The British company Worcester, which is part of the Bosch Group, has converted four properties to show how its products can be used to make a positive difference to energy usage. Installing solar collector panels to heat water not only protects the environment by cutting CO
2-emissions, it also reduces energy costs significantly and increases the value of properties.
A Worcester employee lives with his wife and daughter in one of the four energy-efficient homes. It was not only the rising oil and gas prices that made him want to go through with the conversion – he also wanted to do his bit for the environment. “I wanted our child to learn about the importance of ecological issues from an early age,” the father said when asked about his reasons for installing the solar heating system. Two flat-plate collectors were installed in the house to supply hot water. The family has already begun to reap the benefits of the installation. In the first year, they saved around 600 euros in energy costs compared to the previous year. Some of the family’s neighbours now want to follow this good example and intend to buy solar systems themselves.
Since mid 2005, Worcester has focused increasingly on renewable energies. The starting point for the expansion was the market launch of the “Greenskies” solar system. Since then, further products have followed to cover the rise in demand. In Central European regions, around 70 percent of the annual demand for hot water could be met with solar systems. In summer, up to 100 percent of the hot water consumption could be covered by solar systems – in winter the amount drops to around 30 percent. Worcester has now set up a website dedicated to the energy-efficient houses to show how the energy balance of houses can be improved and how, for example, geothermal power can be used for heating. A before/after comparison shows how efficient the conversion can be.
