As social housing design and procurement professionals, you’re constantly seeking innovative solutions to improve tenant comfort, energy efficiency and overall building performance. Infrared heating technology has emerged as a potential game-changer – but are infrared heat panels right for your social housing development? Here are the key questions you need to ask:
1. What type of building is the property?
Infrared heating is often suitable for social housing properties because these are typically smaller homes. Whether the building is a terraced house or flat in a multi-tenant, high-rise block, the right control system will allow infrared panels to efficiently heat these smaller spaces. The technology also comes with the benefit of being quick and easy to install, meaning minimal disruption for tenants.
In the latest government report on social housing in England, the average bedroom standard (a number setting the appropriate number of rooms for a household) for new lettings was 1.5. That’s a figure which has remained constant for the past decade. Infrared heating is an ideal choice for these smaller-sized homes.
2. What is the available budget?
Finding a heating solution that can keep tenants warm and comfortable is essential, but balancing budgets with requirements is a long standing challenge. Unfortunately, it’s a trend that doesn’t appear to be changing. Figures show that housing providers are having to make budgets go further than ever before, with housing associations in England having reduced their planned spending on new affordable homes by 9% – or £1.5 billion – for 2024 when compared with the previous year. Fortunately, infrared heat panels are available at an affordable price.
In fact, when compared with options like heat pumps, Ambion heat panels can be purchased for a far lower price, with the upfront capital investment being as much as 50% less. What’s more, heat pumps are simply not a feasible option for many smaller property types – another advantage to this affordable technology.
3. What are the residents’ heating preferences?
When choosing a heating solution for your next social housing development, it will be important to consider which technology residents will find easy to use and whether it will allow them to monitor their energy usage.
Ease of use has been a primary concern when designing the Ambion system. That’s why all the controls are in one place, and tenants are clearly given all the energy data they need to keep track of – from energy consumption and cost, to target and actual room temperatures.
With Ambion’s system constantly collecting data, users can easily keep an eye on how much money they’re spending on heating. But because of the technology’s low running costs – typically 60% less than conventional electric heating systems – it’s much more efficient for residents to heat their homes, ensuring their properties stay cosy and comfortable at all times.
4. Is damp or mould an issue in a property?
Preventing damp and mould in a social housing property is no doubt one of your top priorities. High levels of condensation can lead to damp and mould forming. If left untreated, this can have a serious impact on the health of residents. From sneezing and coughing, to respiratory infections and worsening asthma and allergy conditions, those with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.
Ambion’s infrared heating can be a great choice for combating damp and mould. Because it heats the fabric of a home, rather than the air itself, it can be effective in tackling condensation and circulating dust. With growing concerns around damp and mould in the social housing sector, infrared heat panels could be an effective way to mitigate these air quality risks.
5. What are your energy efficiency goals?
The measures you’re taking to improve the energy efficiency performance of a property, and therefore reduce carbon emissions and minimise running costs for residents, is always a key concern.
Whether it’s a retrofit or new-build project, with the right control system infrared heat panels can play a pivotal role in meeting your energy efficiency goals. They efficiently warm living spaces, delivering affordable heating, while helping you cost-effectively decarbonise your social housing stock too. Ambion’s low carbon heat panels, for example, cut emissions by 60% when compared with conventional heating systems.
6. Is solar PV part of the plan?
It’s good news if you’re planning to incorporate solar PV as part of your next social housing development. You no doubt want properties that are built for the future, and – with the appropriate control technology – infrared heating partners perfectly with solar solutions.
For example, Ambion’s system uses unique software and algorithms to spread heat demand throughout the day, maximising the use of solar generation and providing constant thermal comfort. Its software minimises the overall electrical load by switching on heaters at different intervals.
This means that up to 29% of the solar energy generated is used by Ambion’s system, so residents can reduce the amount of electricity they need from the grid, and make significant energy cost savings. It all adds up to a reduction of up to 17% in operational costs for residents.
7. Have you considered maintenance requirements?
You presumably want your chosen heating solution to be low maintenance, so you can reduce the time, cost and effort required to keep your tenants’ systems up and running.
This is yet another area where Ambion’s infrared heating fares well. With no moving parts, there’s no hidden costs to worry about, and no requirement for regular maintenance. And because the technology requires no central boiler, external unit or water-based delivery system, heat panels can be installed by any qualified electrician. Put simply, it’s a win-win.
By asking each of these 7 questions, you can make sure infrared heating is the right choice for your social housing properties.
If you have any further questions and would like to speak to one of our experts, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
- UK Government, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, ‘Social housing lettings in England, tenants: April 2021 to March 2022’, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/social-housing-lettings-in-england-april-2021-to-march-2022/social-housing-lettings-in-england-tenants-april-2021-to-march-2022#what-types-of-property-are-people-getting
- Axxco, ‘How much does the UK government spend on social housing?’, https://www.axxco.co.uk/post/how-much-does-the-uk-government-spend-on-social-housing