Energy and water efficiency specialist Cenergist has completed what it believes to be the UK’s first installation of high-temperature air source heat pumps for residential use.
The technology is being used in heat networks serving 497 homes in six residential tower blocks owned by Leeds City Council, replacing night storage heaters and hot water cylinders.
Cenergist estimates that the new energy and water solution will save residents 52% on their utility bills and reduce each property’s carbon emissions by 64%.
The installations form part of Leeds City Council’s £24m ‘Clustering for Warmth’ initiative which is claimed to be one of the UK’s largest green home and energy bill reduction schemes and part of a wider £100m investment to improve the energy efficiency of its existing residential stock by 2025.
The project was designed and delivered with engineering consultant Arup reviewing on behalf of the Council,
Clustering for Warmth aims to deliver low carbon heating and hot water upgrades to 1,700 council-owned homes between 2021 and 2024 – replacing storage heaters with a range of heat pump and district heating solutions.
Dan Ludgate, group development director at Cenergist, said:
Integrating high temperature air source heat pumps in a domestic setting represents the most innovative stage of our work on the ‘Clustering for Warmth’ initiative. By using our technology- and product-agnostic approach, and by working in partnership with Leeds City Council, we were able to engineer a solution best suited to maximise energy efficiency benefits for the properties. Thanks to our solution, residents in hundreds of homes now benefit from not just a reduced carbon footprint, but also smaller utility bills – a welcome benefit during this current period of volatility. The success of this project also helps pave the way for the solution to be deployed to similar residential settings.
To further enhance the properties’ energy efficiency and ensure the air source heat pumps work as efficiently as possible, this latest installation includes Cenergist’s Control Flow HL2024 technology. This is a patented, pressure-independent flow controller that reduces water and energy waste without impacting user experience.
Since 2020, the Leeds City Council says it has saved 1,865 tonnes CO2 per year in 1200 properties.
