"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
t...
Perhaps I'm missing something but they talk about using wasted
heat to generate electricity. But the best condensing boilers
are already running at 91% efficiency, so there's not much to
reclaim, certainly not 25% ????

It's more like the wasted heat from generating electricity is used to heat
the water. This means that even, say, a 50% efficiency generating
electricity doesn't matter, as (a) gas is a quarter of the price of
electricity and (b) the waste from this heats up your water cylinder
anyway
(usually supplemented by a standard burner as well). It's a win-win
situation.

Unfortunately, I can't install it now myself, as I never install first
generation products, and it seems to be in zeroth generation at the
moment.

-0 generation. The WhisperGen has been around for a while in different
forms.

I've plumped for the Bosch Greenstar 28HE instead.

The first is available later this year, the MicroGen in Spring. The MicroGen
is made by Rinnai in Japan, who make some excellent quality kit, so worth
going for even being first generation. The MicroGen is being tested by about
50 homes, so should be sorted when available.

The MicroGen claims 25% more "total" energy efficiency than a current
condensing boilers. Quite a hype. The recent white energy paper is
indicating that non-condensing boilers will be ruled out as they are not
efficient enough. This creates a problem in fitting boilers in flats and
existing old houses converted to flats. The exhaust plume can be a hell of a
nuisance to neighbours. I'm not sure if the Whispergen CHP boiler gives off
an exhaust plume, but it is sradrad washing machine sized. The wall mounted
MicroGen can certainly be de-plumed with a design re-jig, and I'm sure still
be with the minimum SEDBUK energy rating of the new white paper.


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