Hereford Housing

Like many providers of public sector housing, Herefordshire Housing Ltd, a ‘not for profit’ housing company, is responding to the new building regulations which call for an increase in the basic SAP rating of the UK’s housing stock. It is true that, like some housing providers, it’s due to refurbish many of its properties anyway, including the heating system, but the building regulations enable it to do so in a way that further fulfils its commitment to provide low cost housing over and beyond the weekly rent.

The amount that is wasted on heating in the UK every year has been well publicised recently. While the public may not be aware that almost a third of the UK’s total CO2 emissions come from domestic heating systems, the monetary value of that loss is not so easy to ignore. According to The Energy Savings Trust for example, this year an estimated £1 billion will be lost through poorly insulated houses and inefficient heating systems. For Hereford Housing Ltd, supporting its tenants in getting a better deal on the cost of heating has influenced the specifications that have been made for up to 700 new heating systems to be installed over the next five years.

The heating systems, which will include either the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30HE Combi boiler or 28HE System boilers, will largely replace existing cast iron back boilers originally fitted in the 70’s and 80’s. When back boilers were fitted, prior to the development of wall-hung boilers, they were considered discreet because they made use of dead space by siting the boiler behind the gas fire in the fireplace. But, when compared to a condensing boiler, they are considered inefficient.

Matt McGann, Worcester Bosch technical specification manager says: “There is currently no condensing back boiler on the market and unlikely to be because the flue opens straight up the chimney, risking damp and structural damage should the chimney not be lined with an appropriate liner. But today’s wall hung boilers are as compact as they are energy efficient, fitting neatly into spaces – under stairs, cupboards or above kitchen worktops – where the tenant can have easy access to the controls.”

Optimising fuel efficiency

To achieve the level of energy efficiency that will be reflected in a reduction of its tenant’s heating bills Hereford Housing Ltd recognise that a good boiler is not enough. It must be suited to the system design, as well as adaptable to the specification and installed alongside the required minimum level of boiler controls including thermostatic radiator valves, room thermostats and programmers; not forgetting other basic energy efficiency measures such as double-glazing, loft and cavity wall insulation and energy efficient light bulbs.

Wayne Evans, a gas safety inspector and specifier at Hereford Housing Ltd, explains more: “To achieve the right level of specification, the boiler, without affecting the hot water delivery, automatically modulates to suit the correct size of central heating system, thus ensuring the heating hits the target differential of 20 degrees centigrade differential between flow and return more frequently. This is the rate which virtually all condensing boilers aim to achieve so as to obtain lower return water temperatures, which means the fuel efficiency of the boiler is optimised and the costs to the householder reduced.”

Reduced heating bills

It is the policy of Hereford Housing Ltd to write to each tenant to see if they are happy with the refurbishment of their property and, in particular, the installation and handover of their new heating system. So far the feedback has been very positive with some tenants reporting a weekly reduction in their heating bill of almost 60 per cent.

Indeed, the handover of a new system can be the difference between a home occupier experiencing the comfort and financial benefits of better-regulated heating and not. To assist, Worcester Bosch has always made it its policy to assist its local authority and housing association partners to comply with point d of building regulation L1, which states: ‘sufficient information should be made available so that occupiers can operate and maintain the services in such a manner as to use no more energy than is reasonable in the circumstances’.

Worcester Bosch has found the best way to do this is with a one-page laminate with very simple instructions. Often, this information sheet has been developed by working closely with the contractor and the tenant liaison staff to ensure that the precise needs of the tenant demographic is met.

Partnerships help increase power provider subsidies

It has always been the policy of Worcester Bosch to provide the necessary support and expertise to enable local authorities and housing associations to fulfil their obligations to meet the energy efficiency measures of the new building regulations. Not just through the provision of its state of the art condensing boilers, but also by advising which combination of products can help them raise the number of standard assessment programme (SAP) points that could be claimed for each property. SAP points – the ‘miles to the gallon running cost of a house’ – form the basis for assessing power provider subsidies.

For example, had Hereford Housing Ltd opted to fit SEDBUK D band boilers, in the months prior to the introduction of the new building regulations, they would have had to super insulate the houses at an additional cost to be eligible for the same power provider subsidies (10 SAP points) as they will be entitled to by fitting SEDBUK A band boilers.

Condensing boiler myths

1. They aren’t much more efficient
   INCORRECT… typically 12%, a big margin.
2. They must condense to benefit
   INCORRECT…they are always more efficient.
3. They need larger radiators
   INCORRECT… standard radiators will already be oversized for all but the severest weather (design conditions). Deliberate oversizing is uneconomic. Also the boiler can be down-rated to the size of the heating system.
4. They are less reliable
   INCORRECT… most faults are unrelated to condensing features (20 yrs experience)
5. They are harder to maintain
   INCORRECT… although condensate drain must be kept clear
6. Their plume is a nuisance
   ONLY… if not installed sensibly

Condensing boiler fact

SEDBUK rated A condensing boiler’s like Worcester Bosch’s Greenstar HE convert up to 97% of gas consumed into heat, which passes on a savings benefit of a 15-20 per cent reduction in heating and hot water bills.