Radiators are proving to be a hit with heat pump installations across the country.
One such example is taking place in the south of Swindon, just a stone’s throw from the M4 in Wiltshire. Kennedy Drive is part of one of leading social housing provider Stonewater’s housing portfolio.
Stonewater is a social housing provider, with a mission to deliver good quality, affordable homes to people who need them most. They manage around 32,500 homes in England for over 70,000 customers, including affordable properties for general rent, shared ownership and sale, alongside specialist accommodation such as retirement and supported living schemes for older and vulnerable people, domestic abuse refuges, a dedicated LGBTQ+ Safe Space, and young people’s foyers.
A finalist in this year’s Homebuilder of the Year awards, Stonewater is committed to driving forward the decarbonising of housing agenda in the UK. So, it will come as no surprise that they are looking closely at the options when it comes to retrofitting replacement heating systems in existing properties. Working closely with contractors CCS in Swindon, they carried out a survey on 55 properties – a mix of properties from one bedroom flats to 4 bedroom houses – and decided that they were prime for replacement of the existing electric heating systems with inefficient storage heaters with brand new air source heat pumps paired with efficient modern radiators from Stelrad.
Craig Shepherd at CCS is managing the project: “We’ve been involved in this project from ‘day 1’ and we’re well into delivering the new heating systems for the residents on this estate. We’ve installed a range of Samsung air source heat pumps and paired these with Stelrad Compact radiators throughout the homes to provide the heat around the home and feedback so far has been excellent. Many of the residents were not really au fait with heat pump technology and expressed concerns when they were told what was being installed but without exception, they are all now ‘sold’ on the solution and delighted that their energy bills will be significantly reduced as a result. I think it’s fair to say that they were reassured when we told them that the heating would be via radiators – something they understood and welcomed – there was a feeling that if traditional radiators that they knew about were paired with the heat pumps, their homes would be reliably heated when they needed it and that has proved to be the case.”
“We’re delighted that this development proves what we’ve known all along,” says Head of Marketing at Stelrad, Chris Harvey. “As with all radiator installations, sizing the radiators is key and CCS has been astute in specifying the right sized radiators for each property to ensure that the residents will get warm homes in the colder months of the year. Modern radiators are far more effective and energy efficient than their predecessors – pre-2000 – because of redesigned water channels that see far less water needing to circulate through the system and far more metal in contact with the heated water that heats the home. This development proves incontrovertibly that air source heat pumps and radiators make good bedfellows and deliver quality heating and hot water for homeowners. I hope that stories like this one will see ‘renewables with radiators’ detractors changing their tune.”
For more information on using radiators with renewable heating systems, head for www.stelrad.com. You can call for brochures and information on 0844 543 6200 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can also see regular updates from Stelrad on Twitter @Stelrad and Facebook @StelradRadiators.
