INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Low-carbon electric heating offers a cleaner future
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t’s not just new buildings that can take advantage of the benefits that electric heating and hot water systems. Around 1.8 million homes in the UK are
heated by electricity and this number is set to grow in the coming years. Even aside from the decarbonisation benefits of being connected to an increasingly renewable-
Dimplex Quantum controls
www.heatingandventilating.net
Shaun Hurworth of GDHV Dimplex Quantum controls
The Government’s new Future Homes Standard, set to be introduced by 2025, is designed to encourage the industry to move away from burning natural gas to heat our homes. The answer could lie in electric, says Shaun Hurworth from Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation, as he explores the the opportunity low carbon heating presents for installers
driven electricity grid, housing trends are helping to boost the appeal of electric heating, which is well suited to modern, well-insulated homes and city centre apartments.
This has facilitated the development of new technologies and increasingly more innovative applications of existing technologies too. Heat pumps, an electric technology which brings further opportunities for off-gas heating and hot water solutions, also offer a great example of how much technology has moved on, with capital and running costs coming down as product development and economies of scale start to provide real alternatives to traditional specifications. In the refurbishment market, one of the biggest opportunities for electrical contractors lies in updating the traditional electric storage heaters in existing properties with high heat retention heaters, like the Dimplex Quantum system. Many electrically heated homes could be paying
over the odds for their heating because of old electric storage heaters and incorrect specification.
32 December 2019
Diving futher into the figures behind this – of the 1.7 million homes in the UK with electric storage heating, 63% have a heating system which is more than 20 years old and around 70% are of the old, manually-controlled type. Replacing traditional manual storage heating with high heat retention heaters (at an approximate cost of £2,100 based on three heaters, including installation) could reduce the annual running cost by up to £418. This is a total of £8,360 over the typical 20-year lifespan of the heaters. The Department for Communities and Local
Government estimates that around 65% of all storage heated homes would benefit in Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) from an upgrade to a high heat retention heater. As we move towards becoming a low-carbon society, electrical contractors have a role to play in facilitating the shift towards lower carbon heating. The key will be in working closely with manufacturers to help customers to future-proof their heating through modern, energy efficient appliances.
www.heatingandventilating.net
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