Providing a good climate in the sense of creating comfort is BBT Thermotechnik GmbH’s core business. People ought to have a feeling of wellbeing as a result of pleasant room temperatures and the permanent availability of hot water. But it is not only since the frequent reports of environmental disasters and rising raw material prices that BBT Thermotechnik GmbH has equated the term "good climate" with protection of the environment which forms the basis for all human life. BBT Thermotechnik GmbH regards environmental protection as a social responsibility which is also firmly anchored in the company’s vision: "We actively protect our natural living environment." At the same time, environment-friendly heating technology products offer significant market opportunities today – and the trend is upwards – and therefore safeguard the business success of tomorrow.

Environmental protection throughout the entire product lifecycle

There are many ways of implementing these goals. In general, environmental and climate protection are viewed holistically at BBT Thermotechnik GmbH. It is not merely a question of offering products to the market, wherever possible, which are environment-friendly in their operation; rather, it is the product lifecycle as a whole, in other words the in-house production process, starting from purchasing operations, via production and disposal methods, to recycling, which decides how environment-friendly the products are. For this reason, each of the nineteen BBT Thermotechnik GmbH sites has an environmental protection officer.

And their day-to-day work can take the following form: if a production planner wishes to introduce a new process or buy a new machine, he contacts the environmental protection officer at an early stage of the planning process who will provide advice on environment-related aspects such as noise avoidance, soil protection, waste water treatment or emission control. This permits undesirable side effects to be avoided from the outset or technical measures to avoid contamination of water or air to be instigated early on in the process.
If a new operating material is to be procured and introduced, the environmental protection officer checks the storage and usage conditions and the disposal routes. He also monitors compliance with emission control limits for air and noise pollution and contamination levels in waste water, maintains contacts with the relevant authorities, provides the site management with information on individual environmental measures and advises the management on environmental legislation at a local, national and European level.

Replacing outdated systems is a contribution to environmental protection

Manufacturing products based on renewable energies such as heat pumps or solar collectors is not the only way to demonstrate an environment-friendly approach. Even though our dependence on oil and gas must, of course, gradually be reduced, it would be unrealistic to assume that we could dispense with these fuels in the short to medium term.

What is important, therefore, is to make efficient use of the primary energy input in all existing technologies and to reduce CO2 emissions. BBT Thermotechnik GmbH has the capability to supply the markets with an efficient and environment-friendly solution for every fuel. It’s easy to forget that the mere fact that BBT Thermotechnik GmbH does not manufacture disposable products but rather extremely durable consumer goods in its heating products is, in itself, a contribution to the environment.

However, people should not wait too long before replacing their old heating system with a new one as technological developments are moving on apace, which includes their ability to offer more energy-efficient and environment-friendlier appliances. Every replacement of an old boiler by a new one helps in the all-important reduction in CO2 emissions. This is one of those happy occasions where the benefit to the individual is a benefit to society at the same time: efficient appliances which represent the state of the art in environmental technology have lower operating costs while helping to conserve resources and reduce pollution at the same time. And, in light of everything we have heard from climate researchers, that is in everyone’s interest.

BBT Thermotechnik GmbH has comprehensive technological know-how for efficient and environment-friendly products

BBT Thermotechnik GmbH offers a variety of solutions for heating buildings and producing domestic hot water and has a comprehensive range of technological options for their production:
BBT Thermotechnik GmbH can call on a rich fund of experience in solar heating. Even in Central Europe, the use of solar energy has now become very efficient, particularly for domestic hot water heating.

Condensing technology is gaining more and more in popularity because of its environmental friendliness. In the UK legislation has even been enacted to make it a statutory requirement. Condensing appliances are extremely thrifty in their fuel consumption and thus emit less CO2.
Cogeneration plants which produce combined heat and power are particularly efficient. The simultaneous production of heat and electricity conserves resources, reduces CO2 outputs and reduces costs.
Heat pumps use a cyclical process to extract the heat stored in their immediate environment, i.e. the air, water or ground, which is thus available for free, and use it for space and domestic hot water heating. The higher the prices for fossil fuels rise, the more economical this technology becomes.
Low-temperature heating consumes up to one-third less fuel oil than older systems because the boiler water temperature can be matched to the individual requirements and conditions, such as the outside temperature. Pollutant emissions are also reduced.
The use of wood pellets as a fuel with modern combustion methods is also environment-friendly. Burning wood only releases the quantity of CO2 which would also be generated during the material’s natural lifecycle. Pellets are largely produced using sawmill waste which would otherwise have to be landfilled or disposed of in some other way.

Efficient heat use and emission control are both economical and environment-friendly

Space heating in buildings accounts for more than one-third of total energy consumption in Germany. This highlights the enormous potential that is available by reducing energy consumption and pollutant emissions in this sphere.
Making best use of these options is part of BBT Thermotechnik GmbH’s responsibility to the environment while at the same time offering the opportunity to replace old boilers at an earlier stage with more efficient new heating technology systems.
Climate change has now become tangible. Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper reported on October 17 that September 2005 was the warmest worldwide since records began. Few scientists now dispute the fact that man-made emissions are at least partly responsible for this.

As this recognition becomes more widely accepted, so the need for environment-friendly technologies grows. The bottom line, therefore, is that commitment to these technologies is also helping to safeguard the company’s long-term success.