HVAC

WHY LOW-CARBON HEATING CAN BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

Oliver Baker, CEO at Ambion Heating, talks to PSBJ about how to sustainably heat the millions of ‘missing’ smaller properties, where installing a large low-carbon heating system just isn’t feasible.

Protecting consumers and non-domestic energy users, including public sector organisations, against rising energy prices has been a major focus in recent months. The two schemes outlined by the Government – the Energy Price Guarantee for households and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic organisations – will no doubt provide welcome relief.

However, both schemes will only run for an initial six months. That is why it is important that a longer-term approach, that focuses on helping households and public sector organisations to reduce the amount of energy they consume, is put in place.

For social housing providers in particular, installing technologies to help them meet their low-carbon requirements without pushing residents and tenants into fuel poverty is even more vital.

Indeed, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – currently in wave 2.1, which will allocate up to £800m of funding to support the installation of energy performance measures in social homes in England – has proven to be extremely popular. Its primary aim is to upgrade homes that have an EPC rating below C, and replacing inefficient heating systems is seen as a key priority for many landlords.

However, you would be forgiven for thinking that there is only one solution on offer – heat pumps. In fact, there are alternative options that are often better suited to many social housing properties, particularly smaller homes or accommodation blocks.

Here, we outline some of the benefits of heat pump alternatives, such as low-carbon heat panels, for social housing providers. Space-saving sustainability

As mentioned, there is one issue that doesn’t get a huge amount of attention when it comes to decarbonising the UK’s varied housing stock – space. There are millions of properties, including accommodation blocks, terraces and smaller houses, where installing a large low-carbon heating system just isn’t feasible. This means they are often relying on less efficient systems to heat their properties, and are, therefore, consuming more energy.

As a result, there is an increased demand for space-saving energy solutions. This is where systems such as low-carbon heat panels really come into their own – they can be easily fitted into a property and require no large outdoor space.

A cost-effective solution

Without doubt, when it comes to lowcarbon heating, super-efficient electric heating technologies are the way forward. However, electricity is often seen as the more expensive option when compared to gas.

Low-carbon heat panels have a unique control system, which uses constant dynamic pulsing – rather than a ‘zoning’ on/off approach used by other systems – to dramatically reduce energy usage and maintain a room’s temperature within 0.1°C of its target, 24 hours a day.

Discreet infrared heat panels are then used because building materials absorb and store infrared, releasing it between pulses, making it the perfect partner for the pulsing approach.

The results of using dynamic pulsing plus the infrared panels are significant. Users can expect to use 63% less electricity when compared to conventional systems, which also equates to a 63% reduction in carbon emissions.

The system also reduces the unit cost of electricity because it works best across 24 hours. This flat demand profile (there are no morning or evening energy spikes in usage) means that if a homeowner is on a flexi tariff, the system can achieve around a 25% saving on the unit cost of energy.

So, if you put those two things together – the 63% reduction in electricity usage with the 25% saving on unit cost – the running cost is very comparable with gas.

Easy to install

Moving to a low-carbon heating system doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. For example, low-carbon heat panels can easily be fitted into a new home or building, used in modular properties, or retrofitted to replace an existing gas or electric heating system. The installation cost is also much less than heat pumps.

In addition, the units are compact and easy to install, because they simply need wiring into the mains rather than plumbing in, as there is no central boiler, external unit or water-based delivery system.

A futureproof solution for social housing

For us, there is only one sensible choice for the low-carbon transition – superefficient electric heating. However, we know that public sector organisations and social housing providers are under pressure to make every penny count. That is why it is important that a range of technologies are considered so they can meet decarbonisation objectives without risking fuel poverty among their tenants, ensuring the transition is accessible to all.  www.ambionheating.com