Raising the Efficiency of Boiler Installations (BOILEFF)

PROJECT FINALISED

The BOILEFF project is now concluded. Its main findings and results are summarised in the project's final report. For further information, all the project's results and outputs are also available on this website.

While new condensing boilers have already reached a stage of technological optimum, the installation quality of heating systems offers still broad opportunities for efficiency improvements. The objective of the European project “BOILeff” is to raise the seasonal efficiency of heating systems by the improvement of boiler installations.

Quality criteria for heating installations required

Due to missing information in the offers of installers, the costumer is not able to evaluate the efficiency of a new heating system. The main selection criterion for the system and the installer is the price.

In order to visualise an optimum of efficiency a declaration of highly quality and a performance guarantee for high efficient installations were developed in the frame of the European project "BOILeff". The declaration of high quality contains the main quality criteria for an optimal refurbishment or new installation of a heating system. The compliance of these quality criteria should become part of the quotation of the installer to the end-consumer. This is not only in the interest of the customer but also of the installer, who will be able to prove the value of his work. This allows to differ from cheap "inefficient" quality.
By the use of the performance guarantee the installer has the possibility to guarantee the end-consumer the high seasonal efficiency of his new high efficient heating system.

Both instruments were tested and evaluated by Europe-wide field tests. The results of the implemented field tests verified the developed instruments and showed up that optimally installed boilers achieve an up to 20 % higher seasonal efficiency.

Guaranteed performance by high quality and performance declaration

The declaration of high quality contains the main quality criteria for an optimal refurbishment or new installation of a heating system. The compliance of these quality criteria should become part of the quotation of the installer to the end-consumer.

The declaration of high quality bases on the following main criteria:

Implementation of a heat-load calculation
Installation of a highly efficient boiler technology (e.g. condensing boilers)
Calculation of the hydraulic system for dimensioning of the circulation pump
Installation of highly efficient circulating pump(s)
Correct dimensioning of the domestic hot water demand and installation of the corresponding storage tank
Implementation of the hydraulic balance of the heating system
Implementation of pipe- and armature insulation

Additionally to the declaration of high quality three methods have been developed to forecast the seasonal efficiency and the annual energy savings of optimally installed heating systems.

By the declaration of high quality and the performance guarantee the installer obtains the chance to guarantee the customer the high seasonal efficiency of his optimal installation and to persuade him to invest in a high quality installation.

Both market approaches are published in Deliverable 6.3 "Validation of DHQUI and GPQU" and are made available in the down-load section of this website.

Project phases, networking and dissemination

The project started in February 2007 and ran until September 2009. The project was divided into following work packages that reflect the objectives presented above:

Work package 1 included the management of the project (organisation of internal meetings, control of work plan and work package completion, project administration and ongoing communications and tuning with IEEA).
In Work package 2 information on existing boiler installations with a focus on the actual quality of these installations respectively on failures and mistakes were collected and analysed. The main output including the evaluation of existing studies and test cases supported by several audits is a "list of common failures and shortcomings in heating system installations".
Within work package 3 and 4 the concept of the Declaration of High Quality Installation (DHQUI) and the approach of the Guaranteed Performance Quality (GPQU) have been developed.
In work package 5 the two market approaches got tested and evaluated by field tests in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Spain and Greece. It was intended to test the quality declaration and the performance declaration in about 50 real installations.
Work package 6 represented a comprehensive evaluation of the results of the field tests. The evaluation consists of a technical part and an evaluation of the success perceived on the heating market.
Within work package 7 and 8 internal and external networking and dissemination activities were performed.

Stimulation of the market

Space heating is the largest component of energy consumption in households in virtually all Member States, accounting for 67 % at the level of the EU 15, followed by water heating and appliances (EEA 2008).

Heating systems installed according to the quality declaration reached higher efficiency of up to 20 % than average heating systems on the market.
By a total replacement of the existing Austrian heating systems stock by optimally installed highly efficient heating systems energy savings of up to 8.300 GWh/a and green house gas reductions of up to 4,74 Mio. t/a can be reached in the long run.

Generally the following results of the project will be achieved by the increased implementation of the developed instruments:

increase of the confidence in boiler modernisation and thereby higher boiler modernization rates (stimulation of the market);
optimal dimensioning of new boilers;
increased use of highly and efficient technologies (condensing boilers, highly efficient circulation pumps);
market introduction of quality standards in the installation industry;
increased orientation of the end-consumers towards the best offer instead of the cheapest offer in purchase (which is usually not the cheapest in the long term)

Advantages of a high quality installation

The costumer and the installer benefit from a high quality installation in the long run.

Advantages for the End-consumer:

Reduction of fuel consumption and costs
Reduction of maintenance and repair services
Increased seasonal efficiency
Higher comfort by optimal heat distribution

Advantages of the installer:

Clear differentiation from cheap installations
Higher turnover rates
Increased customer satisfaction
Avoiding maintenance and repair services during the warranty phase

Achieved results

The outcome of the BOILeff action may be summarised as follows:

75 audits were carried out showing the different short-comings of boiler installations in the participating countries
Successful development, deployment and verification of two new market approaches (DHQUI & GPQU)
352 end-consumers and 110 installers declared interest in DHQUI and GPQU services in the participating countries: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Spain and Greece
44 installers and 249 end-consumers took part in the field testing exercise, 29 boilers were equipped with test equipment
Energy savings of 203.500 kWh/year and greenhouse gas reductions of 73,1 t/year could be achieved by the field tests
Higher seasonal efficiencies between 7 and 17 percentage points could by achieved by BOILeff installations in comparison to standard systems
By the implementation of high quality installations the energy savings potential varies – depending on the project partner – between 169 MWh/year in Spain to 4.300 GWh/year in Austria. In countries like Austria about 13 % of the final energy demand in this sector could be saved if the total stock was replaced by high quality heating systems.
18 Press releases, 8 papers and 35 presentations were carried out during the course of the action

All project details are available in the final report. The report is made available in the download section of this website.