Boiler scrappage scheme would reduce CO fatalities and cut carbon emissions and gas bills

(21/10/2009)

Since 1996, more than 75% of all serious CO incidents recorded each year have been linked to appliances attached to open flue systems, which by design create the potential for fumes to spill into the home or domestic situation and that in extreme situations can lead to dangerous and even life threatening exposure to CO. This type of appliance also tends to be significantly less energy efficient and typically uses around a third more gas when compared to room sealed models.

According to a new report published by The Corgi Trust, a scrappage scheme to incentivise the replacement of open flued gas boilers and fires with more efficient and safer equivalents could reduce the UK’s carbon footprint by almost 1%, reduce domestic gas bills by 24% and help reduce the risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.

“The reduction in fatalities and serious injuries caused by CO was the main driver for this research. However, there is no doubt that the economies associated with using more energy efficient gas appliances would significantly cut carbon emissions and gas bills too,” commented Nigel Dumbrell, Manager of The Corgi Trust. “We urge the Government and other stakeholder organisations, many of whom have already been consulted in the report, to reach consensus as soon as possible and make such a scheme a reality,” Dumbrell continued.

By 2020, the UK Government is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 34% as outlined in last year’s Climate Change Act. Replacing one open flued boiler with a more efficient room sealed equivalent would save 6030 kWh or 1.1 tonnes of CO2, per year, based on an average sized semi-detached property, moderately insulated, with annual heating and hot water consumption of 14,000 kWh.

Using this calculation, and taking a conservative estimate of 5,000,000 into consideration for the number of UK households that have either open flued boilers or boilers with a similar low energy rating, the Open Flue report suggests that a replacement scheme could reduce CO2 by up to 5.5 million tonnes each year (or 1.5 million tonnes of carbon a year) which represents 0.8% of Britain’s Kyoto emission target. Additional reductions could be made by replacing traditional open flued fires with room sealed fan assisted fires or condensing gas fires.

As well as reducing the carbon footprint, eligible UK households would save £156 per year on gas bills, which are predicted to rise by a further 60% by 2016 according to Ofgem’s recent calculations. Based on an incentive payment of £500, it would therefore take a minimum of approx six years for the fuel cost savings to pay for the cost of new appliance and installation, and significantly less taking the predicted increase in fuel costs into consideration.

Based on an analysis of boiler and gas fire figures produced by the DTI in 2006, The Corgi Trust anticipates that close to 60% of the UK’s gas boiler population and 20% of gas fires could be eligible for replacement under the suggested scheme by 2010. By 2020, the numbers naturally reduce but it is nevertheless alarming that up to 500,000 inefficient and expensive to run appliances could still be in use that were manufactured prior to the Gas Appliance Directive (GAD) in 1996.

”It’s rare to get a scheme that ticks so many boxes – safety, economy and environment – but this really does. The cost benefit analysis in terms of saving lives from CO poisoning is still a tough argument, but the projected fuel bill and CO2 savings are extremely persuasive and will I’m sure, act as a catalyst for the government and industry stakeholders to adopt a scrappage or replacement scheme as outlined in the Trust’s Open Flued report.”

The Open Flued report is published on The Corgi Trust website.

Related categories:  Boilers - Gas   Detectors and alarms   Energy Conservation   Gas and electrical fires   Residential applications