Heat networks
Heat networks to lead the home decarbonisation charge
The UK housing sector is a major contributor to carbon emissions, and the residential sector alone is responsible for around 20%. The numbers are stark but the country’s transition away from carbonised towards decarbonised heating systems is well underway, supporting the Government’s 2050 Net Zero target and the Future Homes Standard. John Marsh, GTC COO explains the role of Community Heat Hubs
A
s the end of gas approaches, the renewables playing field has opened right up, and heat networks stand to play a pivotal role in how
low carbon heat and hot water can be delivered into UK homes, at pace and at scale. Heat networks have long been utilised across the
globe. In the UK, heat networks have predominantly been installed across high-rise, high-density schemes, but in the last year a heat network solution designed for low-rise, low-density schemes has been developed. It uses the tried and tested technology and is now being rolled out across the country with several of the UK’s largest housebuilders on new build sites.
Community Heat Hubs use large scale air source heat pumps and thermal stores to produce hot water in the site central Heat Hub. Heat and hot water are delivered into homes through a site network of insulated pipes. Community Heat Hubs remove the need for individual air source heat pumps to be mounted outside every home and crucially they: ¡ Meet Future Homes Standard, reducing carbon emissions by 75-80% from day one ¡ Address grid capacity issues, using the thermal stores to flatten the site’s grid demand. This significantly lowers a site’s overall peak demand compared with individual heat pumps ¡ Lower cost for house builders and lower customer bills by up 20%, compared to individual air source heat pumps ¡ Will be regulated by OFGEM from 2025 offering homeowners the ultimate protection on price and service levels In a bid to accelerate heat network role out, it
Left: John Marsh, GTO COO
is vital that that housebuilders are offered choice. Community Heat Hubs are one option. Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps, also launched this year for new build sites, are another option. Networked ground source heat pumps work by
extracting naturally occurring, stored thermal energy from the ground to provide consistent, energy- efficient heating. The solution offers a clean alternative to gas
through a ground source heat pump installed within each property, which is connected to a shared network of hidden underground pipes. The small, compact heat pump sits underneath a water cylinder inside the home, saving valuable space and eliminating the need for any external kit. Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps can:
¡ Bring a complete end-to-end heating, hot water and cooling solution. This inclusion of passive cooling helps Part L Building Regulation compliance ¡ Meet Future Homes Standard, reducing carbon emissions by 75-80% from day one ¡ Offer up to five times the efficiency of gas and a 30% increased efficiency than an equivalent individual air source heat pump
Transitioning away from carbonised heating is essential, but the rise of renewable technologies brings with it a range of challenges for M&E contractors and building services consultants. Heat networks and their deployment across the UK are increasingly influencing these audiences, primarily because they are reshaping the design, installation and maintenance requirements for heating systems in residential, commercial and mixed-use buildings. Impacts include: ¡ Integration with centralised energy systems ¡ Efficiency and sustainability requirements ¡ System control and metering ¡ Long term maintenance Heat networks are helping M&E contractors and building services consultants to adopt new skills, comply with specific regulations and integrate more sophisticated controls and metering into their projects. This transition supports the UK’s sustainability goals and the Future Homes Standard but requires ongoing adaption to maintain the UK’s growing heat network infrastructure. This is where solutions like Community Heat Hubs and Networked Ground Source Heat Pumps come into play because they are tried and tested, and backed by innovation, skills and experience. These sophisticated heat network solutions answer all the impacts outlined above because they are designed, built, owned, operated and maintained by the regulated utility infrastructure partner, offering the ultimate simplicity. This means that all service and maintenance required on the network, up to and including the heat interface units housed within each property is taken care of by the infrastructure team.
www.heatingandventilating.net
18 December 2024
DOWNLOAD THE HVR APP NOW
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
