The social housing sector lies at the heart of the UK’s transition to low carbon heat but the ambition to reduce emissions must be carefully balanced with preventing tenants from falling into fuel poverty. Here, Rob Pearse, distribution sales director at Baxi, discusses possible approaches to lowering the carbon footprint of the UK’s social housing stock.

First: fabric

Identifying fabric improvements and carrying out upgrades should always be a consideration at the beginning of any decarbonisation journey to reduce heat losses and energy demand. Examples of fabric-first changes include upgrades to windows that help keep heat inside the building. Similarly, ensuring rooms are draft-free will prevent heat from escaping, reducing the energy and economic costs involved in keeping residents warm.

Another change available to social housing providers includes switching outdated radiator valves for thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) that allow for greater temperature control. Taking time to introduce tenants or end users to TRVs will ensure they understand how to use them safely and effectively for lowering energy.

When looking at upgrades, along with retrofitting, creating homes that are affordable for residents to maintain and pleasant to live in should also be a key focus.

Facing the future

With fabric considered, many social housing providers will be aware of the requirements of Part L of the Building regulations. Properties can be future-proofed in line with these standards with relatively small improvements. This approach will not only boost the energy efficiency of the building but also lay the groundwork for larger upgrades that may be wanted later. It is at this point that social housing providers will likely benefit from consulting with heating experts, such as those at Baxi who can offer specific advice tailored to the building, budget and heating requirements in question.

Along with future-proofing changes, it is important that residents are well informed on the actions they can take to keep household energy expenditure down. As an example, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that a 1°C decrease in thermostat temperature equals a 10% saving on heating bills.

Introduce innovations 

Bringing in add-ons that require no maintenance can be an easy and effective way of improving a system’s energy performance. Devices such as a flue gas heat recovery (FGHR) system can enhance the cost-effectiveness of a building’s energy use by capturing heat that would have been lost via the flue and repurposing it to pre-heat hot water.

The addition of a FGHR to a Baxi Assure 500 Combi 2 boiler in a three-bed semi-detached house, for example, may reduce yearly carbon emissions by as much as 268kg. It can also save between 37% and 50% of the gas used to generate hot water each year. Inventive solutions like these can reduce overall emissions and bring down costs while increasing the quality of living for tenants.

Continue with collaboration

Larger upgrades will eventually be needed as the nation continues to decarbonise. These upgrades may include the installation of air source heat pumps, introduction of heat networks for multi-occupancy properties and exploration of hybrid systems. Each property is different and so are their heating and hot water requirements, therefore collaborating with experts in the field is key to ensuring the right combinations are selected for optimal energy use.

Working closely with manufacturers that offer energy efficient and low-carbon heating solutions is key for the critical evaluation of options. A collaborative effort means that social housing specifiers have the correct solution ready for each individual property and project.  

Heating and hot water specialists such as those at Baxi can provide social housing decision makers with invaluable help. Our own managing director, Jan Rijnen, believes that decarbonisation needs to happen at a rate of 200,000 houses per year for the UK to hit the 2050 net-zero goal. It is no coincidence that Baxi’s experts stand ready to assist.

Applying the latest techniques and technologies to the twin concerns of cost and carbon reduction will allow leaders in social housing to lower their stocks emissions while keeping their tenants comfortable and their bills low.

For further information about the decarbonisation of heat in social housing, download Baxi’s guide, Decarbonisation and affordability of heat.