• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Fuel Cell Gas Boiler Will Slash Energy Bills

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 09:01 CDT

HI-TECH environmentally friendly boilers that could significantly reduce the energy bills of Scottish consumers could be available within five years.

The revolutionary gas central heating systems produce electricity as well as heat, meaning customers could cut down on their electricity bills. The boilers will run on gas-powered "fuel cells" which do not need a pilot light or use combustion, reducing carbon monoxide by between 30 and 50 per cent .

Scottish Gas is pioneering the project, alongside the development company Ceres Power, and they expect the boilers to be available to customers by 2010.

They say the savings on energy bills will be significant because it will mean that customers will have their own electricity- producing mini power station in their home.

"In terms of the way we heat our homes it's a revolution," said Anne Morton, a spokeswoman for British Gas. "It's a clean and very efficient fuel. The boilers work on natural gas and will help customers save money."

Researchers at Sussex-based Ceres Power have been developing the wafer-thin fuel cells for about 15 years. Each one is about the size of a CD case and about half the thickness of a human hair. They stack together to create a cube-shaped generator which can replace the burner unit in domestic boilers.

However, they will not yet be able to create enough electricity to power a whole house. A six-inch stack of the cells can produce 1kW of electricity - enough to provide heatand hot water, and to power a television, DVD player, computer, fridge and freezer and household lights.

Peter Bance, the chief executive of Ceres Power, said "In future the 'Powered by Ceres' logo could be seen on many products including home boilers, industrial generators and hospital back-up systems."

Source: Scotsman, The

More News in this Category