Combined heat and power units

CHP units – generate electricity and heat at the same time

An efficient, modern and complex energy generation system can improve your energy efficiency over the long term.

A Combined Heat and Power unit is a cogenerator: it produces both electricity and heat. That’s why CHP units have a higher overall efficiency and lower emissions compared to devices that generate electricity and heat individually. This double benefit optimises the energy supply.

The CHP unit’s size and output depend on the building type and heat demand. CHP units come in various sizes and can be as big as a large refrigerator or even as big as four of them!

How does a CHP work?

Combined Heat and Power units are mainly used to heat buildings, but they also produce electricity at the same time. How exactly do they work? The principle is simple.

The Combined Heat and Power unit is driven by an electric motor with roughly the same power output as a lorry engine. Natural gas is combusted to generate both heat and electricity - a generator converts the power into electricity, which in turn produces waste heat to be used for heating directly on site alongside the generated electricity.

Producing electricity like this compensates for any potential fluctuations in the public grid, making it a secure and reliable power supply. If more electricity is generated than actually needed, it is fed into the grid.

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How efficient are CHP units?

CHP units have an efficiency of about 87%. Approximately 36% of the natural gas used to fuel the unit is converted into electricity and about 51% into heat. This means that only about 13% of the energy is lost during the conversion process.

Coal-fired power units, on the other hand, lose 62% of the energy provided by coal when generating electricity. In the end, only about 36% of the energy ends up in the socket.
If you connect a conventional boiler to a coal-fired power unit, this results in an overall efficiency of only 57%. Getting your energy supply from a CHP unit also reduces CO2 emissions.

How will I benefit from a CHP unit?

From an economic and ecological point of view, there are a number of advantages.

increase energy efficiency

get a highly reliable and secure energy supply

generate heat and electricity at the same time

lower CO2 emissions and help counteract climate change

cut energy costs

have greater independence from electricity companies

How are CHP units installed?

sense electra britannia can provide you with a Combined Heat and Power unit. However, because we bear the investment costs, you get immediate benefits from your CHP. If required, we can also modernise your heating system.

Installing a CHP – from design until use

We’ll inspect your building to see if it’s suitable for a CHP

Our engineers will visit your building to check your onsite conditions and determine if your property is suitable for a CHP. For example, a CHP will require sufficient space in your boiler room, but perhaps there’s a better location for a CHP on your premises. We’ll also check your flue gas system (chimney) and see if it’s possible to feed electricity into the building.

We’ll estimate its profitability and calculate the amortisation

Following step 1, we’ll calculate if your economic environment is right to operate the CHP efficiently. You will receive a detailed cost report from us, which will show you all of your options in planning a cogeneration unit.

Our calculations are made by:
• looking at what you’ve paid for you electricity and heat until now,
• examining the costs of producing electricity and heat simultaneously in the combined heat and power unit.

The total calculation also includes:
• capital and operating costs
• consumption costs
• options for government subsidies

We’ll check your heating system – perhaps it needs modernising

When we visit your site, we’ll also check your current heating system. If necessary, we’ll be glad to look at how it can be modernised.

We’ll install and commission the CHP as well as your new heating system

Depending on your heating requirements, we’ll install the right type of CHP at your premises. If modernisation measures for your current heating system have been planned, we’ll also carry these out according to the latest technological standards.

We’ll register your CHP with the local council

We’ll take care of registering your CHP with the necessary local authorities.

Where is it worth installing a CHP unit?

CHP units are particularly worthwhile at properties with a consistent need for heat or cooling. Cogeneration is used primarily in the industrial and commercial sectors, where they can really pay off. To get the most value for money, the CHP unit should run all year round.

Combined Heat and Power units are particularly profitable at: