Baxi Ecogen boiler now available with British Gas

British Gas has added the Baxi Ecogen Micro-CHP (Combined Heat and Power) to its range of boilers to maintain the UK’s leading gas and electricity supplier’s investment into new green technologies.

The energy supplier has recently added a solar pv and solar water heating panel package to its vast array of offers, and now it has partnered with boiler manufacturer Baxi to offer the highly regarded Ecogen to consumers.

The British Gas Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP is a revolutionary wall-hung combined heat and power appliance that can provide efficient gas central heating and hot water like any other boiler, but also generates electricity for use in your home.

With a micro-CHP system fitted you can provide your home with heating and hot water generated at a low cost as well as two thirds of your home’s electricity requirements according to field trials untaken by Baxi.

By using this electricity to power your household appliances it means you can buy less electricity from your energy supplier, potentially sell back any unused electricity, lower your electricity bills and reduce you carbon footprint.

It looks and works like any conventional boiler. However, the system uses a special Stirling engine that is heated by burning gas. The unit responds to a heat demand of up to 6kW by igniting the engine gas burner. The heat causes helium inside the engine to expand, pushing a piston up and down between a copper coil to generate up to 1kW of electricity – like an alternator in a car.

It looks like a standard boiler, so it can be easily mounted in a kitchen, garage or utility as a direct replacement for a previous unit.

The Baxi Ecogen offers its maximum cost efficiency when you use electricity as its being generated by the system, for example doing your washing in the evening when the heating is on.

The Ecogen comes with a built-in energy meter so you can see how much electricity is being produced and comes with a range of controls to control room and hot water temperature to further reduce the cost of your bills.

According to British Gas, 1.5 million boilers are replaced in the UK each year. And it’s estimated that by 2015, micro-CHP units will represent 30 per cent of these replacements, so it’s a viable technology for the future.