Micro Combined Heat and Power - Power and heat your property at the same time!

Internal Combustion Engine CHP Generators

Written-by

Janet Richardson

Reviewed-by

Richard Burdett

Updated on

Jan 14, 2026

Read Time : 1 Minutes

Internal Combustion Engine CHP Generators

Internal Combustion (IC) engines are similar to vehicle engines modified to run on natural gas or compression-ignition diesel. These systems primarily use spark-ignition engines to provide the motive power. They offer mid-range performance of approximately 20–40% electrical efficiency, but small-scale (around 1kW) domestic models typically operate at a fixed output rather than following the demand of the property. The heat produced is usually hot water, rather than steam, and they generally produce 1 to 2 units of heat for each unit of electricity, with the ratio of heat to power generally decreasing with size.

These mCHP systems are best suited for small commercial or light industrial sites, where the demand for electricity is relatively constant and the requirement for heat and hot water is high.

COMPARE PRICES FROM LOCAL INSTALLERS

Compare prices from local companies fast & free

Enter your postcode to compare quotes from leading professionals. We promise to keep your information Safe & Secure. Privacy Policy

Gas (internal) Combustion Engine

Gas Internal Combustion Engine for mCHP

Gas-Internal Combustion Engine (Four Stroke). Thermal output around 2.5kW with efficiency of approximately 65.7%, electrical output around 1kW with efficiency of approximately 26.3% and a total efficiency of up to 92% (Nett cv).