Neil Fitzsimons, Managing Director of Power On, looks at how networked ground source heat pumps can benefit builders and developers in light of the Future Homes Standard and the push for net-zero.
The regulatory landscape for heating residential buildings is changing. The Future Homes Standard is due to be introduced at some point this year and will be in full effect by 2027. This mandates a 75-80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the current building regulations. In addition to this is Part L of the Building Regulations, which requires energy used in buildings to be minimised and to come from low-carbon sources. On top of this is Part O of the Building Regulations, which focusses on mitigating overheating in new residential buildings.
With all of this to consider, builders and developers need to be acting now to ensure they are meeting the stringent regulations ahead of them. This is quite apart from the fact that many homeowners looking at new developments will also be likely to want a more sustainable option, with lower bills and greater efficiency.
New solutions
Gas is out. This is for certain. So builders and developers are already turning to the alternatives. The most discussed option currently seems to be air source heat pumps. Perhaps some of the reason for air source heat pumps being mentioned so much is the drawbacks as well as their benefits. Homeowners looking for a more environmentally friendly solution to their gas boiler have retrofit air source heat pumps thinking these will be the greener and more efficient option. While air source heat pumps can be very successful in the air-tight confines of a new build, they have been found less so as retrofits. On top of this, they are often considered to be unsightly and noisy, tacked onto the side of a house, where they were never planned to appear.
The benefits of networking
Networking air source heat pumps is a far more successful solution. This takes the environmental benefits of air source heat pumps but eliminates the need for an individual appliance on each home. Networking air source heat pumps is a far more efficient way to generate and distribute the heat around a new development. There are also reduced transmission losses using this system, meaning that the heat and hot water supply around the development is very reliable.
Community Heat Hubs use large-scale air source heat pumps and thermal stores to centralise the production of heat and hot water for a development. Clearly there are benefits in terms of aesthetics and noise reduction in removing the need for individual heat pumps. There are also gains to be made in terms of installing this type of system.
Community heat hubs meet the Future Homes Standard by reducing carbon emission by 75-80%. They also provide cost savings for developers and lower customers’ bills by up to 20%, compared to having individual air source heat pumps on each property.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
An alternative that is growing in popularity and recognition in the UK is networked ground source heat pumps. These are already prevalent across Europe and are a tried and tested solution, already being installed and utilised on developments across the UK too.
Networked ground source heat pumps are an innovative solution that is particularly beneficial for high-rise, high-density developments. As the name suggests, rather than extracting ambient heat from the air, as happens with air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps extract naturally stored thermal energy from the ground. The provide highly efficient heating, hot water and even cooling to a development.
A network of underground pipes is laid and these transfer heat to a heat pump unit within the home. This raises the temperature and delivers it to the building’s heating and hot water system. The heat pumps are within the home, rather than air source heat pumps, which have to be on the outside of the building. Air source heat pumps are bulky pieces of equipment, taking up the space of about three pallets. The heat pumps connected to ground source networks are, in contrast, compact and can be transported with 15 units on each pallet. Inside the home, the heat pump is small enough to fit in a kitchen cupboard. This makes them hugely successful in high-rise developments where space is at a premium. With grid-capacity now a major consideration, ground source heat pumps use the same electrical capacity as gas-heated homes.
Networked ground source heat pumps meet the requirements of the Future Homes Standards by offering a 75-80% reduction in emissions. And all heat networks, including community heat hubs and networked ground source heat pumps, will be regulated by Ofgem by January 2026. This means that homeowners will be protected on price and service standards.
Cooling options
Remarkably, ground source heat pumps are able to provide cooling systems as well as heating. Active cooling uses the heat pump’s refrigeration cycle to create cool water for distribution to the cooling system. This means that networked ground source heat pumps support the Part O Building Regulations too.
Tried, tested and ready to go
While network ground source heat pumps are less well known than their air-source cousins, they are tried and tested technology that has been used widely across Europe. It is not really new technology, just a new way of approaching the new requirements. By installing networked ground source heat pumps, builders and developers can ensure that they are not only being environmentally efficient but that it is not costing them the earth in other ways too.