In a new guide from renowned heating and hot water solutions provider - Baxi, social housing providers are being advised to start planning a phased approach to heat decarbonization across their building stock.
Decarbonization and Affordability of Heat, a phased approach is a free downloadable guide to provide social housing providers with a framework for achieving net zero, particularly in harder-to-decarbonize social homes.
Addressing the challenges
With many residents struggling with fuel bills, social housing providers face the dual challenge of solving fuel poverty while achieving their environmental targets.
Baxi’s guide recognizes that only a comprehensive mix of technologies, implemented at scale within suitably prepared housing stock, will be able to face up to the net-zero challenge while maintaining maximum comfort and minimum disruption for residents.
four-phase approach
Housing providers are being urged to consider accessories that will improve the energy rating
The four-phase approach encourages social housing providers to take a fabric-first approach within harder-to-heat homes to ensure that the buildings are as efficient as possible and suitable for the low-temperature heating prescribed by Part L of Building Regulations.
As a next step, housing providers are being urged to consider accessories that will improve the energy rating of existing systems, before planning larger-scale investments such as air source heat pumps and heat networks or longer-term solutions such as hydrogen boilers.
Steps to improve efficiency
David Cook, Sales and Specification Director, Residential said, “Feedback from our customers indicates that several constraints can make certain social homes hard to decarbonize. In buildings like these, full decarbonization could take some time to achieve."
He adds, "With that in mind, we’ve set out to support housing providers with a guide to the typical steps involved in decarbonizing heat to help our customers plot their pathway to improved energy efficiency and net zero."
Sustainable heating solutions
David Cook continues, "Our goal is to provide social housing providers with the right heating solution at the right time to improve the comfort of residents while making significant carbon savings."
He adds, “With Baxi’s expertise and support, social housing providers can prepare better by being well informed. This guide is the starting point of the net-zero journey and, by partnering with Baxi, social housing providers can be assured of a smooth transition to energy-efficient, low-carbon heat that will tick all the sustainability boxes.”
