Daikin Altherma hybrid heat pumps, Copeland and South Tyneside (CP747)

This project was delivered by housing association Home Group, who installed 24 Daikin hybrid heat pumps in properties that were also being connected to the mains gas network. It had the following aims:

• To establish the running costs of the 5kWh Daikin Altherma hybrid heat pump compared to the previous electric heating systems (6kWh storage 2kWh on peak).
• To examine the impact of installing the Daikin Altherma hybrid heat pump on residents’ comfort and satisfaction levels.
• To help inform Home Group and other interested parties as to whether hybrid heating systems are a viable alternative to electric storage heaters

The project

This project involved installing Daikin Altherma hybrid heat pumps in 24 properties between January and February 2016. It also required connection to the gas grid which was funded separately via the Fuel Poor Network Extension Scheme (FPNES) through Northern Gas Networks, which incentivises the regulated gas network companies to connect low-income households and communities to the mains gas network.

The heat pumps were installed in properties in Gosforth in Copeland; and South Shields in South Tyneside. The properties in Gosforth were within a carbon saving communities (CSCO)-eligible rural area. Those located in South Shields were within a Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) ranked within the top 10% most deprived areas in England. Of these, 8 were initially selected for monitoring purposes. This was later reduced to 7 properties when one of the residents moved home, however their responses were still included in the social evaluation.

The majority of monitored properties had electric storage heaters prior to the installation, and all properties had energy efficiency (EPC) ratings of D or E. All residents were aged over 60 and most were retired. Based on the self-reported costs, the residents in the study were paying on average £860 per annum for their electricity. There was however significant variation in how much residents were paying, one resident paid £1081 per annum whilst another paid £ 517 per annum.