News24.01.23by Ella JesselOne of the UK’s biggest house builders has announced that it will now fit heat pumps and underfloor heating in all new homes as standard.Picture: AlamySharelinesOne of the UK’s biggest house builders has announced that it will now fit heat pumps and underfloor heating in all new homes as standard #UKhousing Announcing its shift away from traditional gas boilers, Redrow said the move is an “industry first” and would help customers lower energy use and future-proof its homes.
The FTSE 250 firm said it will install green technology across its developments nationwide. The plans take it closer to meeting the government’s commitment to make all new build properties gas-free from 2025.
According to Redrow, its decision also follows increased demand for energy-efficient features from homebuyers in recent years. The builder is working in partnership with Mitsubishi, Vaillant and Daiken for installation, with each offering their own training centre and facilities for installers to ensure a smooth transition from gas boilers.
It follows a heat pump trial, where Mitsubishi tracked a customer’s experience of living with a heat pump over a year, monitoring usage to compare energy consumption for heating and hot water against a benchmark home with a traditional gas boiler.
The results showed that heat pumps consumed significantly less energy than gas boilers, operating at an efficiency of around two to three times that of an A-rated boiler. Matthew Pratt, chief executive of Redrow, said: “We are committed to further improving the energy efficiency of our homes while maintaining our reputation for best-in-class build quality and design. We will shortly go above and beyond regulatory requirements, future-proofing our homes and helping our customers lower their energy use.
“The move to air source heat pumps will ensure our future homes are ‘zero-carbon ready’ for when the grid is decarbonised and supports our goal of achieving science-based net zero emissions no later than 2050 across our operations, homes and supply chain.”
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