Some of the first homes in the UK designed to new building standards are putting less strain on the electricity grid than expected, a study has found.
All-electric properties in Handsworth, Birmingham are equipped with heat pumps, which use electricity to produce heat rather than oil or gas.
Researchers analyzed energy consumption data over one year from seven houses in a 12-house social housing development called Project 80.
The site's average peak electricity demand was “lower than we expected”, said Dr Monica Mateo-Garcia, research director at Birmingham City University's Center for Future Homes.
Project 80 homes, completed in 2022, meet the 2019 draft Future Homes Standard, which requires an 80% reduction in projected carbon emissions for new homes in England compared to 2013 building regulations.
The study was “an excellent piece of work”, said Richard Fitton, professor of energy efficiency at the University of Salford, who was not involved in the research. “We currently seem to be exaggerating how much energy we will need in new housing.”
Critics of heat pumps have expressed concern that the devices may cause excessive strain in the country's power grid. However, in this case, electrified homes used less energy during peak hours than expected, and the timing of peak use varied by property. This also reduces the strain on the mesh.
The annual total energy consumption for each property was 40% to 67% lower than the UK average, which the researchers said was a “huge saving compared to a typical household.”
the exact configurations of the seven dwellings variedalthough most had air source heat pumps for space heating and significant levels of insulation. All sites had solar panels installed on their roofs, but no battery storage systems.
An analysis of home carbon savings, not yet published, suggests there is still room for further improvements, Mateo-Garcia added.
Midway through the year, researchers realized that some residents were unnecessarily manually turning on their immersion heaters, apparently unaware that their heating systems were automatically providing hot water.
In one case, a family turned off the heat pump and instead used electric fan heaters in one room, which turned out to be much less efficient than heating the entire house with a heat pump, Mateo-Garcia said.
Overall, social housing residents expressed satisfaction with the quality of housing compared to their previous homes. “They were very, very happy to be in these houses,” Mateo-Garcia said. “They said, 'Oh, we didn't see any dampness or mold.'
An interim development report published in 2023, found that one family who had experienced a “recurring asthma problem” in the past had not experienced these symptoms since moving into one of the Project 80 homes.
The research supports the adoption of heat pumps, says Aaron Gillich, professor of building efficiency and policy at London South Bank University, who was not involved in the work. “We're finding that all those reasons not to use a heat pump are slowly but surely falling away,” he said.
In some of the homes analyzed by Mateo-García and colleagues, total electricity consumption for space heating and hot water was lower than expected, according to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) calculations. EPC ratings obviously poor when assessing the actual energy efficiency of real estate objects.
“This discovery highlights the need for realistic energy modeling for new homes,” said Tony Hopkin, head of construction, quality and innovation at Midland Heart, the housing association behind the project. He added that Midland Heart intends to explore energy storage options at the site, such as batteries. This could give residents more opportunities to take advantage of smart tariffs when electricity rates are lower at certain times of the day.
Midland Heart is in the process of planning the development of 95 homes that will follow the principles of Project 80.
The final version of the standard future home legislation has been published. not published yet. The rules will require all new homes in England to be equipped with solar panels and heat pumps from 2027.
Fitton said publishing a new standard for future homes was understandably a “big task”, although he called on the government to see it through. “Let’s get this standard out there,” he said.
