The new Rayburn Heatranger home heating and cooking appliance, which has been specially designed to run on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), was put to the test last week, as the directors of local fuel distributor Mitchell & Webber invited UK industry leaders to a low-carbon pasty lunch at their Scorrier headquarters.
Carl Moon, national sales manager for Rayburn who was visiting Mitchell & Webber’s showroom, said: “At Rayburn we are looking ahead to a greener future, we are so pleased that the team at Mitchell & Webber have installed one of our brand new HVO-ready Rayburn Heatrangers in their showroom ready to show their customers that there is no compromise on efficiency or effectiveness when it comes to HVO.”
The new models, which are available to purchase now, have been especially manufactured by Rayburn to be able to run on HVO out of the box – meaning that they can immediately reduce their carbon emissions by 88%.
The low-carbon fuel is made from certified waste fats and oils and can be used to replace conventional heating oil – and has been classified as sustainable by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, meaning that it doesn’t contribute to deforestation.
With Cornwall and the south west region being predominantly rural, large numbers of homes and businesses are reliant on oil-fired systems such as Rayburns for both cooking and heating.
Mitchell & Webber director, John Weedon, commented: “It’s hugely exciting to see such a well-established and iconic manufacturer as Rayburn bringing out an appliance which is HVO ready, and we’d like to welcome one and all to our showroom to see it in action.”
Moon added: “As the UK Government plans to phase out the use of conventional heating oil, we need to be ready to use other energy sources and we think that HVO offers a clear way forward – which is why we’ve updated our Heatrangers to be HVO compatible.
“And we’re sure that people in Cornwall, in particular, will be relieved to know that you can definitely cook your pasties using HVO!”
The industry leaders were gathered at Mitchell & Webber’s headquarters for an update on the progress of Mitchell & Webber’s nationally-leading trial of HVO, which they are undertaking in partnership with industry bodies UKIFDA (the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributor’s Association) and OFTEC (Oil-Firing Technical Association).
The trial is testing the effectiveness of HVO as an alternative fuel to conventional heating oil. Ken Cronin, CEO of UKIFDA, said: “The work Mitchell & Webber are doing is showing that dramatic reductions in household carbon emissions can be achieved simply by changing the type of fuel you use.
“We are delighted to see the new Rayburn models are HVO compatible and it is a testament to the central place we believe HVO will have in the switch to greener energy solutions in the coming years.”
Mitchell & Webber was the first company in the UK to trial the new fuel, which is estimated to save the average home five metric tons of carbon emissions per year. Since 2020, the company has converted over 50 appliances in Cornwall to HVO, including a church and a school. This trial to test the effectiveness of the renewable fuel has been highly successful so far in gathering evidence to show the UK Government that HVO is a viable alternative to standard heating oil.
