Vaillant UK has agreed to become a partner in the Zero Carbon Solution, a consortium of manufacturers who together offer a complete domestic heating package for low and zero carbon new build homes.
The Zero Carbon Solution combines three core technologies to allow homes to remain self sufficient for heating and hot water all year round. An array of Photovoltaic-Thermal solar panels collect both thermal and electrical energy; an inter-seasonal heat store, called the Earth Energy Bank, retains thermal energy collected in summer for use during winter; and a ground source heat pump is used to extract heat from the ground and deliver it for space heating and domestic hot water.
Offering energy performance in new buildings that is impossible to achieve by other means, the Zero Carbon Solution brings these renewable technologies together into one effective and affordable package. Launched by Caplin Homes, the company behind the innovative Earth Energy Bank, the Zero Carbon Solution brings together renewable technology providers, architects and building consultants.
Central to the technology is Caplin Homes’ patented Earth Energy Bank, which stores the excess heat generated during the summer months in the earth underneath the house. Unlike traditional ground source systems, the Earth Energy Bank doesn’t require any long trenches or deep boreholes. It is easier and cheaper to install than either and, for the first time, enables the more efficient ground source heat pumps to be installed in dense housing developments.
Sales director – commercial and renewable systems at Vaillant, John Bailey, said: “Offering our ground source heat pumps as part of the Zero Carbon Solution will open up new markets for us. The system is designed for new build properties where space may be scarce, so it makes ground source heat pumps a much more viable option.”
Last year the geoTHERM was installed at De Montfort University as part of a research partnership with the Zero Carbon Solution.
Michael Goddard, director of Caplin Homes, said: “We’re starting to see demand for the system on a larger scale, so it’s great to have Vaillant on board. This combination of technologies really is unrivalled, so we’re expecting to see interest grow even further in the next 12 months.”
The Zero Carbon Solution is aimed at commercial and self builders looking to incorporate renewable technologies within their projects. First installed in the Solar House in 2013, the system has since been included in homes of all sizes.