Hull trial will explore heat pump benefits

UK: Ideal Heating has entered into heat pump trials with the local authority in its home city of Hull.

The Living with Heat Pumps project will explore the benefits of living in a home with an air-source heat pump compared to a traditional gas boiler.

Ideal Heating has worked with Hull City Council and regional net zero campaign, Oh Yes! Net Zero, to install four of its flagship Logic Air heat pumps in council homes in the city, as well as four new gas-powered combi boilers in neighbouring properties.

The project will track the thermal comfort for residents, as well as the cost, energy performance and efficiency of both the heat pumps and boilers.

It is hoped it will produce valuable information and experiences on the use of heat pumps in social housing.

Formerly known as Ideal Boilers, Ideal Heating was founded in Hull in 1906 and the city remains home to its manufacturing facilities and its UK headquarters.

“This project aims to demonstrate that the transition from boilers to heat pumps is a simple one and one which shouldn’t impact on the way we live and use our homes,” said Ideal’s heat pump technical sales manager John Jackson, who oversaw the install and commissioning element of the heat pumps project.

The trial is taking place in eight flats in Nornabell Street, east Hull. All of the properties are similar-sized flats which have the same level of energy efficiency and performance.

Over coming months, data will be collected from the homes’ air source heat pumps to measure their energy efficiency and compare this to the efficiency of combination gas boilers.

Residents will be directly involved in the project, sharing their experiences to better understand the day-to-day impact of transitioning to low carbon heating technologies.