passivehouse+ | Issue 9
News
Electric Ireland to end feed-in tariff Electric Ireland has announced that it will no longer buy electricity from residential properties generating electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind. The move has come as a complete shock to companies trying to build a market for solar panels producing electricity on domestic roofs. “We had been hoping for an increase in the feed-in tariff on solar electricity, because it complements wind energy on the grid,” said Quentin Gargan, director of ConstructionPV. “Solar panels usually produce more power when there is less wind, and this electricity is produced during the daytime when there is higher demand from industry”. At present, householders can sell their surplus electricity to Electric Ireland for 9c per unit, which is roughly half the retail price, whereas the price paid in the UK is 18p (23c). Electric Ireland has announced that the microgeneration scheme will close to new applicants on 31 December. According to Gargan, solar photovoltaic panel installation had seen an upturn as the building code forces new houses to produce some renewable energy. “Solar panels producing electricity are the most cost-effective way of meeting the building code. It’s a win-win situation – the builder got a trouble-free system to tick
all the boxes on the building code, the householder got paid for the electricity exported to the grid, and the grid got green energy at a price comparable to electricity from oil or gas.” Gargan believes that the Commission for Energy Regulation must step in and demand that all electricity providers, not just Electric Ireland, should have a realistic feed-in tariff for renewable energy being provided by householders. “It is ironic that this reversal happens on a week
that a deal on CO2 emissions was agreed calling for an increase in renewable energy and energy efficiency.” The UK has about 3,400 MW (megawatt) of solar power installed, Germany plans to have 66,000 MW by 2020, while Ireland has less than 1 MW installed.
(above) Quentin Gargan of ConstructionPV
Mitsubishi Electric launches air-source heat pumps with up to 440% SPFs Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new 11.2kW Ecodan air-source heat pump to join the existing three monobloc models. The line-up for the self-contained outdoor units now boasts 5kW, 8.5kW, 11.2kW and 14kW units, to make Ecodan suitable for almost any situation. David McConnell, heating products manager at Mitsubishi Electric Ireland, said: “We are constantly reviewing our line-up to ensure that we deliver what the market wants. This new model slots nicely into the range to ensure we can deliver renewable Ecodan heating to almost any home in the country.” The new PUHZ-W112VHA model is a single phase Harp database and MCS-certified 11.2kW unit that shares the ability to cascade up to six units of the same output, allowing Ecodan systems to offer a capacity range from 5kW through to 84kW. The second Ecodan unit launched is a 4.5kW split unit which boasts an impressive Harp database SPF of 440% - a significant advantage in terms of attaining high BER scores and achieving Part L compliance.
With low maintenance and quiet running recognised by the Noise Abatement Society, the units operate with outside temperatures as low as -20C and also offer a bivalent function, allowing them to be used in a hybrid situation with an existing traditional boiler. To ease installation, fast on-site commissioning and logging is available via the pre-programmed SD card, and for the building owners, Ecodan can be controlled by the MELCloud Wi-Fi remote controller. McConnell added: “As the heat pump market grows, installers are becoming aware of the different levels of technology and support available from manufacturers and here at Mitsubishi Electric, we are determined to continue to lead the way towards reliable renewable heating.”
(above right) the collector for a Mitsubishi Ecodan airsource heat pump
Corrections In the article ‘How to save social housing blocks’ in issue eight, we wrongly quoted David Williams of Eastlands Homes as saying: “The residents in the maisonettes are the poorest people in our housing stock”. This was a misquote. His actual words were, “the maisonettes are the poorest in our housing stock”, and the quote was from an article in Inside Housing magazine, who we should have credited. In the same issue, we wrongly attributed photography for the Riedberg school, youth centre & gym in our ‘International Selection’ feature to Achim Große. The photographs were in fact by Thomas Herrmann. We apologise for these errors.