BAD NAUHEIM: Stadtwerke Gießen AG (SWG) is to operate the heating system in the "Am Park" retirement home in Bad Nauheim. To this end, the entire system will be converted and optimised following an in-depth investigation. The centrepiece is a newly installed combined heat and power unit (CHP) from Buderus. The system will go into operation before the start of the heating season. "Thanks to the new efficient heating technology, we will save up to 40 per cent of primary energy," says Oliver Kisigna?z from Stadtwerke Gießen. The retirement home is operated by Alten- und Pflegeheim Schacht GmbH. Its managing director Hubertus Seidler wants to break new ground: "We want to make the energy supply in our homes more economical and environmentally friendly. We have found a competent partner for this in SWG." He has therefore already commissioned SWG to modernise the heating system for the "Am Kaiserberg" retirement home.
CHP ensures maximum efficiency
Combined heat and power plants are highly efficient, as they generate electricity and heat simultaneously according to the principle of cogeneration. Most of the electricity generated is consumed in the house, while surplus electricity is fed into the grid. The heat generated is used for heating and hot water. The new boilers utilise modern gas condensing technology. In order to make optimum use of the fuel, even the condensation heat of the water vapour in the flue gas is used.
While the old heating system had a total installed heat output of 2,500 kilowatts, the new one manages with 1,000 kilowatts of thermal output plus 70 kilowatts of electrical output from the CHP unit. This combination of innovative energy technology now ensures optimal and highly efficient power and heat generation. "At the same time, it also emits less carbon dioxide: around 350 tonnes less compared to conventional heat and power generation," continues Oliver Kisigna?z.
Successful partnership
"We got to know Stadtwerke Gießen as a competent partner for energy services during this first project," says Hubertus Seidler. "The collaboration is going very well." The Managing Director is therefore already planning to optimise the heating system in another retirement home. The heat supply for the "Am Kaiserberg" retirement home in Bad Nauheim is also to be modernised in terms of energy efficiency - also by SWG. Here, too, the use of a CHP unit will come into play.