AIR SOURCE & GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
Beyond boilers: the heat pump revolution
For decades the building industry has relied on gas boilers as a relatively simple and effective way to heat residential homes. Homeowners have been happy with this solution. It is tried and tested technology. Although the word ‘technology’ might be seen as pushing it a bit regarding gas boilers in the modern world. However, the Future Homes Standard about to be introduced means all this is about to change. Neil Fitzsimons, managing director, Power On, elaborates
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lumbers and heating engineers know and understand every type of gas boiler on the market. For that matter, so do architects and developers. The installation cost is reasonable and the bills for homeowners, if not cheap, are at least predictable. However, while there are still questions over the timings and details, the Future Homes Standard is set to be introduced in 2025 and will come into full effect in 2027. This mandates that new homes must achieve a 75-80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to current building regulations. Builders and developers will have to adopt energy-efficient, low-carbon technologies to comply with the standard. Additionally, Part L of the Building Regulations requires that energy use in buildings is minimised, and any energy used comes from low-carbon sources. Building services engineers will therefore be looking for scalable heat network solutions, designed to meet these stringent requirements, enabling developers to stay ahead of regulatory changes, while reducing the carbon footprint of their buildings.
Air source heat pumps (ASHPs)
Individual air source heat pumps (ASHPs) have emerged as an alternative to gas boilers. Already many individual homeowners are deciding to scrap their traditional gas boiler for an ASHP. These certainly seem to meet the requirements of builders and developers too. ASHPs are renewable energy systems that work like a reverse fridge. They use the heat from the outside air, boost it to a higher temperature and transfer it to provide heating and hot water for homes. They are more energy-efficient than gas boilers, delivering up to three units of heat for every unit of energy used, meaning they align with sustainability goals. The cost of installation is higher than traditional boilers but running costs are lower. However, installing ASHPs is not plug-and-play. They require different plumbing infrastructure, which means extra training and time. They are also logistically cumbersome, with each unit taking up the space of three pallets, increasing transport and storage needs. Installation sites must be carefully chosen, often impacting the external aesthetics of a home, particularly in terrace builds. For high-rise developments, they are simple unsuitable.
Networked solutions
For high-density or high-rise developments, having an ASHP on the outside of each building is clearly impractical. These can be expensive, hard to install, noisy and really not aesthetically pleasing.
The answer here is to use networked infrastructure. Taking the positives of ASHPs and similar technologies and networking them is a far more efficient way to generate and distribute heat, particularly in high density and high-rise developments. This approach not only provides higher overall efficiencies but also reduces transmission losses, ensuring a more reliable heat supply across the building or development.
The Building Safety Act 2022 underscores the importance of managing risks and maintaining safety in residential buildings, especially for high-rise projects. Heat network solutions prioritise safety through robust design, secure system integration, and compliance with the latest safety standards, aligning with both regulatory requirements and best practices for building safety.
Community Heat Hubs
Community Heat Hubs (CHHs) provide an efficient and sustainable solution for high- rise residential and urban developments. By utilising large-scale ASHPs and thermal stores, CHHs centralise the production of hot water and heating for an entire site. This approach eliminates the need for individual external ASHPs on every dwelling. There are the obvious benefits here of simplifying installation and maintaining the aesthetics of the building. CHHs also meet the Future Homes Standard,
reducing carbon emissions by 75-80% from day one, ensuring compliance with the latest regulations for new builds. By using thermal stores, CHHs flatten the site’s grid demand, helping to address potential grid capacity issues in high-rise, high-density developments where energy demand can be significant. They also reduce the cost for developers and lower customer bills by up to 20%, compared to individual ASHPs. From 2026, CHHs will be regulated by OFGEM, offering residents protection on price and service standards, ensuring long term value for high-rise residents. There is also a space-saving benefit in properties due to removing the need for a hot-water cylinder. These benefits make CHHs an ideal solution for developers of high-rise residential buildings, where space constraints and regulatory compliance make efficient, scalable energy solutions essential.
Networked ground source heat pumps
In addition to CHHs is the option of Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps (NGSHPs). This
28 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2025
innovative solution is particularly beneficial for high-rise or high-density buildings. NGSHPs extract naturally stored thermal energy
from the ground to provide highly efficient heating, hot water, and cooling to each building. Each heat pump is installed inside the building, connected to a network of underground pipes, eliminating the need for bulky external units. Small in size and cost, the pumps can be transported with 15 units per pallet. The compact nature of these systems makes them particularly suited to high-rise developments, where space for mechanical equipment is often limited and where the installation of external ASHPs may not be viable because of noise pollution. Furthermore, the shared infrastructure enables the system to scale to meet the demands of entire buildings or communities.
The system uses the same grid electricity capacity as gas-heated homes, avoiding the risk of grid constraints—crucial for high-rise developments with large energy demands. NGSHPs deliver comprehensive heating, hot water, and cooling. This integrated solution also supports Part O Building Regulation compliance due to the passive cooling systems. The Future Homes Standard is met by NGSHPs with carbon emissions reduced by 75-80% from day one. Energy efficiency is up to five times that of gas and 30% more efficient compared to individual ASHPs. All heat networks including Networked GSHP and Community Heat Hubs will be regulated by Ofgem from January 2026
All round efficiency
While the debate on banning gas boilers rumbles on, what is clear is that developers and homeowners are already looking towards more efficient solutions. Anyone building or buying a new home, particularly in a high-rise development, wants to know that their heating and hot water solution is future proofed. Ideally, they also want to know that they will be able to benefit from cooling technology too. Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps are already providing peace of mind on these matters on developments around the UK and have been in place across Europe for many years. They may be relatively new technology in the UK, but they are also tried and test and already installed, with developers and homeowners reaping the rewards. Buildings services engineers and environmental engineers should be looking to these technologies now and providing their clients with future-proofed, scalable, solutions that are both cost and environmentally efficient.
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