to carbon neutrality, including short and long-term targets for minimizing the carbon footprint.

Why should you use BS ISO 14068-1:2023 – Carbon neutrality

Climate action. BS ISO 14068-1:2023 gives organizations a structured process for developing a detailed carbon neutrality management plan with short- and long-term targets. It gives organizations an effective tool with which to combat the climate emergency.
Quality. In contrast to unsubstantiated claims of neutrality, claims under BS ISO 14068-1:2023 have to be based on all GHGs, take a lifecycle approach and can only be made after the development of long-term planning, with real GHG reductions in place, and offsetting restricted to residual emissions using high quality carbon credits. Adopters can be confident that claims made using BS ISO 14068-1 are meaningful.
Credibility. Use of this internationally recognized standard can likewise confer market benefits by increasing the credibility and verifiability of a product or organizational claim of carbon neutrality. Stakeholders can have increased confidence that claims are transparent and reliable, increasing their loyalty to organizations that adopt BS ISO 14068-1:2023.
Global recognition. BS ISO 14068-1:2023 provides a common set of criteria for measuring and reporting carbon neutrality. This ensures consistency across different organizations and industries, underpins easer comparisons for carbon neutrality efforts between entities, allows stakeholders to assess and benchmark efforts, and supports global recognition for claims of carbon neutrality.
Convenience. BS ISO 14068-1:2023 is designed to work with either ISO’s own quantification standards or other equivalent protocols.
Flexibility. BS ISO 14068-1:2023 can be used by any sized organization, in any country or sector. It can also be applied to whole organizations or individual products.
Responsibility. The standard encourages organizations to take responsibility for minimizing their own carbon footprint before paying third parties to offset their emissions.
Cost effective. The standard’s hierarchy determines a pathway to carbon neutrality that prioritizes emissions reductions. These are often the most cost-effective way of reducing a carbon footprint, avoiding the need for potentially costly carbon credits.
Risk mitigation. Adopters of BS ISO 14068-1:2023 will be in a strong position to manage current and emerging regulatory and market risks in relation to GHG emissions.
Competitiveness. A demonstrable commitment to climate action can also mitigate reputational risks and enhance brand value, market access and competitiveness.

To learn more about how BS ISO 14068-1 can benefit your organization, download the free Executive Briefing here.

www.bsigroup.com

This article appeared in the May 2024 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.

Selling your power: the evolution of the Power Purchase Agreement

Vish Sharma, Head of Power Purchase Agreements at npower Business Solutions

Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) are not a new phenomenon, they have been used for many years to help organisations buy their power from renewable sources. However, as the prevalence of renewables has increased, the PPA market has had to evolve to meet demand, with new and innovative contract options that better reflect the UK’s transition to low-carbon sources of energy.

Putting this into context, in the early 2010s, renewables accounted for around 7% of the UK’s electricity generation mix while coal’s share stood at around 40%. By 2022, renewables exceeded a third of the electricity generation mix and coal’s share had been reduced to 1.5%.

This has led to the increased use of PPAs. In fact, in its latest ‘Corporate Energy Market Outlook’, published earlier this year, BloombergNEF revealed that 2023 marked the seventh year that the global corporate PPA market had reached a new high, largely as a result of a surge of activity across Europe, including the UK.

Many organisations have announced PPA deals with renewable generators, keen to reduce the risk from the energy market volatility we have seen in recent years, and hit their sustainability targets.

As a result, there is also a huge opportunity for independent energy generators – including those organisations with onsite assets such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind – to sell their power to corporate energy buyers through a PPA.

Beyond fixed or flexible

Over the past few years, we have seen PPAs evolve considerably, with increasing innovative structures and contracts beyond a simple ‘fixed or flexible’ choice.

For example, we now offer a wide range of PPA options for independent energy generators. These include our Flex Innovate PPA, which has all the benefits of a regular flexible PPA but with added features and flexibility, and the N2EX PPA, which enables a generator to trade its volume on the N2EX day-ahead auction. The Contracts for Difference (CfD) PPA is suitable for assets with a CfD greater than 5 MW as well as technologies which have been awarded the CfD, while our System Sell Price (SSP) PPA is an option for generation with sporadic output, or newly commissioned plant.

Which PPA is most suitable will depend on a number of factors, including the level of your annual output, the nature of your generation source, your risk appetite and ultimately, whether you want a steady and risk-free revenue stream, or wish to optimise profits with a flexible agreement.

All of the PPAs currently available have been developed to provide generators with multiple options so more of their energy can be procured by corporate energy buyers. The energy market is constantly changing, which naturally leads to more innovation in the way PPA contracts are developed.

The benefits of selling your power

There are a number of benefits to selling your excess power via a PPA:

Additional revenue – This will depend on the type of PPA, for example a fixed PPA provides a straightforward income stream and is protected from volatile energy market fluctuation, while a flexible PPA gives you control over when and how much power you sell over the course of the contract
Investor confidence – PPAs can cover an existing generation asset or provide assurance and confidence to investors in the financing of new renewable projects. So, if your organisation is considering investing in a renewable energy asset, then getting a PPA in place could help secure investment
Supporting the energy transition – with more and more businesses procuring their power from clean energy sources, independent generators have an important role to play in both meeting this demand, and contributing to the UK’s overall net zero strategy.

Supporting a secure and sustainable energy transition

What the past two years have taught us, is that the UK needs to accelerate its progress towards a homegrown, clean and secure energy system.

Independent generators will play a vital role in this, and PPAs provide the best route to market for their power. Today, constant innovation means that there are several options beyond a simple choice between ‘fixed’ or ‘flexible’.

That said, policy needs to support the development of more independent assets, either as primary businesses, or to enable the commercial and public sectors to install on-site generation to then be able to sell their excess power to other businesses.

From funding options to reducing planning red tape, there is more that can be done to unlock the power potential of independent generation over the next critical few years.

For more information, visit https://npowerbusinesssolutions.com/corporate/generation

This article appeared in the May 2024 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.

The most important things happening in ESOS right now

The Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme is a UK government scheme that aims to encourage large UK businesses to implement energy saving measures and support the government in reducing the country’s carbon emissions and help work towards achieving net zero by 2050.

Currently, the UK is in Phase 3 of the ESOS scheme, with organisations that must comply with the scheme being required to submit their reporting by 5 June 2024.

Over recent months, there have been several changes to the scheme that may impact the way businesses make their submissions and what they will need to include to ensure their compliance.

In this article, TEAM Energy’s Lead ESOS Assessor and Senior Energy Consultant, Sam Arje, will explore five of the most important things that are happening in ESOS right now.

The Environment Agency announced that they will not take action if organisations do not submit their notification of compliance by the 5 June 2024. However, organisations that comply with ESOS must register their account with the new IT system by 5 June 2024, and submit their notification of compliance by 6 August 2024. Giving businesses more time to comply with ESOS Phase 3.
Organisations will be required to submit a yearly ESOS Energy Action Plan following their ESOS submission, providing annual progress reports on how they are implementing their energy saving opportunities and commitments.
The Energy Action Plan will be recorded by the Environment Agency and published publicly. If an organisation does not make any energy saving changes to their business or if they do not complete the Action Plan, this will also be published publicly. Public Disclosure could have several implications for businesses, including reputational impact, competitive sensitivity and risking penalties for failing to comply with ESOS.
Organisations that have ISO 50001 will also be impacted by changes. Previously organisations that are certified under ISO 50001 were exempt from ESOS reporting. However, changes to the scheme now require these organisations to submit detailed reporting, including data on energy saving achieved by the organisation since the previous compliance period.
Despite the ESOS Phase 3 deadline extension, Phase 4 of the ESOS scheme is still due on 5 December 2027, with the 4 year compliance date between 6 December 2023 – 5 December 2027. Phase 4 is also expected to see changes as it will focus on both energy efficiency within organisations and will require more details on how they plan to become net zero.

Discover more about these changes and how they will impact your organisation when complying with the ESOS scheme.

If your organisation needs to comply with ESOS, TEAM’s expert ESOS Lead Assessors are knowledgeable and up to date with ESOS compliance legislation and what will be required from organisations.

www.teamenergy.com

This article appeared in the May 2024 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.

Navigating supply chain challenges in the renewable energy sector

Marc Haley, co-founder and director of specialist renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) firm, The E-Merge Group, discusses the deployment of renewables and how to overcome issues within the supply chain.

The primary challenge being faced by the industry, and leaders within it, revolves around ensuring a smooth supply chain to deploy tech, plus a timely connection to the grid to power up sources.

As businesses still face significant delays in the connection of renewable technology to the grid, companies are pressing the government to reassess planning regulations that will ultimately streamline grid processes. These delays, sometimes lasting up to 12 weeks, are often attributed to complications in grid connection and can be a deterrent to any businesses considering renewable solutions.

Additionally, the sector faces ongoing hurdles related to planning and regulation, despite overarching political support. Complex procedures such as environmental assessments and public consultations frequently lead to project delays and increased costs – further emphasising the need for streamlined approaches.

Marc comments: “I have seen first hand renewable firms struggling to be successful as they battle the connection times to the grid. Deploying this technology isn’t easy and many firms have paid the ultimate price due to the delays – being forced to cease trading.”

Overcoming the challenge

As the sector navigates these challenges, businesses are dependent on deploying EV and renewables solutions through contractors and subcontractors. Additionally, staying well-informed and cultivating strong relationships with relevant authorities and clients can also improve delivery.

Proactive communication, obtaining permits and engaging with the community to streamline the approval process better enhances the chance of the project moving forward. The E-Merge Group also capitalises on incentives and subsidies for EV infrastructure to alleviate installation costs for clients, while also educating wider teams on how they can leverage funding opportunities for more efficient project implementation.

Reflecting on the wider sector

Recent findings revealed that Britain now boasts nearly 60,000 public EV charging points, marking a significant 47 percent increase year on year. However despite this progress, there remains a pressing need for further action. Comparisons to the number of EVs on the road highlight a noticeable misalignment, indicating the necessity for a more robust infrastructure to support the growing demand for electric vehicles. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort to accelerate the connection of wider technologies to the grid, ensuring seamless integration and accessibility.

Deploying EVs through subcontractors offers a promising solution to cover a wider geographical remit, enabling greater reach and impact. Collaborating with the local authorities and stakeholders is crucial to prioritise a healthy supply chain, supported by dedicated funding aimed at achieving net zero targets. By working together, the industry and policymakers can pave the way for a sustainable energy future.

Despite the constraints, The E-Merge Group has demonstrated resilience by successfully installing more than 50 charge points and 100 connectors to meet the evolving needs of the market. The company deployed more than 2MWs of renewable energy and 1MWs of EV charging infrastructure in just 12 months, showcasing its commitment to sustainable energy solutions. The E-Merge Group benefits from a network of subcontractors, allowing for increased flexibility and efficiency.

To find out more about The E-Merge Group, please visit: emerge-renewables.com.