Families in Durham are taking part in a study to help measure how efficient new non-gas central heating systems are, in a bid to combat fuel poverty in the UK.
Housing association, Riverside, has been successful in bidding for over £122,000 from the Technical Innovation Fund, part of a £26.2 million Health and Innovation Programme designed and administered by NEA, the national fuel poverty charity.
The fund will enable Riverside to install new heating systems at 18 properties without a gas supply, in Turnbull Close, Durham.
Households will be using a combination of technologies in upper and ground floor and mid and end terrace flats located in the same street.
The project will assess the most cost effective and efficient ways of heating and keeping properties warmer for longer. A combination of infra-red space heating, photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage, as well as better insulated new storage heaters will be installed, to compare performance.
Whilst these systems have been tested and used in isolation before, this is the first time that the technologies have been monitored in the proposed combinations.
Rhoda Wilkinson, Riverside’s Strategic Affordable Warmth Officer, said: “We have a similar number of properties on Turnbull Close that are using gas central heating. Through remote monitoring, we can compare performance between the new technologies and the traditional, which will help form our plans for upgrading existing heating systems, as well heating for new-build properties across the housing sector.”
The project places residents at the heart of the new technology, with full support to understand how it works and how it can reduce energy costs.
Rhoda added: “The tenants who are taking part are happy to work with us to monitor their new heating systems. The new installations should be more efficient, both in terms of cost and in saving energy, than the current systems. The aim is to find out which combinations and methods work best. Our affordable warmth officers will be supporting tenants to make sure that they are fully informed on how to operate their new systems to ensure warmer homes, fewer illnesses relating to cold and damp, as well as lower energy bills.”
Jenny Saunders OBE, Chief Executive of NEA said: “This is a new and exciting programme for NEA. We know that the solutions to tackling fuel poverty require innovation and need to be tailored to local communities and this fund has given us the opportunity to test out a range of solutions.”
Installation of the systems will be completed in March 2016 and monitoring will take place between April and December 2016. The final report will be completed by June 2017.