We have partnered with Edie to publish a new guide to CHP. It covers everything you need to know about using cogeneration to reduce costs and improve business resilience.
The guide explains all the essentials of Combined Heat and Power, including technology and specification considerations; how to maximise cost savings; demand side response opportunities, plus finance options and government incentives.
Writing for the report, Centrica Business Solutions' Aaron Parker explores why organisations should urgently consider CHP as part of their energy efficiency saving plans. You can read his viewpoint below:
High efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) is relieving the pain of rocketing energy prices by delivering higher financial returns.
By cogenerating heat and electricity on-site you can reduce energy costs by up to 40%, protect budgets from market volatility, reduce grid dependence and deliver a payback within 1-2 years.
Grid electricity prices are currently around 4 times higher than gas, so using natural gas-fuelled CHP to generate on-site electricity and heat/cooling yields a big cost advantage.
Hundreds of our customers across many sectors are using CHP for financial advantage. A leading UK supermarket group is saving £1.28 million in annual energy costs, while Alton Towers has cut its energy bills by 12%. We've installed CHP as part of integrated sustainable energy upgrades across many NHS Trusts. Among them, London St George's Hospital is reducing energy costs by £1m per year and Whiston Hospital is cutting its yearly energy spend by £500k.
In recent months, some of our CHP projects are yielding a payback within a year, with most delivering a return on investment within 2 years. When you consider that the lifespan of a CHP system is 10-15 years, the long term cost savings really add up.
There's potential to further increase financial savings by using CHP to load shift energy consumption for peak power avoidance and to drive flexibility revenues from Demand Side Response.
With efficiency ratings in excess of 80%, CHP is almost twice as efficient as traditional generation. However, rapid power grid decarbonisation means natural gas CHP is playing a lesser role in displacing higher carbon fossil fuel power and contributing to emissions savings. Nevertheless, CHP can continue to support the transition to net zero in the following ways:
Combining CHP with Solar PV generation and heat pumps can deliver a future-proofed transition to net zero. The impressive cost savings of CHP and solar can make the economics of electric heat pumps stack up, enabling organisations to capitalise on lower emissions now rather than waiting for technology costs to fall as the market expands.
Many sites that already have CHP in situ can be reconfigured with minimal disruption to share the heating/cooling load with electric heat pumps. This can also work as a hybrid solution, without solar.
As the UK’s leading supplier and operator of CHP units, we're developing a 20% blended hydrogen solution across a wide range of engines – with the switch achievable through minor changes to parts and software. Additional tests are being conducted in the 20-40% range. From 2024 we aim to supply 100% hydrogen-fuelled CHPs via our partnership with MTU.
Many customers are reinvesting cost savings from CHP in sustainable energy projects with a longer return on investment. This is enabling them to make a cost effective and affordable transition to net zero.
Rapid payback on CHP makes it an attractive investment, but for those with capital constraints we offer a range of flexible financing options, including maintenance.
Aaron Parker
Aaron Parker is Principal Business Development Manager - Heat and Mechanical Solutions at Centrica Business Solutions. He supports customers across a range of industries - including public sector, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, hotels, leisure and manufacturing - to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions. He has over a decade of experience within business development and two decades within engineering solutions.
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