CHP manufacturer Baxi-SenerTec UK has won this year’s prestigious Combined Heat and Power Association Public Sector Award. The award was given in recognition of the work carried out by the company in partnership with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to supply Dachs mini-CHP units to fire stations throughout the capital.

Lord Whitty, President of the CHPA, presented the award to Baxi-SenerTec’s Business Manager David Shaw and administrator Chloe Gibson during a glittering awards ceremony in Whitehall where the latest achievements in the CHP and district heating sectors were celebrated.

The Public Sector category recognises CHP projects that demonstrate the multiple benefits of cogeneration including reduced C02 emissions, enhanced security of energy supply and lower energy costs.

So far Baxi-SenerTec UK has supplied 19 LFB stations with Dachs CHP systems as part of a comprehensive campaign to lower the carbon footprint of the world’s third largest fire fighting force.

Dachs mini-CHP SE kits – consisting of a CHP unit, a condenser and a buffer vessel – are working alongside wind turbines, solar thermal systems and photovoltaic (PV) rigs in a bid to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of these energy intensive facilities.

The completed scheme installed at one of the London Fire Stations cost just £40,000, but has already delivered a 20% reduction in overall energy costs and a 19% cut in CO2 emissions. The cost savings secured are now being reinvested in the installation of CHP units in other stations.

This project is being used as a template for future work, with the LFB aiming to make CHP a standard feature of all new and replacement heating systems in its stations across London. Also, having visited one of the fire stations in London, both the West Midlands and the Devon and Somerset Fire Authorities are now installing Dachs mini-CHP kits in their own stations.

“Our green work is continuing apace, with more and more fire stations now being far less reliant on traditional energy sources,” said LFBs Energy Manager Ian Shaw. “Due to the nature of our work, our facilities are energy intensive. We are, therefore, determined to deliver as much of our needs as possible from sustainable sources close to the point of use. In this way, we act as a suitable local role model and deliver demonstrable benefits to the environment.”

The Dachs mini-CHP in Battersea Fire Station generated 4,100 kW of electricity and the PV system delivered 1,730kW of ‘free’ electricity during a four month period last year. The two systems combined are expected to reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint by 13 tonnes a year