|
Thursday May 15
With growing concerns about carbon emissions, the heating industry is under pressure to offer more energy efficient heating solutions. Andrew Munro, MD of CVO Fire, a North East-based company specialising in British-made fires and fireplaces, explains why flueless gas fires are attracting growing interest from more environmentally aware consumers.
Being environmentally-friendly is no longer just fashionable — it’s necessary. ‘Energy-saving’ is a buzz phrase as we are constantly urged to reduce our carbon footprint not only to protect the environment but also to help save a few pounds during the much talked about credit crunch.
The fireplace industry in the UK is now starting to play its part in helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the demand for eco-friendly fires is constantly growing.
Flueless fires are one of the easiest and most stylish ways to reduce CO2 emissions. Whether it’s for the home or for a hotel, restaurant or bar, flueless fires are not only 100% energy efficient but they will also help to reduce your customer’s gas bills.
Statistics show that if the 15 million flued fires in the UK were replaced by flueless alternatives, this would save 40,260,000,000kW of gas every year. What’s more, carbon dioxide emissions would reduce by over 7,649,400 tonnes every year.
A flueless fire is different because it converts 100% of the gas to heat compared to a conventional fire where this figure could be as little as 10%. Flueless gas fires offer 100% energy efficiency because there is no flue or chimney through which heat can escape — all of the heat remains in the room. As a result, running costs are in the region of 3 to 5 pence per hour compared with 8 to 12 pence of conventional gas fires. A conventional chimney or flue setup draws a large amount of air from a house. This means the heat generated by central heating systems, when the fire is not in use, is also being lost up the chimney.
Safety record
Aside from the environmental benefits, flueless gas fires have an outstanding safety
record. All Spirit and CVO branded gas fires give off very low CO, C02 and NOx emissions and burn so cleanly that no catalytic filter system is required. This allows for a living, open-flamed fire with no glass front to become stained or hot.
As an additional safety feature every flueless fire we manufacture contains an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) which automatically shuts off the gas supply in the rare event that the oxygen levels in a room reach a low level. All of the fires are bench-tested for over 30 minutes with electronic readings taken to ensure every fire meets the safety requirements of the CE approval certificate.
Aside from flueless fires, a new range of ECO-Gel Fires has recently been introduced to the UK market from America under the Spirit brand of fires, also owned by CVO. These use sustainable energy, producing real flames and heat without emitting any other harmful fumes. ECO-Gel Fires, which use organic gel fuel, can be wall hung or set in firebowls. As an added bonus the bowls can be used inside or outside the home, or in conservatories, and are a much more eco-friendly option than large patio heaters.
Why flueless?
In summary, here are some reasons why going flueless is a good idea:
• Flueless fires don’t require a flue or a chimney, hence all of the warmth from the fire is kept in the room, making the fires much more energy efficient.
• Running costs are 60% less than a comparable conventional gas fire which means big savings on household bills.
• Flueless fires are ideal for new builds or apartments which aren’t built with chimneys, but are also great for old houses where chimneys may have been blocked up.
• Flueless fires are easy to install in any room, apart from bathrooms, and cause minimal disruption. They can even be fitted to an inside wall and are perfect for lounges, home extensions, basement rooms and conservatories.
• The CVO range of flue- less fires includes designs to suit any style requirement from contemporary to traditional with various material finishes to choose from.
• Flueless fires have an outstanding safety record.
|
