Zero direct emissions heat in new build affordable homes: Kincardine O’Neil
Osprey Housing (OH) operates across Aberdeenshire, Moray and Aberdeen City. They have c. 40 staff and have been active for over 20 years. OH acquires its housing stock via purchasing Section 75 portions of larger developments. They have worked with Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) since 2016, and these are now their preferred heating option for new developments, as they no longer accept properties off the gas grid with oil boilers. Hence OH requested that the developer install ASHPs at the Kincardine O'Neill housing development.
Heating system installation
The affordable homes at Kincardine O'Neill were purchased from the developer with funding support from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The cost for the design, supply and install of the whole heating systems were ~£8,000 for the 2-bed and ~£9,000 for the 3-bed units. OH had limited input on the specification of the heating system (and its controls) and the commission process. However, no snagging issues occurred.
Handover process
OH noted that for Section 75 projects, different contractors engage with OH and tenants to varying degrees. In this case, the developer provided an information pack to explain the heating systems to tenants. The heating contractor also demonstrated the heating system to OH staff, who then provided this demonstration to the tenants on move-in day. OH encouraged tenants to avoid the main heat pump programmer, but to set the programmable room thermostat to suit their lifestyle (by adjusting the temperature profile for occupied, empty and night-time periods).
Tenant impacts
After tenants moved in, three requested follow-up visits from OH to help them build confidence in their heating systems. The main concerns were that adapting the thermostat program from the original settings to better suit their lifestyle might increase the heat pump’s running costs. Further tenants wanted reassurance that their heating would not be expensive to run, compared to the gas bills they were used to. To date, no tenants have raised complaints regarding their heat supply or their heating bills. Through conversations with tenants, OH is confident that satisfaction with heating systems is high.
Technical performance
The maintenance schedule consists of annual services by an external contractor, and the first of these was free as it was conducted during the defects period. There have been no unplanned maintenance requirements at MacKenzie Avenue. HHP has found that it is important not to undersize heat pump capacity, as larger units will tick over and last longer than smaller ones always operating at maximum capacity. Some of the ASHPs have 4G connections which allow HHP to see the output temperatures and status remotely. This has been very useful for ensuring performance and is expected to support future troubleshooting.
Lessons learned
Where the private sector builds affordable housing as part of a broader planning requirement, affordable housing providers will not always have the same level of control over detailed design and specification. However, OH experienced no problems in this respect.
A handful of tenants were initially nervous about the cost impact of their ASHPs and required additional support and reassurance. In future developments, OH is considering offering more online documentation, including how-to videos, to help build tenant confidence.
There have been no technical performance issues, and both OH and its tenants are satisfied with the ASHPs.
Produced by Locogen Ltd and Osprey Housing as part of the Evaluation of Heat in Affordable Housing (Phase 2) for the Scottish Government. July 2022
Source: The Scottish Government