Effective micro generation technology
December 1st 2007 With more than 17,000 working
installations, the Dachs is claimed
to be Europe's most successful
mini-CHP unit. Most Dachs are
installed in Germany where the
government has always
encouraged this type of
technology, but lately in the UK
there has been a substantial
increase in interest in mini-CHP.The
Building Regulations, the recent
White Paper on Energy, and a host
of other regulations and policy
documents have been instrumental
in making it almost obligatory to
incorporate some form of
microgeneration into buildings,
and engineers are recognising that
mini-CHP is one of the simplest and
most effective of the
microtechnologies.
The principle of the Dachs mini-
CHP is extremely simple. Some of
the building's heating system
return water is used to cool the
engine and the heated water is
then returned to the heating
system via simple pipe
connections, almost like a regular
boiler.At the same time the
generated electricity is fed into the
building by means of a cable
connected to the distribution
panel. Uniquely, the Dachs has an
integral G83/1 grid interface which
allows direct connection to the
building and hence to the public
low voltage electrical network, and
any excess electricity generated
can then be automatically exported
to the grid.
As long ago as 2002, two Dachs
mini-CHP units were installed in a
21 apartment sheltered housing
scheme in Kent owned by mhs
homes, which became the first
housing association in the UK to
utilise CHP technology to reduce
the costs of providing heating and
electricity.
Due to their year round
requirement for heat and hot water,
sheltered housing schemes are an
ideal application for mini-CHP, and
mhs homes selected Dachs units
because of their small footprint, low
noise and reliability.Mini-CHP is
particularly suitable for
refurbishment projects and this
solution presented them with a
new way forward in their quest for
energy efficiency and
environmental benefits.
Steve Burt,Mechanical and
Electrical Surveyor for mhs homes
says;"This is the 5th year that we
have had the CHP units at Elizabeth
House, one of our sheltered
schemes and in that time it has
been a brilliant success.Not only is
it a sustainable way of providing
energy but it has also greatly
reduced the cost for our
customers."
CHP is most suitable for
buildings where the heating or hot
water demand can keep the engine
running and generating cheap
electricity. Baxi-SenerTec can offer
advice on suitability, but the simple
rule is to select the CHP to match
the building's base heating and
electrical loads. For larger buildings
multi-module Dachs arrangements
can often provide a more efficient
solution than a single CHP unit, and
condensers are available for
maximising efficiency in low
temperature heating systems.With
its integrated remote
communication package, the Dachs
is a user-friendly CHP system. More articles from Baxi-SenerTec UK: | 
