BSEE-JUN21-P12 Vaillant_Layout 1 18/05/2021 14:52 Page 12
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With clear direction laid out for a low carbon future, there has been a significant uplift in the number of new build housing developments across the UK which are installing lowcarbon technologies to deliver sustainable living. Here Steve Cipriano, Commercial Director at Vaillant discusses the latest low carbon project Vaillant has been working on,
alongside outlining some of the benefits housing developers can access by
partnering with manufacturers from the offset.
ollowing the long-awaited publication of the UK Government’s response to the Future Homes Standard consultation, housing providers have been provided with much needed clarity around the direction of travel concerning changes to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations to improve the energy efficiency of new homes. Yet, while the long-term goals are clear, the benefits of installing low carbon heating technologies extend far beyond the Future Homes Standard, enabling end users and developers to unlock savings on fuel bills while also optimising system efficiencies. At Vaillant, we’ve seen an increase in our involvement in these projects over recent years. One such project, which is being led by Nationwide Building Society, is the Oakfield development, located on the outskirts of Swindon. With a focus on delivering sustainable living, the off-gas development is made up of 239 plots and has seen us awarded the contract to supply a mixture of our aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split heat pumps.
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With planning for the Oakfield development starting in 2016, this forward-thinking site features a range of properties from one-bedroom apartments to 2, 3 and 4 bed houses. In addition, the project has also committed to ensuring 30 per cent of properties are allocated to affordable housing.
As expected, with a development of this size, significant planning across the supply chain has been needed to ensure its sustainable objectives were achieved.
On hand support
Since becoming involved in the Oakfield development in 2019, we’ve supported Nationwide Building Society, Igloo and the project design consultants, CBS consultants, to ensure the heating systems specified were able to run as energy efficiently as possible both now and into the future.
Our specification team has been on hand to support the project across several areas, from planning, where we demonstrated the environmental credentials of installing air source heat pumps, right through to installation and, into the future, with on-hand expert training and after sales support too. By understanding the unique challenges of the project, we’ve been able to deliver a high-performing and future-ready solution for the Oakfield development, which not only benefits the project developers but most importantly, the end users of the properties too. For the Oakfield development, it was a key focus that the development offered residents a way of living that has sustainability at its core. To help ensure the development achieved this goal, our specification team has been on hand to ensure that the project’s design consultants adopted a system first approach when it came to specifying the most efficient low carbon heating solution. But our support didn’t stop at scoping out the most suitable heat pump, we were also able to provide in-depth calculations for the sizes of cylinders needed too.
A combination of cylinders were specified based on initial calculations that considered the hot water requirements together with the occupancy levels of each property. These were based on 45 litres per day and the heat loss of 45 w/m (watts per meter). As the project developed, we then carried out fully indemnified designs. These were produced to calculate accurate room by room heat loss to the size of the heat pumps, together with the required radiator sizing based on lower flow temperatures. Unlike projects where manufacturers are involved at the later stages, by understanding the bespoke requirements for the properties from the get-go, our specification team has been able to ensure the most energy-efficient full system solution was specified.
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Following the initial specification of heat pumps, cylinders, and controls, we were also able to provide the project developers with full designs ahead of installation outlining the individual product specifications and pipe runs needed for each property on the development. With both the aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split Quiet Mark accredited the siting of the units was also a straightforward process. Here our team worked alongside the project’s mechanical engineers to provide the relevant sound pressure calculations to ensure the installations adhered to British Standard 8233:2014.
Nextgeneration heat pumps As part of this eco-friendly project, 221 of the
Vaillant aroTHERM plus air source heat pumps have been specified, while the remaining 18 properties, which are in an apartment block, will use the aroTHERM split air-to-water heat pump. Here, properties located on the ground floor have had heat pump units installed on the ground, while the remainder have been installed on the roof of the apartment block. The aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split heat pumps offer an ErP rating of A+++ and A++ respectively, meaning they were the ideal solution for the eco-friendly Oakfield development.
The specification of the aroTHERM plus and aroTHERM split heat pumps at the Oakfield project is a shining example of how property developers are looking at innovative ways of sustainable living both for today and into the future. By working with the team at Igloo right from the onset of the project, we have been able to ensure the development and its future residents are benefitting from the most sustainable heating solutions available.
And the development’s commitment to low carbon living doesn’t stop at heat pumps, Nationwide Building Society has also committed to ensuring each property on the Oakfield development achieves an EPC-A rating. To achieve this target, properties will also benefit from the installation of other sustainable technologies such as solar PV, while houses will be wired to allow residents to add their own electric car charging points and batteries to store extra energy. To find out more about the range of products and services available from Vaillant for housebuilders and specifiers, visit the website.
www.vaillant.co.uk/specifiers Read the latest at:
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HEAT PUMPS Closer collaboration for sustainable living gains
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