Eco-heating spend to slash energy bills

VILLAGERS IN Kingsclere are to benefit from a new greener heating system that could slash fuel bills by up to £500 each a year, thanks to Sentinel Housing Association.

We teamed up with decentralised energy specialist E.ON Sustainable Energy to replace outdated storage heating systems in six bungalows with air-source heat pumps.

Air-source heat pumps work by using electricity to extract heat from outdoor air, then concentrating it, before transferring it into water, to pump heat and hot water into the homes. Not only does this reduce energy costs for the residents, but the pumps also cut carbon emissions by 30-50% compared to traditional heating systems.

This is the first retrofit environmentally friendly technology installation in the borough, and is part of a major investment drive in greener technology by Sentinel, as Chief Executive Martin Nurse explains.

"We've been working to address climate change issues for several years, so we can reduce carbon emissions in our residents' homes.

"With Ofgem predicting that energy costs could rise by up to 60% in the next seven years," he says, "we've increased our spending on heating and insulation in existing homes to help lift more of our customers out of fuel poverty.

"This is a pilot project to see how the heat pumps perform, and if the trials are a success, we're aiming to install roll out to our other rural homes currently using less efficient storage heaters as soon as we can."

Each pump costs £6,800, but Sentinel has secured a government grant for half the investment. It's expected the pumps will last at least 15 years.

Richard Scott, Head of Market Development for Sustainable Energy at E.ON said: "We're committed to changing the way people view and use energy in the UK. We're working with Sentinel Housing Association to provide people with lower carbon and more affordable heating.

"Air source heat pumps are just one of a number of technologies E.ON is installing across the UK and is an example of how, through technological advancement the CO2 emissions from home heating could be reduced - delivering clear benefits for the environment and cost savings for customers. Through projects like this, we're also helping the Government meet its Great British Refurb plans for all UK homes to have near-zero carbon emissions by 2050."

The Department of Energy and Climate Change funded half the costs, under the Low Carbon Building Programme fund known as LCBP2E.