Did you know that the UK has some of the oldest and most diverse housing stock in Europe presenting a host of heating challenges with many homes classed as ‘hard to heat’. Installers and homeowners who encounter them will be familiar with the issues they present:
- Solid walls which make internal wall insulation difficult
- Antiquated overall building fabric which makes keeping the warmth in harder
- Building restrictions due to heritage or listed status taking modern improvements off the table
- Limited energy options due to isolated location
According to the latest government estimates, millions of UK homes fall into this category, including:
- 3 million with hard-to-treat lofts
- 3 million with problematic cavity walls
- 7 million with solid walls (many unlikely to ever be insulated)
Why is this important?
The UK government has set ambitious targets for reaching carbon net zero by 2050, and heating homes which is still largely dependent on fossil fuels is one of the biggest hurdles. With around 96% of domestic emissions coming from space heating and hot water, the shift to lower-carbon systems is non-negotiable. But that shift can be complicated in hard-to-treat homes.
The recommendation is to always start with improving the building fabric to lighten the load on the heating system. But these are hard to heat for a reason and installers facing these dwellings would be wise to consider the full range of heating options available to them.
Assessing the options.
Replacing an existing, inefficient boiler with a modern efficient gas fired combination boiler is one solution.
Air source heat pumps are another solution for homeowners who want to move away from gas, LPG or oil to cleaner electricity-powered solutions.
There is a misconception that heat pumps are not suitable for hard to heat properties. This is not the case; heat pump technology can meet any level of heat demand. However, depending on the system design, a heat pump solution may require multiple heat pumps and radiators may need to be resized to increase their output.
Perhaps the most adaptable solution for any hard to heat home is a hybrid system. This combines a heat pump with a combi boiler to provide space heating and hot water in the most cost effective and efficient manner.
The hybrid system is made up of a heat pump installed outside which is linked with a combi boiler inside. Managing these is a smart control which automatically chooses which heat source to warm the home based on the cheapest tariff at the time. Because of this, the system can reduce gas consumption by up to 60% without losing the ‘safety net’ of a combi boiler. It also doesn’t require any modifications to the home’s existing pipework (unlike a standard heat pump).
This makes the whole system a great stepping stone and introduction to low temperature heating. There’s the comfort of knowing the combi boiler is available while benefitting from the efficiency of the heat pump. The heat pump can handle the majority of the heating requirements and when the weather turns particularly cold, or hot water is needed instantly, the combi can help meet demand.
What’s particularly helpful for hard-to-treat homes which run off LPG or natural gas is how the hybrid system can be configured to work with this fuel source. It effectively removes another barrier these homes have in moving towards greater carbon efficiency.
The hybrid range from Alpha has recently been expanded to include the Custom Hybrid, which enables even more customisation in choosing a hybrid system for a home.
This flexibility makes hybrid systems ideal for engineers looking to offer effective, future-ready solutions even in homes that don’t seem ‘heat pump ready’ on paper.
When it comes to deciding on the best heating solution for hard to heat homes there is no ‘one size fits all approach’.
Whether it’s a new efficient boiler, taking a step into sustainable heating with a hybrid system, or going for a full heat pump solution – we’ve got solutions suitable for any project.
Contact us to find out what heating solutions are best placed to help achieve the highest performance available.