INDUSTRY NEWS K
MORE EFFICIENT HEATING IS OUR BEST DEFENCE AGAINST FUTURE ENERGY PRICE SHOCKS
ensa’s commercial director, Dr Stuart Gadsden, has emphasised the urgent need to tackle and replace ineffi cient heating sources to protect
consumers, as Ofgem’s October price cap signals further energy bill increases on the horizon for UK households. As the energy crisis continues with no end in sight, and with a typical annual energy bill set to increase to £1,717 from October, the need to move to more effi cient heating solutions less sensitive to global events has never been more critical. Ofgem’s latest price cap rise sees a 9% uptick in typical annual energy costs.
Where urgent action is needed When energy prices rise, those with the least effi cient heating systems often bear the brunt. Outdated, ageing gas boilers or electric heaters, whether panel or night storage, can leave households paying eye-watering amounts to barely warm their homes. These systems typically operate at between 60-85% (gas boilers) and 100% effi ciency (direct electric heating), meaning one unit of energy can only produce up to one unit or less of heat in return. Electricity costs signifi cantly more than gas per unit, which is why households with direct electric heating will be hit hardest by this latest rise. In the last few years,
we’ve had social housing residents living in one and two-bedroom fl ats equipped with these outdated electric systems share with us the staggering amounts they pay for heating – sometimes as much as £2,000 a year. According to our modelling and the upcoming energy
price cap, heating costs for a two-bedroom fl at with 100% effi cient night storage heaters on an Economy 7 tariff are likely to be around £1,200 per year. This is likely a best-case scenario, and for many people, the situation could be much worse.
An eff ective solution The key to addressing rising energy costs is to ensure properties are equipped with suitable, effi cient heating systems. While new builds benefi t from high energy effi ciency and advanced renewable heating solutions like Networked Heat Pumps and heat networks, the real challenge is upgrading existing buildings – including the thousands of social housing homes with low EPC energy effi ciency ratings. To tackle this, the government has committed £3.8
billion through various waves of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to enhance energy effi ciency in existing social housing. Later this year, SHDF Wave 3 will unlock the remaining £1.2 billion, giving local authorities and housing associations the money needed to make critical upgrades. By using previous SHDF waves and partnering with
companies like Kensa, social housing organisations have boosted energy effi ciency in their properties by installing cutting-edge technologies like ground source heat pumps. While these upgrades help providers meet their energy effi ciency targets, the biggest winners are the residents, who can see signifi cant drops in their heating and hot water bills.
Our solution of Networked Heat Pumps, which consists
of installing compact ground source heat pumps in individual fl ats or houses, can provide renewable heating and hot water with effi ciencies of 400% and above. For the two-bed fl at with electric night storage heaters that are paying £1,200 a year on heating, if you replaced it with this 400% effi cient networked heat pump system, they could see annual heating bills of just £487 - a substantial £724 saving!
Our modelling, backed up by
multiple installations and real-life experiences, tells us Networked Heat Pumps can cut heating bills by 50% or more when replacing systems like electric storage heaters. In Thurrock, a project which saw outdated night storage heaters replaced with Kensa Shoebox Heat Pumps across 273 fl ats, our solution even resulted in some residents cutting their energy bills by an astonishing 66%.
Inbrief
The latest report from the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) revealed a strong performance for the Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) market in the year-to-date, rising 3.8% to £865 million - highlighting the continual technological breakthroughs and growing consumer demand for smart buildings.
www.bcia.co.uk
Liquid Gas UK has called on the Government to “level the playing fi eld” when it comes to supporting the decarbonisation of rural properties and to further encourage the roll-out of renewable liquid gases.
www.liquidgasuk.org
Effi ciency-fi rst manufacturer Wilo has been named among Europe’s Climate Leaders for 2024 in recognition of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions and driving sustainable practices.
https://wilo.com/en/
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has launched a training programme to help building services fi rms work more closely with schools and inspire future generations of building services engineers..
www.thebesa.com
Heat pump manufacturer, Daikin, opened a cutting-edge new Sustainable Home Centre in partnership with Harris & Bailey in Croydon. This opening marked the eight addition to Daikin’s Sustainable Home Centre network in 2024 and underlines the brand’s commitment to low- carbon heating solutions.
www.daikin.co.uk
New UK research reveals that nearly one in 10 fi replace users leave it years before sweeping their chimneys putting their homes at risk of catching fi re. One owner said, “I’m not sure how often I should have it done.”
www.hetas.co.uk
The Heat Pump Association (HPA) has published an update to its UK heat pump sales data, now featuring a breakdown by heat pump type for the fi rst time. To see the results go to...
https://www.heatpumps.org. uk/new-data-on-uk-heat-pump- sales-by-type/
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