Here we talk to Ben Conyers, New Build Sales Manager from Worcester Bosch. Worcester Bosch are pioneering manufacturers of energy efficient heating and hot water solutions, here we discuss mechanical engineering design solutions and the benefits of an Air Source Heat Pump in an Acorn home and how it can cut carbon emissions.
Can you tell us about the Worcester Bosch and Acorn Relationship?
Worcester Bosch and Acorn Property Group’s relationship has grown tremendously over the past few years, and we have both worked in conjunction to provide the best Direct Hot Water (DHW) and Heating solution to Acorn’s homes. Our Design Team and Acorn’s Project/Technical Team have been working collaboratively to provide the best and most innovative solutions, to allow Acorn to always make an informed decision when building their homes.
How long have Worcester Bosch and Acorn been working together, what products have been supplied?
Worcester Bosch and Acorn Property Group have been working together since 2015 and over those years we have supplied Gas Boilers. However, since 2022, particularly due to legislation and efforts from both sides to provide a renewable solution to DHW & Heating, we are now supplying Air Source Heat Pumps.
As part of our future commitment to gas-free developments, we have begun installing Heat Pumps, can you tell us how WB’s Air Source Heat Pumps work?
Our ASHPs are a source of renewable energy that heats and provides hot water to properties up to 400% efficiency to that of a Gas Boiler. Our Heat Pumps take energy from the outside and transfer it into heat to be circulated around a heating and hot water system. Our Heat Pumps use electricity to run its components, comprising principally of a fan, compressor and circulating pumps; all of which contribute to transferring the energy from the heat source into the heat sink or heating system.
What are the benefits of an Air Source Heat Pump in an Acorn Home? (e.g., Carbon reduction, talk about Acorns enhanced Fabric, air tightness SCOP in an Acorn Development)
Installing one of our ASHPs into a New Build home can save up to 3200kg of Carbon Emissions and a saving of up to £400 per annum. We anticipate that the financial savings will grow each year as the prices of gas will most likely continue to rise.
Acorn Property Group have acknowledged this change and have embraced our future technology, along with other considerations such as a “Fabric First” approach and spatial design. With these adaptations, Acorn Developments have a significant increase in air tightness, which will not only assist our ASHP in reaching its maximum SCOP rating, but further reducing the homeowner’s bills.
What is the saving in terms of emissions and financially of an ASHP? Against a Boiler in an old house.
By taking energy from the air outside and converting it into heat, which is then used for providing heating and hot water for your home, Heat Pumps are a low carbon, eco-friendly heating solution. However, Heat Pumps may not be suitable for all property types. When this is the case, Hybrid Heat Pumps can be an alternative green solution.
A Hybrid System combines a Combi or System boiler with an outdoor Heat Pump which then work together to heat your home and hot water. A key benefit of the Hybrid System is that they can be fitted with limited remedial works to the existing property’s fabric, piping, and radiators; allowing you to improve the fabric of your property over a longer period whilst delivering Carbon savings immediately.
As mentioned above, the saving of 3200kg of Carbon Emissions per annum is the equivalent of driving 1400 miles and with this reduction, it is the equivalent of planting 120 trees.
Where a gas boiler has been fitted, what does this mean for the owner in the future? In relation to FHS/Hydrogen in particular.
In the future, Gas Boilers may be required by the Government to run on Hydrogen. Our boilers are already fitted with the ability to run on a Hydrogen blend, so as the Government slowly greens the grid, they will continue to run as normal.
Looking towards the future, our boilers will be 100% Hydrogen-ready to take on more readily available Hydrogen fuel supplies, and in as little as an hour, your local installer can convert the boiler to operate for the rest of its lifetime on Hydrogen.
What is the predicted annual savings of a Worcester Bosch boiler compared to a standard non-condensing boiler and vs a standard electric heater?
The running costs of a Heat Pump will vary between house types. A well-insulated house built to new building regulation standards will generally be less expensive to run than a gas or oil-fired boiler system providing the heating system flow temperatures are kept relatively low, ideally around 40ºC.
A Heat Pump will be less efficient and more costly to run when generating higher temperatures, either because the house is not well insulated, the radiators are insufficiently sized for the lower temperatures, or when generating higher temperatures to produce hot water.
With electricity prices being significantly higher than gas, in most applications, an electric Heat Pump or Gas Boiler tend to be more cost effective to run than an electric boiler. For situations where it is not possible to install a gas appliance, an electric Heat Pump will use electricity more efficiently than a direct electric Boiler. Surprisingly, the Heat Pump will create more energy than it uses.
To find out more about Worcester Bosch visit their website.
To view our homes with an ASHP view our development page here.
