Northern Ireland Housing Executive launches low-carbon heating pilot with air source heat pumps

insidehousing.co.uk

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) has started a pilot program in north Belfast that combines air source heat pumps with existing gas heating in 15 social homes. The homes first received full retrofits including better wall and roof insulation. The goal is to cut carbon emissions and reduce energy bills for tenants. NIHE is working with Phoenix Energy on the two-year monitoring phase. Results will shape future low-carbon housing initiatives. The pilot is part of a wider 14 million pound investment in NIHE's low-carbon program aimed at tackling fuel poverty through new heating technologies.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see a hybrid approach rather than going full heat pump. Gas backup might make sense for cold snaps in Northern Ireland but curious how the carbon savings stack up over the two year trial.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The retrofit before the heat pump install is key. If the envelope is tight the hybrid system can run mostly on the heat pump. Payback period will depend on how much gas they actually displace.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

15 homes is a small sample but the monitoring plan sounds solid. The real question is whether NIHE scales this beyond the pilot and how the 14 million gets allocated across technologies.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Scaling will depend on grid capacity in those neighborhoods. Heat pumps draw a lot of power and NI water heating adds load. Hope the pilot includes some demand side flexibility testing.