Water and energy efficiency company Cenergist has completed what it believes to be the UK’s first installation of high temperature air source heat pumps in a domestic setting.
The installations have delivered district heating systems for six Leeds City Council-owned residential tower blocks which comprise 497 homes.
The project required the replacement of inefficient night storage heaters and hot water cylinders with high temperature air source heat pump communal heating and hot water systems.
It is estimated that the new energy and water solution will save residents 52% on their utility bills and reduce each property’s carbon emissions by 64%.
Designed and delivered with engineering consultants Arup reviewing on behalf of the Council, the installations form part of Leeds City Council’s £24m ‘Clustering for Warmth’ initiative.
It is one of the UK’s largest green home and energy bill reduction schemes and part of a wider £100m investment by the local authority to improve the energy efficiency of its existing residential stock by 2025.
The aim of the ‘Clustering for Warmth’ initiative is to deliver low carbon heating and hot water upgrades to 1,700 council-owned homes between 2021-24. This involves replacing inefficient electric storage heating with ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and district heating solutions.
Commenting on the installation, 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.
“We look forward to working with Leeds City Council as we continue to support its exciting decarbonisation strategy and enhance the energy efficiency of its properties.”
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’s decarbonisation and efficiency initiatives have provided low carbon heating and hot water to more than 2,100 properties, resulting in a CO2 saving of 1,865 tonnes per year.
