Paul Riding, Calor product development manager, asks you to spare a thought for people living in rural areas – they seem to have been largely ignored in the heated debate about energy efficiency
Improving energy efficiency of heating systems is key to reducing carbon emissions.

There is a lot of advice out there to help you make urban properties more energy efficient, but this neglects homes and businesses in rural areas.

Calor is worried property owners in rural areas do not have a strong voice in the energy efficiency debate - and might not be receiving enough information to make the right choices.

Most homes and businesses in the UK are fuelled by mains gas, so this is what most carbon emission calculations are based on. But in rural areas it is more likely properties will be using alternative, off-mains gas fuels like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil, electricity or solid fuel.

There are two million domestic and commercial buildings in rural areas, but this will rise. If the government is to meet its target of three million new homes by 2020, it is estimated it will have to build 1.8M houses on rural sites.

With several renewable options available, and perhaps some confusion about benefits, payback, costs and legislation, it is an uncertain time for all property owners.This is especially true for those in rural areas - there is concern they might not fully understand the options they have. They might also not realise some off-mains gas fuels are compatible with renewable and low-carbon technologies.

There are cases where rural property owners have opted for a renewable solution, but haven't been properly informed about what it will deliver. For example, Calor recently installed new LPG tanks at four premises (commercial and domestic) where renewable solutions didn't work out as planned. In each case, ground- source heat pumps had been specified for the provision of heating and hot water. But, once installed, they failed to deliver what the property owners expected - so LPG bulk tanks and boilers have now been installed alongside them.

Ground source heat pumps are efficient at producing low-grade heat, which means they are ideal for underfloor heating. But, if asked to raise the temperature of water above 35˚C, they become much less efficient. There is also a risk of legionella if high water temperature (Calor suggests 65˚C) is not achieved.

Then there was the commercial biomass installation where the property owner experienced logistical problems with wood deliveries, not to mention being surprised about the large amount of wood required for the system to work effectively. Again, an LPG boiler has been installed alongside the biomass boiler.

This is not to dispute that renewable technologies can deliver energy and carbon savings - but rural property owners must be given realistic expectations and detailed information. Off-mains gas property owners must be a part of the energy-efficiency debate.

Calor has been lobbying the government on this issue, and has been working with manufacturers to create LPG-compatible renewable options.

LPG can provide a heating solution for rural homes and businesses, with figures showing that LPG has the lowest carbon emissions out of the fossil fuels available in rural areas.

LPG emits 19% less CO2 per kW/h than heating oil. And, according to reports by the Energy Saving Trust, LPG can help in the construction of buildings that achieve challenging levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

LPG becomes an even better proposition when specified alongside solar-thermal water heating, where used as the complementary heat source. As solar energy cannot provide all of a property's hot water requirements, a supplementary fuel source is required - LPG is ideal.

Calor has also been working with commercial heating manufacturers to ensure there are renewable and low-carbon options available for businesses.