Raising the bar

The Five Horseshoes Inn in Barholm, Lincolnshire, has successfully achieved significant carbon reduction with the installation of a sustainable HVO condensing liquid fuel boiler. The change has reduced the building’s CO2 emissions from 8.26 tonnes to 0.702 tonnes per annum (nearly 90% reduction), and increased its EPC rating from D to A.

The pub has committed to offset the remaining carbon to achieve net-zero status by planting trees, making it the first rural establishment in the country to achieve net-zero emissions.

‘‘It’s a fantastic bonus for us,” enthuses Emma Freeman, joint landlord of the Five Horseshoes. “We’re not eco-warriors, but you have to do your bit. When we were shown the figures for the carbon reduction, it made sense. If we continued to use our old heating for the next 25 years, we would need to plant 200 trees to offset the carbon emissions. With the new system it’s just 13 and these will be planted around primary schools in the area.”

Spreading the word

Keen to demonstrate the advances in relation to liquid fuel-fired fully modulating burners to trade, industry, consumers, government representative groups and individuals, OFTEC, the UK's oil industry body, sought a collaboration with EOGB Energy Products to create a demonstrator site.

As a typical rural property with an existing oil-fired central heating system and a low EPC rating, the Five Horseshoes was chosen for conversion and adoption to serve as a practical example of how carbon-intense fossil-fuelled boilers can be transitioned away from kerosene and gas oil, via the adoption of waste-derived, sustainable, low-carbon, liquid fuels such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil).

“Much work has been done evaluating and identifying that HVO provided a realistic and practical decarbonisation solution for ‘hard-to- treat’ existing oil-fired properties,” says Martin Cooke, managing director of EOGB Energy Products. “Instead of decarbonising the heating system by displacing the existing building services, this approach provides a low-cost, low-impact solution for end users by simply decarbonising the liquid fuel utilised for heat and hot water purposes in their existing equipment.”

All change

With the consent of Barholm Estate owners and the tenants of the property, the project began. A number of upgrades were made to protect the fuel, equipment and the owners and occupiers of the premises, and to make it suitable to be scrutinised by members of the general public, as well as MPs and government officials.

In order to further improve the efficiency of the building, the existing oil-fired boiler was replaced. The old Myson Velaire 50/70 boiler, set mid-range at 60,000 BTUs (circa 17.5kW), was somewhere in the region of 25 to 30 years old, but of a type, design and efficiency typical of boilers of 50-plus years. This was replaced with an EOGB fully modulating Sapphire condensing liquid-fuel boiler ready for HVO.

“Don’t be deceived by the traditional outward appearance of the Sapphire fully modulating boiler,” says Cooke. “Remove the front cover and you will see it looks a little different, but it’s extremely easy to work on and service. It has a fuel pump, a fan, an ignition system, a control box, flexible oil lines and an atomising nozzle. Sounds familiar, but all connected to a 25-year guaranteed fully stainless steel heat exchanger so, no mild steel corrosion here, and a modulating range of outputs from 6-32kW.”

The existing wet central heating and hot water system were retained, minimising disruption and cost. The 15 existing radiators were fitted with OpenTherm radio remote individual thermostatic flow and temperature-sensing remote radiator valves piped top, bottom and opposite ends. This provided individual radiator zone control functionality enabling app-controlled separate time- and temperature-demand control over private residential and public areas of the property.

‘‘The fuel, combined with our new, energy-efficient boiler, works so much better than before and we often forget that we’re no longer using kerosene,” says Matthew Thompson, joint landlord of the Five Horseshoes. “For pubs like us, this hassle-free low-cost solution to going green will be a real lifesaver.”

Sustainable liquid fuel

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a renewable biofuel produced through the hydrotreatment of vegetable oils, fats and waste lipids, resulting in a paraffinic diesel fuel and a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

It is interchangeable with kerosene and can, in most cases, be used with existing oil-fired heating systems with minor modifications to the boiler.

Benefits of switching to HVO:

• Cleaner and greener: reduces carbon emissions by almost 90% compared to traditional heating oils
• Simple conversion: can be carried out during annual boiler service or upgrade
• Low cost: conversion typically costs around £500, depending on the system
• Fossil free: made from certified sustainable waste materials that don’t contribute to deforestation
• No noticeable difference: odourless and runs just as efficiently as other liquid heating fuels

For more information, visit: futurereadyfuel.info