As we are encouraged to be greener, low-carbon heating is today’s gold standard for heating systems.
The Government’s strategy for net zero is to end our contribution to climate change and that includes replacing fossil fuel gas and oil central heating systems with greener alternatives like heat pumps. Although this is the perfect solution for modern housing built to today’s energy conservation standards, sadly, there are not suitable for up to 13 million homes in the UK.
The latest report findings state that for the existing UK housing stock, the levels of disruption and cost as well as lack of space and inefficiency of the fabric of the building, deems heat pumps only a greener solution for a minority of properties. There is also the issue of listed buildings which have rules and regulations on what you can and cannot change about their appearance and which may class a heat pump unsuitable to meet the required aesthetic standards.
How do they work and what’s the cost?
Heat pumps work in a similar way to a refrigerator, but in reverse – they allow you to generate heat energy from the surrounding air or ground. The process of installing an air source heat pump can be completed between two to four days, while a ground source heat pump between seven to 10 days at a cost that ranges from £9,500 to £24,000 – a substantial expense few people are able to afford.
The UK electricity grid is rapidly decarbonising and within two to three years electricity will be greener than gas, oil, and LPG. With Government regulations looking into banning gas boilers in any new builds from 2025, it’s clear that heat pumps are not suitable for everyone. Therefore, the biggest challenge for older housing stock and properties built pre-1999 is how to make these properties suitable for low carbon heating, providing the best alternative to meet the Eco-design energy efficiency regulations and renewable energy targets set out in the new Part L of the building regulations.
So, what’s the alternative?
There are other alternatives to fossil fuels using energy efficient systems that can also be powered by renewable energy. However, which system is best for your property type to help meet the current UK climate change targets?
Affordable electric heating
If you are not ready for the heat pump revolution, replacing dated gas boilers and storage heaters with low carbon electric radiators can still help reduce your carbon footprint at home.
Electric heating systems by Intelliheat are manufactured of a superior quality and are packed with energy efficient features generated by innovative technologies that create the ideal balance between comfort and efficiency while offering cost effective alternatives to inefficient storage heaters, oil, LPG and solid fuel when the installation of a heat pump is not an option.
The system thermostat can heat individual rooms (zoning) at the desired temperature within 0.1°C. In addition, room temperature control with open window and presence detection paired with an ultra-fast heating response make intelliheat systems one of most technologically advanced heating products available. And with under £3,000 in costs for an average property, this represents a significant saving compared to the installation of a heat pump deemed unsuitable.
Controls
Lately, there has been growing demand for heating management controls. Smart devices (IOT) are now part of our everyday life – monitoring, optimisation and intelligent control reduce energy consumption and give the user full control over heating expenditure, CO2 emissions and energy usage. Linking design and efficiency with the implementation of smart controls, Intelliheat Smart and cleverly connected heating management enables users to:
- Control the heating system in the most efficient and effective way
- Monitor several buildings via one single account
- Understand the client’s carbon reporting requirements, save energy, and reduce carbon footprint
- Manage the system through a mobile App and web-based dashboard
- Achieve system optimisation via data monitoring
- Reduce costs through improving performance
IntelliHeat is a British company designing, supplying, and installing electric heating systems with a dedicated Wi-Fi heating management control.
IntelliHeat offers a cloud based heating management training course to all authorised partners, resellers and contractors who wish to supply their customers with a quality product designed to exceed expectations whilst contributing to a better world. This training is designed to improve product knowledge, expertise and skills to correctly install IntelliHeat systems.
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