heating

Leading trade retailer ElectricalDirect has added the innovative Radbot 1 Intelligent Thermostatic Radiator Valve (TRV) from Secure to its expanding range of heating solutions. This new type of heating control has been designed to optimise energy usage which is an ideal solution for those looking to reduce their energy bills in the cost of living crisis.

The easy-to-fit device, now available at ElectricalDirect, can be installed within minutes on any radiator that has an existing thermostatic radiator valve. It is compatible with wet central heating systems, including gas, oil boilers and heat pumps, and works with all standard heating controls and smart thermostats.

The challenges and opportunities of improving heat network performance to support residents will be explored at a free conference in central Manchester on Thursday 8th June 2023.

Hosted by heat network specialist Switch2 Energy, the event will explore solutions to three major challenges facing the industry. These are how to reduce operating costs and residents’ energy bills; how to reduce carbon emissions, and how to comply with tougher new regulation.

The rise and rise of the heat pump is seeing the need for larger and higher capacity radiators. Stelrad has responded to these needs by broadening its already massive range of sizes and shapes for its most popular radiators and the introduction of a wider range of vertical radiators. It is also meeting the enhanced need for its K3 radiators – with three panels and three fins offering 50% more heating capacity from a radiator with the same footprint as a K2 format radiator for example. 

There are 282,000 people currently classed as homeless in the UK, according to the national charity for homeless people, Crisis1. To help tackle this, award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group set out a mission to donate 200 purpose-built modular homes that would provide people experiencing periods of homelessness with fully equipped, safe and secure single dwellings to live in before finding a permanent home.

Having cultivated a collaborative working relationship with Hill for several years, Vaillant specified and installed six of its aroTHERM air source heat pump units to Hill’s SoloHaus development in South Tottenham, London to help with the heating and hot water needs.

The majority of Britain’s tower blocks have originally been designed to provide affordable and safe housing to a large number of residents. With great views and surrounding public open spaces, many of them were created to replace damaged or unsanitary pre-war dwellings, with the aim of modernising our cities and improving the living conditions of many.

However, despite the designers original intentions, tower blocks are now notorious for high energy bills. This is due to the fact that most of these high-rise, multi-occupancy buildings use electric storage heaters that are expensive to run and don’t provide adequate temperature control. This challenge is especially serious in the case of social housing blocks, where residents are particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is a serious issue across the UK, especially for families living in old, energy inefficient housing. As the temperatures drop and the cost of energy rises, tackling this issue is high on the agenda – and housing associations, among others, are addressing it as a top priority. To reduce costs, an increase in energy efficiency is a must, and action needs to be taken as soon as possible to lift households out of fuel poverty.

Alongside fuel poverty, achieving net-zero is another key national issue. For housing associations that we at Mitsubishi Electric are working with, these heating options are not mutually exclusive. Not only does an implementation of energy-efficient measures reduce operating costs, it also slashes the carbon impact of providing power to tenants.