British Gas and Midland Heart work together to lower carbon emissions in Coventry homes

British Gas and housing association Midland Heart have partnered to deliver a decarbonisation pilot scheme in Coventry.

The pilot aims to showcase how social housing can be retrofitted with lower carbon energy, including air source heat pumps, complete with a Mixergy cylinder, intelligent Hive heating control, optimised solar panels, new radiators, and pipework.

The exact specification will be tailored to suit a variety of homes with the aim of bringing them all up to an EPC rating of D by 2025 and taking that a step further to C by 2030.

The pilot involving three homes is under way and sees PH Jones, British Gas’ social housing business, showcasing how homes can be retrofitted with insulation, low carbon heating and solar energy to not only make homes more energy efficient, but also lower carbon emissions by 40-60%.

The pilot project has been funded by Midland Heart, PH Jones the Renewable Heat Incentive, as well as contributions from manufacturers Mixergy, Adey, Stelrad and Daikin.

Joe Reeves, executive director of finance and growth, Midland Heart said: “We’re working hard to reduce the impact every aspect of our organisation has on the environment. Our aim is to make the most of our homes low carbon potential, in turn making our customers’ lives easier, cheaper and warmer.

“We’re delighted to be working with British Gas and PH Jones on this pilot in Coventry. It’s a great way for us to understand the potential our homes have and to get important feedback from our customers about the impact these new technologies have on their lives day-to-day.”

Matthew Bateman, managing director, British Gas services and solutions said: “This trial is about showing the difference we can make in helping reduce energy bills for customers, while also improving local air quality and making a significant contribution towards our net zero targets.

“We’re drawing on the specialist renewable energy skills, knowledge and resources across our business to make it happen, and to strengthen our position at the forefront of the UK’s transition towards cleaner, greener heating.”

Project planning, delivery and compliance is being overseen by PH Jones, part of British Gas. The work is being carried out by PH Jones engineers, who have been upskilled over the past year to deliver the project.

Each home is being specified with a suite of products from Daikin including an Altherma air source heat pump, Mixergy smart hot water cylinder, optimised solar PV system, along with a series of individually-sized low water volume radiators from Stelrad, complete with thermostatic valves. All linked together by the Hive demand response solution supporting the grid and enabling residents to maximise the benefit from their solar PV generation and interact with future smart tariffs.