When Will Housing Be Zero Carbon?
We can expect embodied carbon to come into the limelight as we shift towards a more holistic understanding of sustainability.
From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will deliver homes that are “zero-carbon ready”. This means that homes built in 2025 and beyond, will not be built with fossil fuel heating.
The high levels of energy efficiency within the homes coupled with a low carbon consumption heating option will future-proof the homes from an eco-friendliness perspective, with no further retrofit work required as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise. Work on a full technical specification for the Future Homes Standard has been accelerated and the Future Homes Task Force will consult on this in 2023, to introduce the necessary legislation in 2024, ahead of implementation in 2025. A Part L interim uplift that takes effect in June 2022, will deliver high-quality homes that will be expected to produce 31% less carbon dioxide emissions compared to current standards. From 2025, new homes built to the Future Homes Standard will have carbon dioxide emissions at least 75% lower than those built to current Building Regulations standards.
To meet these new standards, many housebuilders are looking to utilise heat pumps as these will help achieve the 31% reduction for June substantially, but the move away from boilers will be necessary by 2025 as the legislation states.
Renewable heating products are a huge step in the right direction away from fossil fuels and form a big part of the solution to reducing GHG emissions, with approximately 20% of UK GHG emissions coming from heating our buildings and 14% of which comes from our domestic properties.
Heat Pumps
Air-source heat pumps (ASHP) sit externally to the property, absorbing heat from the air and transferring it into the property. With ASHP there are three distinct offerings — which one you choose will be dependent upon your property requirements.
Monobloc
A single outdoor unit, Monobloc heat pumps feature water pipework that connects to a water storage tank, however, it is important to note that the pipe cannot exceed 10m in distance. Monobloc heat pumps do not require an FGas qualification, so theoretically a plumber can install this heat pump, however, please ensure that they have at least completed the relevant manufacturers’ basic product training course — many of which can be found on the Heat Pump Association website. With up to a 55C water temperature for space heating, these pumps are ideal for new builds that benefit from better levels of insulation and where the outdoor unit can be fitted close to the property.
Split Heat Pump (Low Temp)
A split heat pump is an outdoor unit that is connected via refrigerant pipework to an indoor unit and water storage tank. Up to 30m in installation distance can be achieved along with up to 55C water temp for space heating. An FGas qualified engineer is required to install this heat pump due to the refrigerant aspects of the project. Again, this is a great option for new builds where locating the outdoor unit can be difficult, so the additional pipe length capabilities can be utilised.
Split Heat Pump (High Temp)
Essentially this pump is the same as the previous split heat pump, simply with a much higher heat output. A high temp split heat pump achieves up to 70C water temperature, and still uses a refrigerant pipe, which requires an FGas certified engineer to install. Again, just like the low-temp version, this type of heat pump allows for installations that cannot be close to the home — but the higher leaving water temperature makes them ideal for the retrofit market.
Refrigerant
The key innovation that is being seen across the heat pump industry at the moment, is the movement towards low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants. Part of the EU FGas Regulations meant that a phase-down of high GWP refrigerants is required to meet the reduction targets set in place that lead up to the year 2030. As an industry, we have moved away from R410a towards low GWP refrigerants such as R32. R32 is more environmentally friendly than R410a, but it’s also more efficient to use, and where in some cases it would be possible to ‘drop in’ the new refrigerant, Daikin has carried out a complete redesign of their Altherma range to better maximise the potential of the new refrigerant whilst also improving the aesthetics of the heat pumps.
Carbon
Renewable heating products are a huge step in the right direction away from fossil fuels and form a big part of the solution to reducing GHG emissions, with approximately 20% of UK GHG emissions coming from heating our buildings and 14% of which comes from our domestic properties.
As an industry, we need to work extremely hard over the coming years to ensure we meet demand, while also operating responsibly. Manufacturers will need to ensure they have a comprehensive net-zero plan in place for their business model, whilst also working to gather the relevant and complex data that is needed to present information on the embodied carbon of the products that we are offering into the market. Although the upcoming Part L Building Regulations primarily focus on carbon emissions — we can be sure to expect embodied carbon to come into the limelight as we see a shift towards a more holistic understanding of the principles of sustainability.
