Heat pumps do bring down energy costs

Researchers at the Energy House 2.0 research facility at the University of Salford, working with housebuilders Bellway and Barratt Redrow and construction solutions manufacturer Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland, have spent the past year testing 14 different heating systems to see which ones will heat homes the best at the lowest cost.
 
The findings will help new buyers, existing homeowners, renters and landlords to understand the most efficient ways to heat homes when gas boilers begin to be phased out in new homes from next year. Existing homes have until 2035 to replace gas boilers.
 
Energy House 2.0 is a specially built climate chamber that recreates temperatures ranging from -20˚C to +40˚C, as well as simulating wind, rain, snow and solar radiation. The chamber enables Barratt Redrow, Saint-Gobain and Bellway to test methods of construction and products at temperatures that would represent anything from a Nordic winter to an African summer. The Energy House 2,0 chamber can simulate the weather conditions in 95 per cent of the world’s current climates, as well as climates predicted for the future.
 
Richard Fitton, Salford University's Professor of Building Performance says Energy House 2.0 is a fantastic resource: 'Without the unique facilities we have here at Salford, it would take years to deliver these results.
 
'Energy House 2.0 allows for a comparison between heating technologies at constant extreme temperatures, which until now hasn't been possible. These insights are invaluable as we work to reduce the carbon emitted by houses, while ensuring people are warm and comfortable in their homes without paying too much on their bills.'
 
The systems tested covered a range of technologies including Infrared heat panels, air source heat pumps, underfloor heating, skirting board heating and traditional radiators.
 
The research looked at two different heating patterns – 24-hour constant heating and a pattern of a house being heated between the hours of 07:00-09:00 in the morning and 16:00-23:00 at night, that is currently used in the standard energy model, and is the typical way people live in their homes in the UK.
 
Tests were conducted at both a typical winter temperature of 5 °C and also, an extreme winter temperature of -5 °C within the climate chamber.
 
Key research findings
Air Source Heat Pumps can cost as little as £1.84 on a typical winter day to heat a home and are more efficient than current gas boilers.

The most common method of heating homes in the UK is currently gas boilers, which are designed to reach temperatures of up to 70 °C quickly and be used for short periods of time that fit around the typical consumers’ lifestyle (morning and evening heating). During the extreme winter condition test the electrified heating systems did not perform well when used in the typical way that consumers with gas boilers would use heating. Consumers with the new heating systems would need to adjust to using them in a more constant way to get the best heat at the most efficient cost.
 
Bellway’s house, named The Future Home, tested two air source heat pumps, including the UK’s first roof-mounted prototype, along with underfloor, infrared and ambient heating, and mechanical heat recovery ventilation.
 
It demonstrated that underfloor heating and air source heat pumps work well together, while Infrared heating could be used more widely in flats and maisonettes, where ASHPs are difficult to install. The research project complements Bellway’s pilot projects around the country, with 11 exemplar homes already completed. Bellway installed 163 ASHPs in homes during 2024 and has plans for a further 1,400.
 
Saint-Gobain partnered with Barratt Redrow in constructing eHome2 which looked at how to deliver zero carbon housing at scale using off-site lightweight construction solutions. eHome2 piloted the use of next generation heating and ventilation technologies as well as smart technology  
 
The eHome2 has a host of innovative solutions from Saint-Gobain including its weberwall brick, a high-performing timber frame system from its Scotframe brand and its Pasquill Posi-JoistTM floor cassettes that allow for the integration of Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery systems (MVHR).
 
Oliver Novakovic, Director of Technical & Innovation at Barratt Redrow, says the Energy House 2.0 research is one of the most important R&D projects Barratt Redrow has undertaken: 'It will inform us about the homes that we build over the next 20, 50 and 100 years. We will see more extreme weather events and we need to ensure that the fabric of the homes we build, and the heating and cooling emitters that we fit, provide the most temperature efficient and cost effective outputs for residents.'
 
Jamie Bursnell, Head of Technical and Innovation for Bellway, says the heating tests have accelerated understanding of how new homes can be heated through electric sources: 'The comparison of different combinations of heating technologies working in a controlled environment has highlighted some highly efficient systems. We will now refine and test further, and the research will inform our work with new technologies on the live developments where these are already being trialled.'
 
Mike Chaldecott, Saint-Gobain UK’s CEO says this research comes at a critical time: 'Never before have real homes been tested under such precise conditions to help inform us about how to build homes that will perform in the climates we face today and a generation and beyond from now. The way we build is undergoing rapid change - from heavy, carbon intensive materials, to lighter, more sustainable building solutions, with large parts of buildings built in factories and assembled on site. This research is critical to understanding how we can do that at the scale we need in the future, cost-effectively, with greater levels of productivity while being sure of how those new building solutions perform in a changing climate.'