News 50
With almost 500 tractor units across the UK, HOYER is the market leader in fuel distribution
HOYER is expanding its Petrolog fleet in the UK with the arrival of 89 new MAN vehicles. The deliveries, set to complete this October, comprise 75 replacement vehicles plus 14 additional vehicles for the company’s recently attained business across the UK.
The new fleet additions are all Euro 6 TGS 24.420’s with a total of 85 day cabs and four sleeper cabs.
The MAN deal offers Petrolog a comprehensive fixed price repair and maintenance package across a mixture of three and five-year lease agreements.
“We are delighted to be bringing in new vehicles to replace our older tractor units and additional vehicles to support our growing aviation and ground fuels business and, in doing so, continuing our longstanding relationship with MAN,” said operations director Allan Davison.
The new TGS 24.420’s join an existing UK fleet of 500 HOYER vehicles. Operating nationally across the UK HOYER sites the new vehicles will be serviced and maintained by the strategically located nationwide MAN dealer network.
“With almost 500 tractor units across the UK, HOYER is the market leader in fuel distribution,” added Ian Mclean, head of international key accounts and special products.
“It is fantastic to see MAN vehicles and service underpinning this growth and delivering on the company’s requirements. As a manufacturer, MAN offer a robust and trusted ADR and pet-reg approved vehicle solution, which in turn has the support from a focused dealer network who provide the highest levels of after sales support to hazardous goods vehicles and operators.”www.hoyer.uk.com
The Silverstone Classic – a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the JET brand
When the Silverstone Classic celebrated its 70th anniversary this summer JET was right at the heart of the action as the event’s official fuel partner for the fifth year running.
Over 100,000 people attended the three-day event with the JET Village Green attracting thousands of visitors who took advantage of the free entertainment laid on by JET, including traditional funfair rides, the JET Big Wheel which offered panoramic views of the circuit and, for the real race enthusiasts, an F1 Pitstop Challenge, a full motion VR simulator and high spec VR playseat challenge simulators.
JET was once again joined again by brand ambassador, race driver Nic Hamilton, who met customers in hospitality and signed autographs for visitors. As Nic’s title sponsor for the Renault Clio Cup, his race car was on display with JET also sponsoring the Super Touring Car Trophy.
Making the most of the social media opportunities throughout, JET’s brand team reached over 125,000 social media users across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with more than 113,000 engaging with JET and Nic Hamilton throughout and since the event.
“Once again, we saw a terrific turnout of car enthusiasts and their families who attend the event each year,” said Mary Wolf, managing director, UK marketing for Phillips 66.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the JET brand and for customers from across our entire business to meet up with their industry counterparts while enjoying the excitement of the event. Having Nic there in person and showcasing his car was one of the main highlights for everyone here at JET.”www.phillips66.co.uk/EN/jetbrand/Pages/index.aspx
In a multimillion-euro deal, Canadian Irving Oil, which owns the Whitegate refinery in Cork, has acquired Top Oil (formerly Tedcastles Oil Products), the brand owned by the Dublin-based Tedcastle Group.
Approval is now being sought from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
“This is a very significant day for the extended family and our business in Ireland,” said Tedcastle Holdings deputy chairman Raymond Reihill.
Top Oil, which has a 200-year trading history and sells over a billion litres of fuel every year to commercial and residential customers, also operates from 20 fuel depots, owns a terminal at Dublin Port and has over 200 service stations. Parent company Tedcastle Holdings had a €1.1 billion turnover in 2017 and employs over 400 people.
Gerard Boylan, CEO, Top Oil said: “We are looking forward to joining Irving Oil and continuing to grow and develop our business under its umbrella. We share a common commitment to our employees, customers and the wider community.”
Irving Oil has stated that the Top Oil brand will be retained and there will be no job losses.
“We’re excited about this opportunity to grow our business in Ireland and work with the Top Oil team,” said Ian Whitcomb, president of Irving Oil.
“We have worked hard to build strong customer relationships and establish meaningful community partnerships in Ireland and are delighted to continue to grow our business in this area. It’s a natural fit for us.”
ESL lab manager, Dave Barratt, carrying out fuel testing for third parties
A low energy process has been developed by ESL Fuels in laboratory space at the University of Chester’s Thornton Science Park. The new and innovative Molexis technology will complement large volume production of diesel, heating oil and marine fuels from sites across the UK.
The first production unit is currently being built and is expected to process up to 50 tonnes per hour and be capable of running on a 24/7 basis.
“I am extremely excited by the potential for our new Molexis process, something which we’ve been working on at Thornton Science Park for the past two years,” said Stephen Whittaker, managing director for ESL Fuels.
The Phillips 66 contract – ‘another important step in Petrolog achieving its strategic growth objectives in the fuels market’ says operations director, Allan Davison
HOYER is delighted to confirm that Petrolog UK has entered into an agreement to deliver commercial and retail fuels on behalf of Phillips 66 from the fuel supplier’s Bramhall Terminal.
Operations director at HOYER Petrolog UK, Allan Davison, said:
“This five-year agreement with Phillips 66 provides another important step in Petrolog achieving its strategic growth objectives in the fuels market.”
A diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company, Phillips 66 has a portfolio of Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses.
The company processes, transports, stores and markets fuels and products globally.
Headquartered in Houston, the company has 14,800 employees committed to safety and operating excellence. Phillips 66 had $52 billion of assets as of Dec. 31, 2016. www.hoyer.uk.com/products-services/petrolog
Working hard to highlight the potential impact on the industry of the government’s strategy to reduce emissions from road transport and red diesel consultation, the FPS has put forward its members’ views by submitting evidence to HM Treasury with respect to The Road to Zero strategy.
Nothing could stop these Donegal lads from continuing to cycle non-stop day and night with only the finish line in their sights
Four men from Donegal have completed the toughest cycle race in the world – The Race Across America (RAAM) – in just seven and a half days!
Taking part were – Milford native, Arthur McMahon of Donegal Oil and his team mates – Padraig MacGinty from Downings, Convoy’s Gavin Harris and Gerard Callaghan from Letterkenny. The first ever team from Donegal to take part in this ultra-endurance cycle race, the four were also proud to be the only team to be representing Ireland this year.
The cycle race spanned over 3200 miles across 12 US States from the east to west coast of America. The race started in Oceanside, California where the team endured extreme weather conditions from intense heat through the desert, to lightning and rain storms with a severe tornado in Kansas.
The team was overwhelmed by the support and well wishes received from home, family and friends from across the world and would like to thank everyone who has donated to their autism charity.
“Every cent of the money raised will go towards providing schools, sports clubs and charities with educational aids for children and adults on the autistic spectrum,” said Arthur McMahon.
If you like to make a donation to the Donegal Oil Foundation’s donations page, please visit: https://www.ifundraise.ie/3801_donegal-oil-foundation—fundraising-page-in-aid-of-austism.html
John Sutton, CEO of Suttons Group and Patrick Marsland-Roberts TD, Master Carman, next to one of Sutton’s newly branded trucks at this year’s Cart Marking ceremony
The company’s new brand is an evolution of the old familiar gold laurel which has been updated with the chevrons replacing the wreath. The double-S is now modern, and the font is a clean and bold sans-serif.
Pictured beside the WP Group’s newest tanker – Dan Hedges, Melanie Noel and Terry Brown – on the Magyar stand at FPS EXPO 2018
When the Southampton-based WP Group launched a new lubricants division, 13 jobs were created at the company’s depots in Aberdeen, Wakefield and Gravesend, requiring an additional 9 drivers and four operational staff.
To lead their recruitment campaign, WP Group turned to dh Logistics Appointments, a division of Driver Hire Nationwide which supplies staff to the transport and logistics industry.
“We needed a recruitment partner that understood our business and the markets in which we operate,” explained operations manager, Dan Hedges.
“On this project we chose to deal with dh Logistics Appointments and, in particular, senior business manager, Jason Crispin.
“When discussing candidates, I welcomed his openness, admired his honesty and trusted his recommendations.
“With positions advertised on a wide variety of national online jobs boards, the campaign attracted hundreds of responses which were then narrowed down to 50 interview ready candidates.
“All the candidates were of high quality and well-prepared. Jason kept everyone well-informed throughout the process and, when we needed to change priorities, he was agile enough to pivot at a moment’s notice,” added Dan.
“Using an industry specialist recruitment company saves a lot of time and trouble,” said Jason.
“It’s particularly important when narrowing down applicants to a premium list which most closely matches the client’s brief. Utilising the UK’s leading job boards, CV databases and social media we can access both active and passive candidates to ensure vacancies are exposed to the broadest audience possible.”
“With dh Logistics Appointments we found the people needed to get our new lubricants division up and running, and, having been a real asset to our organisation, has encouraged us to use the company again,” added Dan.
Mabanaft has just announced the results of its most recent customer survey. A full report will be published in the September issue of Fuel Oil News.
Mabanaft Limited has 60 years’ experience trading in the UK and is one of the country’s largest independent wholesalers. With a network of independently operated fuel terminals located throughout the country the company is uniquely positioned to supply fuel to the UK market.
Look out for more news from Mabanaft in the October 2018 issue of Fuel Oil News.
Tim Doggett, director of Clugston Distribution – see the August issue of Fuel Oil News for top 10 fuel logistics companies (page 17)
Clugston Distribution has increased turnover to £17m for the 2017-18 financial year. Since the earlier appointment of Tim Doggett as distribution director, the business has secured several long-term contracts with new and existing customers during the year.
Continued investment of £1m in the commercial vehicle fleet enabled the business to grow its bulk food business by over 25% during the financial year, whilst investment in apprenticeship schemes also ensured the business continued to produce highly-skilled, factory-trained vehicle technicians and fitters, enabling the expansion of its vehicle maintenance and testing services. The recent introduction of a global freight forwarding offering will also increase flexibility and enable the business to grow.
“Despite challenging markets, we have delivered another strong financial performance, with a substantial growth in turnover and improved efficiencies,” said Tim Doggett.
Road safety professionals and employers working in the downstream oil industry and allied industries can now register for Road Safety Week 2018 (19-25 November 2018) at www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/professionals.
Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest annual road safety event which aims to inspire companies, communities and schools to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond.
Coordinated by charity Brake, the Week is a great opportunity to engage schools, companies and communities with road safety by using free resources (available from September) on this year’s Bike Smart theme.
If your company is taking part in the Week, do please share your plans with Fuel Oil News!
www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk
@Brakecharity – #RoadSafetyWeek #BikeSmart
Facebook.com/brakecharity
HOYER Petrolog has extended its In To Plane refuelling operation with Valero at Dublin Airport with a two-year extension to its current deal, through to December 2020.
“The extension of this contract is excellent news for HOYER and secures a strategically important piece of business within Ireland, said Allan Davison, operations director.
“Our excellent relationship with Valero extends back to 2000 and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
The contract involves refuelling planes during all hours of airport operation and involves 10 refuelling vehicles and 28 staff.
Fan Brycheiniog is the highest peak in the Black Mountain region of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales. It is just inside the county of Powys, and also within the Fforest Fawr Geopark designated in 2005 in recognition of the area’s geological heritage.
Oil 4 Wales has secured a £350,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales to pay for the refurbishment of a former Texaco filling station at Nantycaws where there are plans to build a new café.
“The garage has had no investment for over 20 years. The location with the view over the Black Mountain range cries out for investment to attract more tourists and locals if we can provide services, such as a cafeteria and a tourist shop, all stocked with Welsh produce,” said Colin Owens, owner of Oil4Wales.https://developmentbank.wales/case-studies/oil-4-wales
In a ‘Question time with the DVSA’ session at the Freight Transport Association’s Transport Manager autumn conference series, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will be answering transport managers’ most pressing questions.
Delighted to have the DVSA on board at this year’s events, James Firth, FTA’s head of road freight regulation policy, said:
“For transport managers, the DVSA is a key source of information and direction, but with the compliance world changing so rapidly, it is often difficult to keep up to date with every element of such a complicated industry. These sessions at the FTA’s Transport Manager conferences will provide the perfect opportunity to hear answers to the most pressing questions in the sector straight from those at the sharp end – they should not be missed.”
Transport managers have already posed a number of questions they wish to ask the DVSA via FTA’s recent Transport Manager Survey, and senior members of the DVSA team will give answers via video interview to those which proved most popular, relating to vehicle testing, load security, future enforcement, Earned Recognition, use of ANPR cameras and much more.
This year’s Transport Manager conferences will also include a chance to hear from the local traffic commissioner at each venue, as well as other sessions covering topics including Earned Recognition, Clean Air Zones, lowering emissions, Brexit, managing maintenance providers and smart tachographs.
Also sponsored by Brigade Electronics and Microlise, Transport Manager 2018 will be held from September to November across ten UK venues – Yeovil, Doncaster, Southampton, Peterborough, Knutsford, Glasgow, Chepstow, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London and Birmingham. For further information or to book a place go to https://fta.co.uk/tm2018 or call the FTA Member Service Centre on 03717 11 22 22.
Rory Clarke, managing director of J.R. Rix & Sons, overlooking the company’s Hull fuel depot
Hull-based J.R. Rix & Sons grew turnover by 17% in 2017 with all companies in the Group reporting an improved performance on the previous year.
Group revenue increased by £60m to £407m in the 12 months to December 31st, 2017, with profit remaining stable at just under £5m.
Holiday home and lodge manufacturer Victory Leisure Homes continued to make inroads into the industry, growing market share significantly and increasing sales from £19.5m in 2016 to £26.5m last year. The company was bolstered by the strength of the UK holiday market and the weak pound.
The weak pound also combined with an increase in the price of oil prompting growth at the Group’s inland and marine fuels businesses. Rix Petroleum – the largest company in the Group – increased sales from £272m to £304m and maritime bunkering’s revenue increased from £25.4m in 2016 to £38m in 2017.
Rix Shipping, which manages the company’s shipping fleet and stevedoring operations in Hull and Montrose, saw turnover nearly double across the year from £7.2m in 2016 to £13.6m last year, and the Group’s car and commercial vehicle retailer, Jordans Cars, reported a slight growth in sales from £23.6m to £25.4m.
Managing director Rory Clarke described the performances as solid, adding that much of the growth had come from an increase in the price of oil.
“Overall Group turnover leapt by £60m with all divisions performing well. Although a number of external factors affect the performance of our businesses – the relative strength of the pound, the weather and the price of oil – good governance, keeping a close eye on costs and having a thorough understanding of the environment in which we operate are still key to driving growth.
‘’It is particularly pleasing that once again all the operating businesses within the group made a positive contribution to what was a good year for J.R. Rix & Sons.”www.rix.co.uk
Greenergy has reached an agreement with Oiltanking, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls, to purchase an idle biodiesel manufacturing facility located at Oiltanking’s site in Amsterdam. The acquisition of a third biodiesel plant will allow Greenergy to meet growing demand for waste-based biofuel in the UK and Europe.
The Amsterdam biodiesel manufacturing facility was built in 2010 to process vegetable oils but was never commissioned. Greenergy plans to carry out works over the next year to convert the facility to process waste oils rather than vegetable oils and then to add further production capacity.
“Demand for waste-based biodiesel is rising rapidly in the UK and Europe as a result of higher obligated biofuel inclusion rates,” explained Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive.
“Over the last few years we have scaled up our raw material supply chains and invested in our UK manufacturing facilities, increasing output through a variety of incremental investments. We are now leveraging these skills and capabilities to develop a third plant.”
Scotland is a key location for A&A with the company ‘pleased to now have a stronger presence in this region’
Adler & Allan has expanded its operations in Scotland by opening up a new depot and offices in Aberdeen to provide the region with easier access to its range of environmental, fuel, waste and asset management services.
Support available from the depot includes A&A’s 24/7 emergency response, covering flooding and polluting spills. Flooding in particular is a growing concern for many regions in the UK; A&A can provide 360-degree flood mitigation services for businesses, including flood mapping, risk assessments, defences and clean up.
In addition, customers can access asset protection, such as the refurbishment of essential equipment and sites, the toughest protective coatings and linings, waste transfer and disposal, fuel and forecourt services. The company also delivers a range of consultancy to help businesses comply with their environmental obligations and deal with specific issues, such as contaminated land.
“We are delighted to open our new depot in Aberdeen,” said Ken Salmon, Adler & Allan’s general manager for Scotland.
“As a business, A&A is committed to providing an industry-leading, fast and efficient service, nationwide. New locations mean this commitment can be better fulfilled, providing improved levels of service to our clients. Scotland is a key location for A&A and we are pleased to now have a stronger presence in this region.”www.adlerandallan.co.uk
Removing oil boilers from the ECO3 scheme would unfairly discriminate against rural households and could lead to even higher levels of fuel poverty said OFTEC CEO Paul Rose
OFTEC has welcomed last week’s announcement from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that oil boilers will not be excluded from the next phase of the Energy Company Obligation scheme (ECO3) as initially proposed.
The decision follows responses by OFTEC and other stakeholders to the ECO3 consultation that underlined that removing oil boilers from the scheme would unfairly discriminate against rural households and could lead to even higher levels of fuel poverty.
The new ECO3 legislation, which comes into force on 1 October 2018, will allow limited oil boiler delivery to take place within the broken heating system cap and will also allow the repair of broken oil boilers within the 5% cap for all boiler repairs. This limit only applies to broken boilers not First Time Central Heating (FTCH). Oil boilers will not be allowed under first time central heating (FTCH), district heating, solid walled homes minimum, rural minimum, inefficient heating system replacements or innovation measures.
“This is an important win for low income and vulnerable off-grid households,” commented OFTEC CEO Paul Rose.
“As the key objective of ECO is to provide affordable warmth and help address fuel poverty, it would have been completely contradictory to exclude the repair or replacement of broken oil appliances when oil heating continues to be the cheapest form of heating available to off-grid households.
“We fully support the Clean Growth Strategy vision to phase out carbon intensive fuels from 2020 and believe the best way to achieve this for off-grid homes is the introduction of a low carbon liquid fuel alternative to oil which initial testing indicates, could run on existing oil boilers without modification.”www.oftec.org.uk
Heat Heroes and FPS members look on as Heart of England Foundation’s Jen Tullet (l), holds the cheque for £11,594 alongside Dawn Shakespeare of the FPS
The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) – together with Midlands-based heating oil distributors, AID Fuels, Nolan Oils and Midland Fuel Oil – have been fundraising to help those in fuel poverty and have awarded £11,594 to four National Energy Action (NEA) Heat Heroes Award winners.
Organised by NEA, which works to end fuel poverty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Heat Heroes Awards aim to recognise individuals who have gone ‘above and beyond’ to help people living in fuel poverty in their local community.
Having raised £11,594 from two years of fundraising events, the FPS and its members asked The Heart of England Community Foundation to administer the funds with the following chosen to receive £2898.50 each.
“We heartily congratulate all the winners of the NEA Heat Heroes Awards 2018,” said Guy Pulham, FPS chief executive.
“We’re pleased that with the help of our Midlands-based members, we’ve been able to raise a significant sum of money. We’re also impressed by the extraordinary efforts made by these four winners and have no doubt they’ll put the money to incredibly good use.”Coventry Citizens Advice Bureau – Natalie French, fuel poverty advisor intends to use the donation to continue to support people through the bureau’s telephone assessment and advice service; helping more people save money on their heating bills and become more energy efficient.Citizens Advice Derbyshire Districts – Russell Bosanko, financial capability officer helps people save energy; the money will be put towards staging a number of events and attending community events to provide energy advice and support to those most in need of assistance with fuel bills. Wolverhampton Homes – Alvina Ali, energy and climate change officer will address fuel poverty with a series of initiatives, products and services to help tenants and residents to budget and control energy consumption. Home energy visits are an essential part of delivering a customer friendly solution as they give us the tools we need to help support and protect vulnerable residents living in fuel poverty whilst helping them to sustain their tenancies.Marches Energy Agency – Davina Allen, project manager supports vulnerable clients by finding ways to cut energy bills, looking for good deals and reducing fuel debt – the money will provide additional resources for their independent phoneline service across Shropshire, Herefordshire and southern Staffordshire.
“We were delighted that FPS chose our Foundation to administer these funds,” said Tina Costello CEO of Heart of England Community Foundation.
“The Heat Heroes Award winners have done brilliantly to support those struggling in their communities and we are sure their fine work will continue!”www.fpsonline.co.ukwww.nea.org.uk/award-schemes
Hytek (GB) Limited, which consists of Hytek, IFC Inflow and Anglo Nordic Burner Products, purchased Pumptronics Europe Limited from previous owners, The Premier Group, in May 2018.
Hytek and Pumptronics, which were both established in 1985, will continue to operate in their current locations of Bishops Stortford and North Walsham respectively, and will continue to produce their own strongly identifiable products such as the Hytek Alpha pump range and the Pumptronics Zeon and C-series ranges.
“Hytek is very excited to have Pumptronics join the Hytek group,” said Nicola Stamp, group managing director of Hytek (GB).
“Whilst there is some overlap in both the product line-up and customer base, there are real benefits that joint ownership will bring to both brands.”
“Hytek has been a competitor for many years, however, we can be much stronger together,” said Andrew Olive, Pumptronics’ managing director.
“I look forward to seeing if there’s anything we can adopt that will improve our service levels to our customers. As far as product sales, ordering and manufacturing are concerned, the main message is business as usual.
“I look forward to working with Pumptronics in the future and to supplying both existing and new customers within the market,” added Hytek’s sales director, Andy Seal.
www.hytekgb.com
www.pumptronics.co.uk
Supplying directly to large commercial airports is part of the future growth strategy for Gulf Aviation
Adding toits existing portfolio of airport contracts, Gulf Aviation has secured a contract to provide fuel to Birmingham Airport. The deal significantly bolsters the existing fuel supply chain to the airport and will also include the refuelling of onsite vehicles.
Gulf Aviation – Certas Energy’s aviation brand – will provide a supply of Jet A1 fuel to the airport, which is one of the busiest in the UK, servicing more than 13 million passengers every year.
“We’re thrilled to confirm our partnership with Birmingham Airport,” said Alex Murphy, head of Gulf Aviation which has been supplying the UK aviation market for more than eight years.
“We’ve grown as a business by listening to our customers and developing services and solutions that respond to their needs and that help them run their companies more efficiently. It’s something I know Birmingham Airport were impressed with and it played a key part in their decision-making process
“Gulf Aviation will continue to have strong ties to private and business airfields alongside flying clubs; however, supplying directly to large commercial airports is certainly part of our future growth strategy,” added Alex.
Bob Graham, operations director at Birmingham Airport, said:
“This new partnership comes at a really exciting time for Birmingham Airport as we continue to expand the number of carriers and destinations we offer and position ourselves as an attractive airport for carriers looking to expand services into the UK.”
Essar has invested over $850 million since acquiring Stanlow in July 2011
Essar Oil (UK) Limited, which owns and operates the Stanlow Refinery, has reported robust financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31st 2018.
The refinery remains a key national asset, producing over 16% of the UK’s road transport fuel demand. Throughput in FY18 was 7.19 MMT, a reduction of 20.9% on FY17 due to the major turnaround in Q4.
The refinery completed the execution of all project upgrades during the turnaround. It is expected the margin improvements will yield an incremental margin of US $75 million to US $80 million annually in the prevailing market.
Essar’s optimised reconfiguration to a single train site, material diversification of the crude slate and an ongoing focus on margin booster initiatives in recent years resulted in a delta over the benchmark margin of US $4.00/bbl, as against under US $1.00/bbl in 2012.Operational and financial performance: Key Indicators
With 88% of those off-grid having an EPC rating of E, F, or G these homes are generally unsuitable for a heat pump installation, says Neil Schofield, head of government affairs at Worcester Bosch. Credit: gollykim
According to a recent analysis of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings, the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) ambition to use heat pumps as a way of lowering the heating emissions of homes off mains gas is flawed.
Responding to the launch of the Committee’s 2018 Progress Report to Parliament, Neil Schofield, head of government affairs at Worcester Bosch, argues that the push for heat pumps to be prioritised is in need of a “reality check”.
“One of the main issues with the CCC’s recommendations is that they are informed by carbon performance alone, and not by practicality or cost,” commented Neil Schofield.
“We really need a reality check, as the figures we’ve seen suggest that heat pumps simply aren’t suitable for an overwhelming majority of homes.”
Worcester Bosch’s close examination of EPC figures published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government found that less than 12% of the 640,536 properties without access to the mains gas network have an EPC rated C or above. This leaves over 550,000 properties without sufficient insulation for a heat pump installation.
The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy has been widely criticised for its suggestion that oil boilers are to be phased out, with many claiming that renewable alternatives are simply too complicated and expensive.
With a heat pump working at a lower temperature than a boiler, insulation plays a vital role in allowing a property to be heated sufficiently. The characteristics of off mains gas properties with an energy rating of D or below, will therefore generally be unsuitable for a heat pump installation.
Neil added: “The heating industry has long held doubts over the government’s plans for those in off mains gas areas, but these numbers really do emphasise just how flawed that ambition is, and how impractical heat pumps are as a truly viable alternative to an oil boiler. A heat pump can offer numerous benefits for those living in new build or well-insulated properties, but 88% of those off-grid simply don’t fit into either of those categories, with an EPC rating of E, F, or G.
“We are in full agreement that heating needs to be decarbonised but need to remember that it’s the fuel that carries the carbon, not the boiler.
“All the evidence suggests that the best way for us to decarbonise heat from rural homes is to use reduced carbon fuel alternatives. Turning to fuels such as bio-kerosene, biopropane, or even Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO), would allow us to continue to rely on the boilers that so many homeowners are familiar with; focusing our efforts on replacing old, inefficient oil boilers with new, high-efficiency condensing models.” www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/professional/products/boilers