Ambion Heating’s low carbon heating panels installed at Alabury House.
Officials from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero visited a social housing development using a revolutionary low-carbon panel heating system that has seen electric heating bills cut by three quarters.
Housing association Yorkshire Housing commissioned Ambion Heating’s system last year to replace normal electric panels heaters in two mid-rise blocks of 30 flats at Alabury House in York as part of a pilot project.
Ambion’s low-carbon system uses infrared heating panels and a revolutionary dynamic pulsing smart control system which together reduce heating costs and maintain a consistent temperature in homes by heating the walls and not the air.
Approximately, a third of all housing and half of the UK’s social housing may not be suitable for heat pumps as they are flats and terraced housing, meaning they could lose out on low-carbon and cheaper heating.
The Yorkshire Housing pilot tested the system over 4 months from January to April this year and found that the electricity energy usage saving compared to the old electric panels was 73.8%.
It also discovered the average monthly electric heating bill for a two-bed flat was just £45.78.
Yorkshire Housing are so pleased with the results and feedback from tenants they’re rolling out the infrared heating systems at other properties.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero officials visited Alabury House, visited flats with the new system, spoke to the residents to get their feedback and met Ambion Heating’s CEO Oliver Baker and the sustainability team from Yorkshire Housing.
Ambion has over 1,500 low-carbon heating systems in the field, including successful pilots with housing associations and councils like Fife Council, Slough Borough Council, Halton Homes, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association, Linc Cymru Social Housing and Yorkshire Housing.
The system is also being trialled by Bellway Homes at the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0 and the results will be published in the next few weeks.
Ambion Heating CEO Oliver Baker said “It was a great pleasure to welcome officials from DESNZ to see our low-carbon heating systems in the field. Our mission is to help decarbonise social housing and help ensure everyone benefit from the transition to low carbon and lower cost heating.
“Our IP-owned infrared heating panels and smart control system maintain a consistent temperature and replaced existing electric radiators in 30 flats. Since installation in January, tenants have seen significant savings in their electric heating costs.”
Eddie Figura, a tenant at the Yorkshire Housing pilot at Alabury House said of her new Ambion heating system: “I’d recommend it definitely. I do feel the difference and the temperature is quite comfortable. I love it.”
Yorkshire Housing aims to get all its housing stock up to an EPC Band C by 2030 and hopes to be net zero by 2050.