Question: Gas to electricity generators

zeupater

Sterlingtimes wrote: »

Thank you, all posters. So a generator using cheap gas to generate more expensive electricity may make sense despite the inefficiencies introduced, but the problem would be feeding it all back to the Grid without compensation. Is that right?

The boiler matter is a different issue. It strikes me that the intermittent nature of the fire up of a domestic boiler produces electricity on a start stop basis that may not conincide with electricity demand from within the home.

Hi

Yes, and no ..... depending on technology.

Almost everything available today would need to be used to generate only when there's a heating requirement ... which for many/most people is only a limited number of hours morning & evening in the winter and a single daily DHW heat cycle for the rest of the year ...

A small fuel cell system dedicated to trickle heating a DHW cylinder then cutting out at a thermostatic set-point would probably be the best solution for most, the problem is convincing consumers to have an additional expensive gizmo, whereas the expense is diluted when you include the cost of a boiler, which people already accept as being expensive ... (even though they're not - larger installers are probably close to 20% boiler / 60% fitting / 20%Tax) ...

HTH
Z

michaels

I was thinking of having an indoor swimming pool for year round use with the leccy from the chp running the filter pump and waste heat exchanger on the dehumidifier the same boiler heating DHW and house on a second circuit - then I think the maths may stack up....

captainhindsight_2

michaels wrote: »

I was thinking of having an indoor swimming pool for year round use with the leccy from the chp running the filter pump and waste heat exchanger on the dehumidifier the same boiler heating DHW and house on a second circuit - then I think the maths may stack up....

Chp is used to meet constant base loads, so if you have a swimming pool chp is the perfect solution. Most leisure centres, hotels etc or just anywhere with swimming pools tend to have chp meeting base heat and electrical loads helping save loads of money

Ben84

I think CHP boilers are an interesting idea with some uses, but probably more commercial applications rather than residential. Well built/upgraded houses should have quite modest heating needs. We have very low heating needs in our late 1920s house since we insulated the loft, walls and installed secondary glazing, so even older houses can be improved a lot.

lstar337

Ben84 wrote: »

I think CHP boilers are an interesting idea with some uses, but probably more commercial applications rather than residential. Well built/upgraded houses should have quite modest heating needs. We have very low heating needs in our late 1920s house since we insulated the loft, walls and installed secondary glazing, so even older houses can be improved a lot.

Very true. Our house is A rated on the EPC and only needs 1-2hours of heating to maintain 21c all day. We wouldn't be generating much electricity with that!

The only way you are going to generate a significant amount of electricity is if you are spending a ton on gas heating because you are living in a poorly insulated house. And if you are doing that then you would probably save a lot more bringing the insulation up to date than you would purchasing one of these boilers.