Chris Huhne, former secretary of state for energy and climate change
On a recent visit to the headquarters of the Worcester, Bosch Group, Chris Huhne, former secretary of state for energy and climate change, was questioned on a number of issues including the UK economy, the Renewable Heat Incentive, the Green Deal and feed-in tariffs.
The first of 120,000 inefficient boilers gets scrapped under the government’s 2010 scrappage scheme. There are still 3.5 million G-rated, or older, boilers in use across the UK
In 2010, the government’s boiler scrappage scheme succeeded with all that it set out to achieve, says Worcester, Bosch. Almost 120,000 inefficient boilers were replaced, potentially saving 889,635 tonnes of CO² – as well as creating business for installers, and saving the average home £290 a year on heating bills.
The new Hytek website with improved search facility
Hytek has a brand new website to make purchasing items online, quick and easy. Once an online account has been created, the company’s entire catalogue of products is available for browsing. The products are split down into industry categories, which can then be filtered by manufacturer.
The MAX OIL burner, specified by TR Engineering
Ecoflam has supplied its MAX OIL burners to TR Engineering for its Trianco range of Contractor SE kitchen/utility boilers. The burners, which are suitable for domestic and commercial applications, were chosen for excellent performance, high efficiency and quiet operation. Available in outputs from 17kW to 546kW, the range of low NOx burners features an extremely efficient fan ventilation system – making them compatible with a wide variety of boilers with high combustion chamber pressures. Additional features include an air damper with progressive micrometric air regulation, easy to assemble combustion head and monoblock electrodes for simple nozzle installation after maintenance.
Find out how many days fuel is left in the tank with the new i-Track monitor from Harlequin
The brand new iTank range from Harlequin Plastics not only monitors oil levels, but analyses both oil usage and spend. The technology comes in the form of the i-Track intelligent oil monitoring system, which calculates oil levels more than 200 times per day. The accurate monitoring technology means that customers can see exactly how many days fuel is left in their tanks. Furthermore, iTank is one of the most secure tanks on the market, with iTank Pro models incorporating a Harlequin internal alarm lock, an external Spinsecure tank lock and a remote alarm system.
The new SMS text message service from Kingspan
Kingspan Environmental’s SonicSignalman electronic oil-level monitoring system now has a new SMS feature, which will allow oil companies to send text messages to end-users. The SonicSignalman is a one-part device that uses the latest ultrasonic and GSM technology to remotely monitor remotely the level of oil in a customer’s tank. The new facility will enable oil companies to send updates to customers about promotions and planned delivery runs. Messages can be broadcast to all customers or sent to those in specific geographical locations. The information received back can be used to improve logistics, reducing the number of wasted deliveries and spreading periods of peak demand.
EOGB has launched an oil nozzle output calculator app for android and iPhone. Based on Danfoss nozzles, the £2.99 app calculates burner and boiler outputs in kW based on pump pressure, nozzle size and boiler efficiency inputs.
OFTEC Inspection Services has recently investigated two cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
OFTEC technical director designate, Paul Rose
Paul Rose has been promoted to technical director designate. Paul has been part of the OFTEC technical team since 2005, and prior to that worked for a major oil boiler manufacturer. He has been heavily involved with the project to develop bio-liquids as an environmentally friendly alternative to kerosene.
OFTEC director general, Jeremy Hawksley, campaigning for bioliquids to be included in the RHI
OFTEC is at the centre of a parliamentary lobbying campaign to include bioliquid heating fuels in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) from October.
OFTEC has expressed concern over whether the new Green Deal will sufficiently address the problems of fuel poverty in rural areas. In a written submission to the select committee inquiry into fuel poverty in the private rented and off-grid sectors, OFTEC questioned whether the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation would be financially attractive enough for rural households.
Managing director, Carl Arntzen opens the new training academy
Worcester, Bosch Group has reaffirmed its commitment to installer, specifier and merchant training with the opening of a new £1.5 million training facility at its headquarters in Warndon, Worcester
Courtesy of Plumb Center, Ground Heat picked up a £10,000 prize. Plumb Center’s director of renewables, Simon Allan (l) and Countryfile presenter, Julia Bradbury present the award to Dave and Stewart
Ground Heat was recently named as Renewables Installer of the Year. The company, which has been existence for 7 years, is a sister company to Bolton-based M H Craggs & Sons, heating engineers with 40 years’ experience and installers of oil-fired and gas boilers.
Meeting ET Solar staff at the company’s offices in Nanjing, China, Oil Installer’s editor, Jane Hughes, 5th from left
Sixty per cent of the world is now generating electricity using solar products manufactured in China. In latter years – made in China – left UK consumers distinctly unimpressed, but today companies like the ET Solar Group are producing a quality product at a lower cost. Now widely used in countries like Germany, where top quality manufacturing is the norm, representing our sister publication Renewable Energy Installer, Oil Installer (OI) witnessed the company’s operation first hand.
Tony Norris, owner of Arn Heating
When former Tincknells Fuels driver, Tony Norris, suffered a stroke in September 2010, rather than letting it get him down, he took the opportunity to change his career.