LiviosYou buy a house, but it still has an oil boiler. Or your current boiler still works perfectly, but you are unsure whether it fits in with the goal of a climate-neutral housing stock. Should we draw a drastic line through the oil boiler? Or does it still have a future thanks to low-carbon liquid fuels? Bouwsite Livios asked Willem Voets, general manager of Informazout.
Since January 1, 2022, you are not allowed to install a new oil boiler in Flanders. What if you still have a boiler and it breaks?
Willem Voets: “You can still have your existing oil boiler repaired. It is no problem at all to replace parts, for example. As long as your oil boiler is functioning properly, you can heat your home with your boiler. Is there natural gas on your doorstep or across the street? Then replacing your old boiler with a new one is no longer permitted.
If there is no natural gas in your street or there is only natural gas nearby, you can replace the boiler with a new, more economical, mono or hybrid oil boiler. In new construction and thorough energy renovations, the boiler is the end of the story. And in our opinion that is logical. These homes are so well insulated that a heat pump, for example, is a better solution.”
Which heat pump works for your home? This is what you need to know about the types and their cost.
What are the regulations in Brussels and Wallonia?
“There is currently no legislation in force in Brussels and Wallonia, but it will come in the coming years. Brussels will introduce new regulations from June 2025. What exactly these will look like remains to be seen. Wallonia is currently discussing this topic. We don’t yet know how things will evolve, but sooner or later there will be restrictions on boilers that use fossil fuels. Both for liquid and gaseous fossil fuels.”
Will there also be a ban on gas boilers in Belgium? This is how the cards are laid out.
Do boilers still have a future?
“Absolute. Unfortunately, by introducing the ban on the kettle, politicians are focusing on the wrong part. The device is banned, while boilers can work well with low-carbon and climate-friendly fuels. You don’t even have to make any adjustments to your device for this. It is therefore better to gradually restrict the use of fossil fuels instead of banning the device.”
“The ban encourages procrastination, because you want to continue using your old boiler for as long as possible. While that is exactly the opposite of what one wants to achieve. It is better to look at the implementation of new low-carbon liquids, the so-called low-carbon liquid fuels, instead of the boiler.”
How many households currently heat with an oil boiler?
“We currently estimate the number at around 1.6 million households. That is one third of all homes in Belgium. In Flanders we have 700,000 homes: that accounts for 25 percent of the Flemish market. In Brussels there are 100,000: that is about 20 percent of Brussels homes. And in Wallonia this concerns 800,000 households, or 50 percent of the Walloon market.”
“So there are clear differences at regional level, but these can easily be explained. Brussels is a very urban region with sufficient natural gas facilities. The same applies to Flanders. The natural gas network is well distributed, meaning more people have a connection. In Wallonia this is only the case in urban areas. Wallonia has a different density than Flanders, it is a fragmented and much more extensive area with small villages where the chance that natural gas pipelines are provided is smaller. That explains why half of the families in Wallonia heat with fuel oil.”
What can low-carbon liquid fuels mean for these 1.6 million Belgian households?
“We are convinced that with low-carbon liquid fuels you can heat more people more quickly in a climate-friendly way. If you consider such fuels as a solution, they are a very efficient and affordable option in the energy transition for existing homes that currently heat with fuel oil.”
“Currently, low-carbon liquid fuels are more expensive than heating oil, but they work perfectly in your existing boiler. You do not have to make an investment to have your boiler adjusted or a new one installed. It therefore offers a solution for a larger part of the population. Not everyone has the resources to insulate thoroughly and then install a heat pump. Non-fossil liquid fuels must be an essential part of a feasible and affordable transition.”
Consume less energy by insulating: how thick should it be? Is it mandatory? And what premiums are there?
Biofuels. © Ineratec
Why are low-carbon liquid fuels still more expensive?
“Currently the available quantities are too limited. This partly has to do with the lack of a legal and fiscal framework. It is up to the government to create that framework. Only then can the industry respond to this and the necessary investments can be made and additional refineries can be converted. As long as there is no clear framework, the prices of low-carbon liquid fuels will not change.”
“Unfortunately, energy is now quite expensive. The difference with low-carbon liquid fuels is therefore not that great today. Low-carbon liquid fuels are about 15 to 20 percent more expensive. But they fit perfectly into the transition, because they can reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent. With e-fuels you go one step further. This reduces CO2 emissions by 100 percent. Then you are really heating completely carbon-free.”
That is immediately a major advantage of low-carbon liquid fuels. Are there any others?
“Low-carbon liquid fuels exist, they are already available and in use. Our cars today already run on a mix of diesel or petrol and low-carbon liquid fuels. B7 stands for diesel to which 7 percent low-carbon liquid fuels have been added. E10 for gasoline with 10 percent ethanol added.”
“An additional advantage is that no adjustments are required. So instead of filling your heating oil tank with fuel oil, you can easily fill it with low-carbon fuels without having to make any adjustments. We call this ‘drop-in fuels’. These fuels therefore do not require additional investment costs.”
What low-carbon liquid fuels are currently available?
“There are four low-carbon liquid types: Fame, Biomass to Liquid (BtL), HVO and e-fuels. The first three types are low-carbon liquid fuels made from renewable products and waste products. E-fuels are synthetic, low-carbon fuels made from CO2 extracted from the air. If you can use renewable energy sources for that production process, then e-fuels are completely carbon neutral.”
There have been a number of pilot projects with low-carbon liquid fuels in recent years. What are the results?
“In 2021 we carried out about 15 pilot projects in Belgium, in which we had boilers (of different brands and ages) running on the R33 mix. It consists of 67% fuel oil, 26% HVO and 7% Fame. The aim of the case study was to demonstrate that this mix emits less CO2 than a natural gas installation and that new and existing installations can operate on a mix of low-carbon liquid fuels and fuel oil.”
“The results were absolutely excellent. In our neighboring countries, many tests have also been carried out with low-carbon liquid fuels and existing boilers, mainly in Germany, and they give the same results.”
Is R33 the future?
“If we start with R33 tomorrow, we will be taking a step in the right direction. Natural gas is also a fossil fuel that will eventually disappear and must be replaced by a non-fossil alternative. All eyes are currently focused on the heat pump, but there is definitely a future for the boiler. Every existing home is different and requires an individual approach and for a number of homes this will be with a liquid fuel boiler.”
“Our proposal is to bring a product to the market that emits 30 percent less CO2. We can then go one step further, to a product that is CO2 neutral. This must of course also be feasible and affordable, but it does fit in with the idea that we must be climate neutral by 2050. Every step in the right direction is a right and responsible step.”
Heating with HVO goes one step further. A boiler manufacturer recently presented its test results and they are excellent. Mixtures of 30% HVO and 70% fuel oil, 50% HVO and 50% fuel oil or even 100% HVO work without problems in existing fuel oil boilers. When can we heat completely with HVO?
“In theory already today, but politicians must first create a clear framework so that the sector can be certain and they can make the necessary investments. This way they can produce more and prices will also fall. I think there is gradually an opening to talk about that legal framework with the government. Certain distributors in our sector are really waiting for this. The possibility is there, but they are only allowed to start if everything is legal. Taxation and excise duties must first be arranged before they can supply low-carbon liquid fuels.”
“In any case, monopolizing the energy market towards electrification is not a good idea. You can’t bet everything on one horse. There are several solutions that can all do bits of the job. We strongly believe in the both-and story. So don’t punish the boiler, but provide a framework so that we can also be part of the solution with liquid fuels.”
Read more on Livios.be:
Choosing a boiler for your home: these are your options
Want to save by lowering the temperature of your boiler? That is not without danger
This article was written by our partner Livios.be, an expert site that focuses on construction and renovation.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.
Yes, I want free unlimited access
2023-09-12 11:10:19
#put #oil #boilers #work #lowcarbon #fuels
