A development by Galliard Homes at Church Road in the area of
Leyton in London is one of the first in the UK to showcase the benefits of the
cutting edge Zeroth Energy System, an ambient temperature system specified to
provide an energy-efficient, low-carbon heating and hot water solution for the
modern, large urban development.
The 48 contemporary one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, and
two luxurious 3-bedroom townhouses with a fast link to central London, boast
high specification and are focused on providing residents with ample space in
living quarters and an overall feeling of community. Roof terrace gardens or
private gardens are available with some units. Each apartment has a balcony or
terrace and access to the communal landscaped gardens and bicycle storage to
cement the connection with the surrounding environment.
In view of ambitious plans for a low-carbon future for the UK,
as set out in the London Plan and Clean Growth Strategy policy, use of
renewable energy sources and low-carbon technologies is key to a successful
housing development. The forthcoming changes to Part L and Part F will further
magnify the need for new developments to have a substantial energy strategy.
This is most poignant for larger urban and metropolitan residential projects,
such as Church Road. Engineering Design Consultants (EDC) were contracted by
Galliard Homes to source and plan a heating, ventilation and air conditioning
(HVAC) system to fit the design challenges of the development. The Zeroth
Energy System, a ambient temperature network by Glen Dimplex Heating &
Ventilation (GDHV), was chosen to provide a low-carbon and high-efficiency
heating and hot water solution to complete the green living arrangement.
The Zeroth Energy network offers an answer to the challenges of HVAC solutions in larger urban developments
As a result of the urgent demand for more housing and the lack of undeveloped ground space, we are seeing a resurgence of high-rise developments in already densely populated urban areas. The changing landscape of compliance and design of increasingly airtight buildings has highlighted an energy performance gap that can only be overcome by innovation in HVAC technology. By specifying new technology today, developments can be closer to achieving net-zero status whilst creating healthy buildings now and in the future.
The tightening of the building envelope amplifies issues with thermal inefficiency of traditional heating systems. Whilst it isn’t news that the longer the distance from the plant the more heat loss occurs from the pipework to the surrounding environment, the high operating temperature
of these system can cause higher levels of excess heat, resulting in increased heat loss. The unutilised excess heat, depending on the permeability of the building envelope, is either lost into the environment, potentially giving rise to the urban heat island effect, or ends up trapped in the building causing condensation and raising the temperature in the corridors and building overall. The more heat is lost on the journey to the living space, the more the occupant needs to draw from the central plant to meet their thermal requirements. According to BRE research, the heat loss within pipework can result in an overall system efficiency as low as 33% The result is a less efficient system which impacts the cost to the end-user. There are also tangible environmental and financial consequences to consider, such as impact on compliance, financial viability and future energy stability of a development
Installation of the Zeroth Energy System brings financial
benefits to the developer and occupier
The Zeroth Energy System was designed and manufactured in
cooperation with industry experts with a focus on performance, however, every
aspect of the solution was addressed. The Church Road installation demonstrates
how industry-driven innovation works in practice to deliver financial and
practical benefits, along with improved energy efficiency.
The initial issue with insufficient space for the plant room was
resolved with a number of strategies. As an ambient network requires a smaller
output compared with higher temperature alternatives, a reduction on central
plant size was possible. The flexibility of the Zeroth Energy Systems offers
easy integration with other low-carbon technologies. The Church Road
development saw an installation of additional air source heat pumps (ASHP) on the
roof. This reduced the plant size further still, saving on costs and allowing
for better use of the newly available space. The water cylinder and heat pump
installed in each apartment are sized to fit a standard utility cupboard whilst
the pipework for the heating and hot water supply is hidden.
The hydronic delivery system of the Zeroth Energy System as a
solution overall allows for flexible use of emitters, from underfloor to wet or
smart radiators for heating and fan coils when using comfort cooling.
The design choice for Church Road included wet radiators with
individual in-apartment control units which place the occupier in charge of
their thermal comfort and energy bills. The choice of system design, and the
resulting extra usable space the systems can generate, gives architects more
freedom to create a quality living space, offer valuable extra features in the
buildings or provide extra dwellings where the need for housing is urgent. The
specified version of the Zeroth Energy System was delivered pre-plumbed and
pre-wired, helping with the installation. A simpler and speedy installation
presents valuable savings with time-on-site, increasing the financial viability
of a development.
Maintenance and repairs can put pressure on resources throughout
the life of any residential development and whilst heat pump technology is
robust, ambient water loops offer additional benefits when compared to
high-temperature refrigerant-based system. The individual heat pumps are
modular in nature and each cylinder has a backup immersion heater. This means
convenience for the occupier as the pump can be simply swapped out for another
unit to allow for maintenance or repair of the original whilst the hot water
supply remains completely unaffected.
What part does the Zeroth Energy System play in
decarbonized, smart energy grid of the future.
The review of Part L and Part F of the building regulations in
anticipation of the Future Homes Standard is indicative of the UK government’s
intention to electrify the energy supply. In order to achieve the net-zero
targets set for 2050, decarbonization efforts may intensify and building
technologies will have to keep up. The flexible and reliable technology behind
the operation of the Zeroth Energy System is crucial for the high energy, low-carbon
performance of the building and invaluable for futureproofing of the
development.
The high level of preinstallation and the flexibility of the
Zeroth Energy System is ideal for application in low-carbon building
technologies such as modular construction, reducing the time-on-site and
offering the flexibility to change the building design without the need to
retrofit the entire HVAC solution. This flexibility can be used to upgrade the
plant should energy strategy of the building change or if a connection to a
heating network is preferred. District heating networks, already popular on the
continent, are receiving increasing support in the UK. The plans for some of
them to utilise excess heat is likely to make them popular for urban and
metropolitan residential buildings of the future.
GDHV advocates a holistic approach to building efficiency. The
easy integration with renewable and low-carbon technologies plays an important
part in affording the architect and designer a high level of design freedom.
This means all limitations of the project can be addressed to ensure the HVAC
systems work in harmony with the building.
This approach is evident in Church Road development. "We've
always been promoters and supporters of leading cutting-edge technology, and we
could see the benefits that the Zeroth Energy System could bring," says
Stephen Harper, Group M&E Services Manager at Galliard Homes. "The
implementation of this solution produced heating and hot water in a low-carbon
way while staying within the limited electrical power available for the site.
However, the real beneficiary will be the end-user, with very low energy bills
and increased thermal comfort".
When specified with cooling, the Zeroth Energy System can
recycle the waste cooling that occurs when the heat pumps transfer energy to
provide comfort cooling and vice versa. The excess heat from the cooling process
can be utilized to provide ‘free’ hot water. The lifecycle carbon losses of the
building can be drastically increased.
To see how Zeroth
Energy System can integrate with your development and to learn more
about the benefits, contact one
of the GDHV team to discuss your requirements or request a CPD to learn more
about ambient temperature networks.
