In simplified terms, developers, businesses and building owners will be required to reduce their Greenhouse Gas Emissions by phasing out energy systems that use fossil fuels and replacing them with low carbon/ renewable alternatives.
For the housebuilding sector, evolving to building standards and the 2024 cut-off date for the installation of gas in new-build homes have placed a renewed emphasis on fabric design and the use of suitable technologies.
One area is in the application of Renewable services and the use of district heating networks, a heating technology that has been identified as a key area of development by the Scottish Government, which is supported by a Heat Networks Delivery Plan (implemented across Scotland from 2024) in support of new build construction and the retrofit of existing buildings.
As a market-leading Building Services provider in Scotland, Arc-Tech has considered the above factors and in partnership with Hawthorne Boyle (M&E Design Consultants), we have designed and researched various renewable technologies and distribution methods to support the net zero carbon agenda.
Our focus has been to combine gas-free, low carbon heating solutions with renewable technologies through the use of:
District Heating and Air Source Heat Pumps
Arc-Tech has supported the delivery of over 600 net zero ready homes across the breadth of the country, which have adopted CASHP as a source of heating and hot water. These have included the pioneering Western Villages, a 444-home scheme in Granton, alonside a second development in the area – Granton D1 – comprising 75 homes, and the 88-home Clydebank East.
Each district heating system is fed from a central energy centre which consists of an external compound containing the ASHP’s and a stand-alone plant building containing buffer vessels, pumps, WSHP’s, control panels and electrical switchboards.
Once the heating network leaves the energy centre, it distributes identically to a conventional district heating network. The flatted block(s) are fed by an underground pipe network that enters each block and rises up through the communal areas to serve individual Heat Interface Unit’s (HIU) within each property, providing space heating and hot water to each dwelling. Occupants control temperatures via a standard control system and billing is undertaken via an ESCO (Energy Services Company).
Contact us today for more information.
