As part of its “Football’s coming to my Home” road show, Baxi is offering installers at merchants throughout England the chance to win £500 every day.

The Baxi Golden Boot Challenge follows a simple yet effective promotional format: installers are invited to spend 45 seconds kicking a ball at a giant Baxi Duo-tec Combi boiler that has a hole cut out of it to form the goal. The installer who scores the most goals on the day at any given merchant will be rewarded with £500 in cash.

Unsurprisingly, the challenge has been warmly received by installers, who relish the opportunity to win half a grand whilst kicking a football in good fun. The Baxi Golden Boot Challenge, however, is not merely a bit of fun; indeed, it offers installers the opportunity to learn more about Baxi’s flagship boiler.

The Baxi Duo-tec Combi boiler is one of the most energy efficient condensing boilers on the market, having been awarded the highest SEDBUK Band ‘A’ rating for efficiency. According to Baxi, the Duo-tec Combi far exceeds Government legislation that requires all new boilers to convert at least 86 per cent of the fuel it burns into heat; in fact, the Duo-tec Combi has a conversion rate of more than 90 per cent, which is not only good news for the environment but also helps households save money by reducing annual fuel bills. In 2008, the Duo-tec Combi won the CORGI Boiler of the Year award, which is certainly no mean feat; however, Baxi is aware that many installers have overlooked the boiler, so the road show is intended to go some way towards rectifying this issue.

The Baxi Golden Boot Challenge has so far proved to be successful in advertising the virtues of the Duo-tec Combi. Installer Shaun Mangan, of M and M Gas Services Limited, recently won the £500 challenge at his local merchant. Mr Mangan said: “I’m really chuffed and have got lots of ideas on how to spend the money. I am also interested in finding out what else Baxi has to offer, as I don’t currently fit them”.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced earlier this week that the major grant programme for renewable heat has been closed with immediate effect.

The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) grant funding was in place to help pay for technologies like solar thermal hot water, heat pumps and wood fuelled heating. However, the new coalition government has closed the scheme and seized the remaining £3m from the LCBP pot to help contribute towards the government’s £6bn spending cuts.

A statement from the DECC said: “It was anticipated that support for the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive for heat under LCBP would continue up until its proposed introduction in April 2011 however demand for grants has been unprecedented and we had very little unallocated funding remaining. It has been decided that by closing the programme now, these unallocated funds will contribute towards DECC’s overall savings.

“Since the election, government have moved very quickly to identify necessary areas of savings in line with public announcements. LCBP has not been ‘singled out’ for cost savings, it is one of a number of areas where savings have been identified during a thorough review of expenditure. To make sure that savings could be maximised, it was decided that closure of LCBP (and other areas) should be made immediately to prevent a run on remaining funds.”

Since the programme was launched on 1 April 2006, the LCBP grant programme has provided 20,000 grants to help cover the cost and installation of microgeneration equipment. And with the programme scrapped, green groups are looking for the government to commit to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which is planned to be launched in April 2011.

The government has promised a raft of new green initiatives in the Queen’s speech on Tuesday with the launch of a new energy bill in the next parliament. No real details have yet emerged about the bill other than it will deliver a national programme of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses.

A section has been allocated to Energy and Climate Change on the ‘The Coalition; our Programme for Government’ website stating: “The Government believes that climate change is one of the gravest threats we face, and that urgent action at home and abroad is required. We need to use a wide range of levers to cut carbon emissions, decarbonise the economy and support the creation of new green jobs and technologies. We will implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.”

The National Grid has this week revealed that its investment in a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly infrastructure will cost the average UK household an additional £4 per annum on energy bills.

National Grid expenditure will rise to £22 billion over the next five years, comparing to just £14 billion during the past five years; approximately 75% of funds will be spent in the UK.

According to analysts at Morgan Stanley, the move towards an energy infrastructure that can support green initiatives “requires much greater investment in the electricity and gas transmission networks” in order to deal with “a very different flow of energy on the networks”. Therefore, the National Grid, which operates Britain’s gas and electricity networks, must invest in a new infrastructure if the nation can avail of low carbon technologies.

The news that electricity and central heating bills will rise by £4 per year on average ought not to surprise or upset too many people, as the increase is relatively small in the context of fuel bill rises generally. In fact, the £4 increase on annual bills is regarded as “pretty good value” by Steve Lucas, the National Grid’s Group Finance Director. Lucas added: “This is a very major investment to get a major upgrade to the system to make it fit for the energy revolution”.

According to a recent YouGov survey, public support for green initiatives appears to be on the decline, which would imply people are worried more about immediate economic concerns than long-term environmental issues.

The YouGov poll asked 4,300 adults a series of questions regarding the environment one week after the UK General Election. Interest in climate change was shared amongst 80%of respondents in a similar survey conducted in 2006, compared to 71% in 2009.

This year, just 62% of respondents claim an interest in climate change – a decrease that has been matched by several other surveys in light of the Copenhagen climate summit and leaked global warming data from the University of East Anglia. The YouGov poll carried out earlier this month also revealed public opposition to the building of nuclear power stations is weakening amid a general apathy towards environmental concerns.

Baxi has received the Green Innovation Award earlier this month for the Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP, or micro-Combined Heat and Power, system.

The Award was presented on behalf of Sustainability Now as part of a virtual event, designed to be a cost-effective and low-carbon affair. The Ecogen fought off eight other innovative products up for the award which were all recognised as technologies that could make a difference and help the construction sector meet its sustainability goal.

But Baxi was handed the coveted award ahead of the competition with professionals from architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, project management and construction sectors all attending the online exhibition.

The Ecogen looks and operates very similarly to a conventional boiler. The only difference is the Ecogen uses a special Stirling engine which works in a similar way to a car generator – when the engine gas burner is ignited the heat causes helium inside the engine to expand which then pushed a piston up and down between a copper coil to generate up to 1kW of electricity.

This electricity produced can then be used to power home appliances, with it being most efficient when it uses electricity as it is generated – for example using a dishwasher in the evenings when the heating is on and the boiler is operating.

The Baxi Ecogen micro-CHP can be installed as a direct replacement for your old boiler, can be located in the same place and it even qualifies for the Clean Energy Cashback Scheme otherwise known as the feed-in tariff.

Sarah Brook, Marketing Director for Baxi Group, represented the firm at the virtual exhibition and conference. She said: “We are delighted to have received this prestigious accolade, especially in the face of such tough competition.

“We are convinced that micro-CHP is set to make a huge impact on the domestic heating industry, and are very proud of Baxi Ecogen, the first wall-hung micro-CHP appliance available on the market which can be specified by local authorities, housing associations and private developers.

“It will help them meet Level 3 of the Code of Sustainable Homes, tackle fuel poverty issues more effectively and significantly cut carbon emissions. Developed and manufactured in the UK, Baxi Ecogen is a unique, world-class technology for the 21^st Century home.”

Fuel poverty has been around for a long time, although it is only within the past couple of years the issue has become a truly nationwide problem.

Higher energy bills coupled with colder winters have ensured many households throughout the UK have experienced some degree of fuel poverty and the recession has also played its part in creating financial difficulties for energy consumers more generally.

Unfortunately, fuel poverty is not a problem that can be easily solved, as it is expected that average fuel bills will rise further in the near future; furthermore, energy-saving measures such as replacing older boilers for newer, more energy-efficient central heating systems require an initial outlay, which households affected by fuel poverty may not be able to afford.

A couple in Sunderland, however, has been able to benefit from an upgraded boiler through funding provided by Baxi and Eaga plc. This funding allowed National Energy Action (NEA), a charity commissioned to tackle fuel poverty, to install a high efficiency Baxi Bermuda fire and back boiler unit in the pensioners’ North East home.

The move has already produced startling results, with the pensioners, who are in their 60s, reporting a massive 34.8% saving on their winter gas bills. Previously, the couple’s fuel bills topped a staggering £1,500 per year, so cutting this amount by over a third ought to be seen as a huge success.

It was because of the pensioners’ expensive annual fuel bill they were selected for the trial, which is currently evaluating the impact of upgraded boilers and will most likely be extended to others across the country.

A household is considered to be in fuel poverty if it spends 10% or more of its income on domestic energy costs. Replacing old boilers can be an expensive task, even with the help of Government incentives.

In the present case, the couple’s existing boiler was over 25 years old and around 60% less efficient than the Baxi Bermuda BBU HE. NEA Technical Officer, Adam Jones, explained that the couple’s bill for December to April 2008-2009 was £337.15, but only £220 for the same period plus three weeks in 2009-2010 after the installation.

With alternative energy power sources for the home becoming more and more accessible and potentially a real consideration against traditional power supplies, the new Clean Energy Cashback scheme could be the persuading factor for many homeowners and communities looking to react with the times and switch to microgeneration.

The scheme, also referred to as feed-in tariffs, means homeowners, businesses, organisations and community groups could all receive up to £1,000 from the government annually and reduce their bills by generating their own electricity with a small-scale green energy installation.

Under the scheme, which was launched on April 1, you can receive two payments – one for generating your own electricity and a second if you export electricity you don’t need back to the grid.

Solar PV panels, wind turbines, hydroelectricity, anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power such as the Baxi Ecogen all qualify under the microgeneration banner, giving customers a wide variety of options best suited to their location and requirements. And with grants available for the cost of the systems, the Clean Energy Cashback scheme is further evidence of a firm government push towards alternative energy solutions to reduce the nation’s CO₂ emissions.

To put it into perspective, an average-sized 2.5kW solar photovoltaic system costing £12,500 (before discounting a grant fee to help cover the installation cost) will entitle you to a generation tariff of 41.3p per kilowatt hour and an additional 3p for every kWh exported back to the grid. Experts are predicting a solar PV return of between 7 and 10 per cent.

Feed-in tariffs are fairly well established outside of the UK. Germany successfully introduced a similar scheme in 2000 which have generated good success despite payment levels being cut. The French government launched feed-in tariffs a year later and have recently upped the rates for solar PV, geothermal and biomass systems. And photovoltaic electricity generation has become the most popular technology in Spain since the country gave the go-ahead to a feed-in tariff legislation in 2007.

Following the relative success of the UK Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme, which benefited homes throughout England , the Scottish Government has announced plans of its own scheme to replace old, energy inefficient boilers with more environmentally friendly condensing boilers.

Up to 5,000 eligible households in Scotland will be able to receive £400 towards the cost of upgrading their existing boilers. The Scottish Boiler Scrappage Scheme is to be managed through Energy Saving Scotland and vouchers will be made available as of May 24th 2010, which gives just enough time for households to register their interest.

The environmental benefits of upgrading inefficient boilers have been widely publicised in England, where the UK Government’s scheme recently came to an end. Energy Saving Scotland, which is an agency of the Scottish Government, believes that up to 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions can be prevented each year through the boiler scrappage scheme, for which households can apply online or over the phone.

In order to put these savings in perspective, 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide is the approximate equivalent of heating 7,000,000 baths or removing 1,700 cars from Scottish roads. In short, the Scottish Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme could have a relatively small but nonetheless significant impact on carbon emissions in the country.

Furthermore, reducing carbon emissions is not the only benefit of replacing old boilers for more energy efficient alternatives; according to various sources, an environmentally friendly boiler can result in annual bill savings of almost £200, which is hardly insignificant in the current economic climate.

Scotland’s Housing and Communities Minister, Alex Neil, said: “Scotland is seen around the world as a champion for low-carbon living. A vital part of this is helping people to live in greener homes”. Mr Neil added that greener homes are also cheaper to run, before concluding: “Through the boiler scrappage scheme we will help people replace rickety old boilers for new energy saving models and importantly, put money back in the pockets of householders. At the same time we are providing an economic stimulus for the heating industry, supporting jobs and helping it get through this financially difficult time”.

The technological development of central heating systems has become prominent recently as the need for more energy efficient homes has been realised by politicians and homeowners.

Not only is a more energy efficient new boiler beneficial to the environment, which in turn helps the Government meet its energy targets, it is more cost effective; simply put, upgrading from an old E-rated boiler to a new A-rated boiler can shave around £200-£250 off the average household energy bill, which is significant in this age of continued economic uncertainty. Naturally, an upgraded gas boiler will only make a difference so far as gas bills are concerned, which is why Baxi, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of heating systems, has devised a new concept in home heating: the Baxi Ecogen.

The Baxi Ecogen is unlike any other gas boiler on the market because it is not just a gas boiler. The Baxi Ecogen is a wall-hung gas boiler that also generates electricity for use in the home, thereby making it a dual energy heating and power system. The process of generating both electricity and heat from the same source within close proximity to where such energy is to be consumed is known as micro-combined heat and power or micro-CHP. The Baxi Ecogen employs state-of-the-art micro-CHP technology to provide efficient heating and hot water in addition to cost effective, low carbon electricity.

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems have been used for many years on a larger scale, such as in hospitals and schools. Baxi has taken CHP technology to develop micro-CHP systems for use in domestic environments, which could mark something of a revolution in environmentally friendly home heating and energy generation. Households using the Baxi Ecogen will require less electricity from the national grid, not only saving money but also reduces their carbon footprint; standard electrical consumption can also be reduced by using the Baxi Ecogen alongside solar hot water heating installations. Crucially, the Baxi Ecogen is estimated to reduce average annual bills by up to £600 and the dual system can generate 1kW of electricity, which is enough to power various appliances, including washing machines, computers and televisions.

The consumer organisation Which? has carried out an undercover investigation of the solar heating installation industry after a flood of complaints were made by disgruntled customers last year.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) received 1,000 complaints in 2009 about traders who installed solar hot water heating in homes throughout the UK, which is equivalent to 1 in every 100 homes nationwide.

The main bone of contention held by consumers was that of pricing; specifically, customers have complained that solar panel firms routinely oversell their products in order to encourage people to part with their cash – even when it is clear that such installations may not prove cost effective.

The undercover probes by Which? produced some startling results: 10 out of 14 installers were found to have overstated the potential financial savings from the solar panel installations. On average, solar panel heating systems cost around £5,500; the devices have become hugely popular during recent years as global awareness of environmental issues has come into sharp focus.

Using energy from the sun’s rays, solar panel systems can generate electricity or power hot water central heating systems in such a way that produces zero or very little carbon emissions. Furthermore, many households have been attracted to the idea of solar panel systems because of the UK Government’s feed-in tariff, which pays money to households that generate clean energy for the National Grid.

According to Which?, the installation firms ‘Everest’ and ‘Ideal Solar Energy’ adopted sales tactics that “hugely overstated” the potential benefits of using solar thermal heating systems. Independent experts estimate that savings of around 10 per cent on annual gas bills can be made by households that install solar thermal systems, whereas Everest claimed the savings to be in the region of 43 per cent and Ideal Solar Energy promised up to 50 per cent.

To further exaggerate the financial benefits of a solar heating system, Everest claimed that £35,000 could be saved over a 20-year period, which is considerably wide of the mark. Chief Executive of Which?, Peter Vicary-Smith, said: “Most of the firms in our investigation behaved like true cowboys – they promised huge savings that bore no relation to reality”.

The internet’s most successful search engine company, Google, has continued to diversify its brand with the addition of two wind farms in North Dakota, USA. Previously, Google had shown a willingness to enter the green energy market through the introduction of its Powermeter product, which is an online graphical tool that provides full statistical data on household energy usage.

The Powermeter was unveiled in the UK late last year and, according to the Energy Saving Trust, such tools can help consumers cut their household bills by around 3 to 15 per cent each year. Following the relative success of its Powermeter service, Google’s move into the clean energy market was perhaps to be expected, not least because the internet giant must continue to expand in order to maintain its edge over rivals such as Microsoft and Yahoo.

Google’s investment is thought to be worth $38.8 million, which is by no means a small sum but remains relatively modest in comparison to other such projects. The investment will fund NextEra Energy Resources’ building of the wind turbine farms, which are expected to generate a combined 170MW of clean electricity. Although Google’s name ensures that its involvement in the North Dakota project receives plenty of media coverage, its total stake in the venture amounts to around 20 per cent. As such, the £38.8 million investment arguably represents a further baby step by Google towards broadening its horizons in search of a greener future.

To the rest of the world, however, the move is more significant, as the introduction of internet giants such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo into the renewable energy industry would likely drive change for the better. In the UK, investing in green technologies has received plenty of attention over the past couple of weeks as the three main political parties aim to secure the so-called green vote. Green technologies such as solar hot water heating, wind turbines and geothermal central heating systems are becoming more popular in the UK. If Google’s move into the green sector were to prove successful, it is likely that other types of business would follow its lead by investing in clean renewable energy.