Energy

The company that supplied our wood pellet central heating system in November 2005 called on Friday to ask if they could come by today to do the annual check, clean, inspection and software update.

As usual, they turned up 15 minutes early and the process which takes an hour or so was done in the normal quiet and efficient way. Nothing to be reported, everything OK for another year, even, so it seems the fireclay bricks in the fire box. Considering the unit ran 365 days a year until 2017 when we added an electric immersion heater to run off PV in the summer, it has stood up well. We could do with three low electricity powered water pumps used for the two heating systems (radiators and underfloor) and the hot water but need to get the bank balance healthier.

This check-up is not free, indeed a tidy sum but I am convinced it both accounts for the reliability and the efficient running. Unusually for Germany, it isn't even a legal requirement. However we do have very strict laws and checks carried out on all solid energy "burning" systems, whether oil, gas, wood or anything else flammable. All stoves, appliances, fireplaces and chimneys, new and old, have to be approved by the area chief chimney sweep and who issues a certificate of worthiness ever few years. He must also ensure the unit is being cleaned and checked by a qualified chimney sweep, usually twice a year, Until 2013, this was done by one and the same person but the EU forced the German local Government controlled system of having an official area chimney sweep, to be opened up to free competition for any qualified person from anywhere in the EU.

In reality this change did nothing and there has been no change to the costs. In the cities and perhaps in some industrial plants, people & businesses may shop around but the savings are likely to be less than the cost of having a good relationship with your local person.

It' s pretty useful to stay "in" with your sweep who has strong legal powers and can in effect check almost all your house and can close down any appliance if it fails it's emmision/CO² test- they have to have access to all the rooms that may contain anything connected to the heating and in the case of gas that includes all those rooms the gas pipe is laid in. It also means checking windows and doors to ensure adequate ventilation. So a lot of trust, never mind how he goes about minimising any dirt he may cause.

I know there are concerns about fine particle emissions from wood fired heating but the ever increasing limits and the laws on filters together with a well serviced unit, regular sweeping and good quality pellets, allows me to have a reasonably good conscience. This has certainly been helped by the 2017 installed PV and electric immersion heater which has meant our pellet system has been unused from April until tonight when the thermometer sank to 0°C! We did actually use it on two days in July when we had 10 people staying in the house who wanted to shower in the morning before the sun could fully power the PV.

The van of the company (Rennergy - a play on the founders name of Renn and Renewable Energy) now highlights the useful combination of PV and wood - pellets, chips and log -burning stoves. Some will say that oil and gas are more efficient and "cleaner" but I remain in the camp that says renewables are the way to go - we aren't there yet but there have been great strides since Alfons Renn started his heating company in 1982. Won energy storage whether in batteries or some form of liquid are key areas to be developed. From what I hear heat pumps seem to be the big trend in new house builds as well as renovations. The house building/insulation laws are certainly a good "constraint" or motivation and of course the state subsidies also help.

We can get there but I hope it may be a few years before we need to examine the latest technology.

Lastly on a personal note - my apologies for a lack of timely presense and commenting. A very serious worrying family event has been developing and worsening daily since last week. It should not be happening and we are all praying.