S u p p o r t i n g r o l e

LABM speaks to Simon Tarr, National Projects Director at Worcester Bosch, about how the organisation wor ks with social housing providers, the solutions it offers, decarbonisation and the future of heating.

How do Worcester Bosch contribute to social housing development?

Worcester Bosch has a dedicated, national social housing specification team that only serve this sector We deal extensively with housing associations, local authorities, national and regional contractors; working closely with preferred distributors to deliver an array of product and services, tailored to this segment

We know that tenants’ comfort is of utmost importance, with our long-term partnership, support, care and Which? Best Buy endorsed boilers, we can provide long-term peace of mind for all kinds of housing stock with both quality and reliability

We support the entire process, from specifying the right product all the way through to after sales We appreciate the need for pragmatic, short-term solutions and for long-term planning in an environment where decarbonisation goals are shaping how heating will be fuelled in the future

What do Bosch offer to social housing associations?

We can support and even indemnify detailed design, including heat loss calculations to identify and diagnose where inefficiencies are in a dwelling, supply of goods and services, extensive training to maintain the highest of standards for the development of social housing, remote monitoring and of course ongoing maintenance of equipment installed We offer comprehensive services throughout the various stages of social housing development from ensuring the

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right skillsets are on the job to ensuring it remains to the highest standard In terms of our full specification process, we have a highly experienced bids and tender team, tailoring solutions to respective requests

What is Bosch’s position within the social housing market?

The Worcester Bosch brand is built on strong values and a history of quality over profitability, which has been at the core of what we do since the company began 60 years ago

For us, this means at the core of our activities we need to not only be economically viable but also have a positive impact on society, and respect and preserve the environment This is demonstrated by the brand’s innovations into greener technology such as electrical heat pumps as well as the developments into hybrid and hydrogen fuelled boilers

The road to net zero is something that is very close to the brand and is one of our main motivating factors when it comes to future innovations

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do We strive to protect our planet for future generations, in the products we manufacture, the way we package and distribute them, and through the processes we use at our manufacturing plants

By acting in an economically, environmentally and socially responsible manner, we want to improve people’s quality of life and safeguard the livelihoods of present and future generations This is backed up by our purpose ‘Warming Lives and Protecting our Future’ which runs through our entire business

What is the aftersales care protocol for Bosch?

We directly employ around 365 x service engineers, offering genuine, nationwide coverage and immediate access to spare parts Furthermore, via our dedicated contact centre and technical support teams we ’ re often able to effectively diagnose over the phone, for professionals and tenants alike

Our aftersales care is one of the most important pillars at Worcester Bosch and is an integral part of our training programme We strive to set the benchmark for all our aftersales activity and continually invest in this area of our business Being able to efficiently and expertly identify and resolve any potential issues that may arise is one of the keys to providing the best customer service we can

What does the future look like within social housing from Bosch’s perspective?

The future in this space is highly interesting but not without challenge As such we deliver multiple ‘Future of Heat’ events where we invite decision makers to share our insights as to the UK’s anticipated technology transition and of course our investment in necessary innovation, specifically around decarbonisation

It’s highly likely that, as with the newbuild market, there will be significant pressure on local authorities to decarbonise their estates at a quicker rate than a private homeowner for example, and this needs careful consideration and in most cases a ‘fabric first approach’ as a leading supplier of HVAC we are technology agnostic and only interested in delivering an optimised solution to a property or building

There is much emphasis on air source heat pumps currently; like many in industry we await a decision by the UK Government on mandating hydrogen-ready boilers, and heat networks are also expected to increase, to name just a few As recently as December 2022, there was a new BEIS consultation report published that is open to public review until March 21st 2023 There are quite a few proposals in there so it is certainly of interest to both those within the industry and the wider public to review it

Worcester Bosch led the way in developing a 100% Hydrogen firing appliance working very closely with UK Government; we have an extensive heat pump and Heat Interface Unit offering and also manufacture commercial and industrial equipment that can be installed in main energy centres for district heating schemes, many of which will provide heat and hot water to social housing tenants

Our goal is to educate the marketplace by sharing the benefit of our experience; make detailed training available to organisations and installers alike, and continue to invest in new products and services

Aston university is to set up the first integrated centre to explore low carbon hydrogen production from biomass conversion The new research centre will be developed at Aston university with the help of a £300,000 grant from the Wolfson foundation, which will enable the university to acquire state-ofthe-art equipment including for gasification, membrane separation and fuel cells Having these technologies integrated within the new centre will place Aston university at the forefront of hydrogen production and utilisation based on biomass conversion and will strengthen its global research reputation in these areas The new equipment will be installed at the university’s campus-based energy and Bioproducts research Institute (eBrI), which carries out world-leading research into new and innovative ways of converting biomass into sources of sustainable energy, using thermochemical, biological and catalytic processes n More information is available here www.rdr.link/lah020

New Tyneham Heat Pump brochure

Hamworthy Heating has released a new Tyneham Heat Pump brochure highlighting its latest monobloc air source heat pump offering The new range is said to be one of the lightest commercial heat pumps on the market It features seven models with six nominal outputs of between 14 to 70kW and a coefficient (COP) rating of up to 4 85 to provide efficient, low carbon heating Tyneham heat pumps use r32 refrigerant to deliver increased efficiencies with a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) Distinct icons in the 32-page brochure highlight each model's erP rating, coefficient of performance (COP), weights and dimensions, whilst easy-toread detailed technical information is displayed in chart format To highlight the efficiencies of heat pumps, the brochure also features a dedicated section on the COP and explains how to calculate the ratio of heat produced, relative to each unit of electricity consumed in heat pumps n The Tyneham Heat Pump brochure can be downloaded here www rdr link/lah021

Apartment living made simple with HIUs

Consort Claudgen includes Wi-Fi enabled heaters in LST range

Consort Claudgen’s low surface temperature heaters range now includes heaters that are Wi-fi enabled These heaters connect directly to Wi-fi and heating can be controlled from the digital control panel on the heater or Consort Connect app features include a 7-day timer with 24 heating periods per day, lock function, open window detection and custom automations users can also view the energy consumption statistics of all connected heaters Additionally, LST heaters with Wi-fi and occupancy sensor have a self-learning control ability, which uses in-built occupancy sensors to detect and learn a user ’ s weekly presence in a room It then creates a heating schedule and automatically warms the room according to the detected or predicted occupancy When the room is unoccupied, the heater will conserve energy by switching to a setback temperature or frost protection mode BIM objects are available for download from Consort’s website

Modutherm supplied its MTA heat interface units to the Linen Quarter development in Dunfermline, fife, providing highly efficient heating and domestic hot water to 112 two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as a single commercial unit The new apartment block has been connected to Dunfermline’s District Heating System, which supplies heat from a central source generated at the Dunfermline recycling Centre Modutherm’s ultra-compact MTA HIu was the ideal partner to the district heating system, offering excellent heating and DHW loads All internal components of the MTA HIu are easily accessed from the front of the unit with minimal tools They are also mounted on a unique HydraBlok composite backplate, which reduces mechanical water connections and the potential for internal leaks The MTA HIu is available in four models: indirect heating and DHW (twin plate), heating only, DHW only, and direct heating and DHW n More information on the MTA heat interface units here www rdr link/lah022

Southern Housing selects Switch2 as Brighton heat network ESCo partner Switch2 Energy has entered into an ESCo partnership with Southern Housing to manage all aspects of heat network operation at the housing association's new Home X residential community in Brighton The heat network supplies Southern Housing's Home X residential development of 369 affordable rent, shared ownership, and open market homes Switch2 will be responsible for operating, optimising, and maintaining the entire community heat scheme to maximise efficiency, cost, and carbon performance Using its Internet of Things (IoT) Optimise technology, the company will enhance long-term operational performance by utilising real-time data to deliver continuous improvement and preventative maintenance

Switch2 will also provide customer service support for residents, together with smart metering, pay-as-you-go and credit billing The company has supported the project team throughout by providing advice and technical expertise, including reviewing original design proposals in line with the CIBSE CP1 Heat Networks Code of Practice resulting in significant efficiency improvements, lower heat losses and reduced carbon emissions n More information on Switch2 Energy and its services here www.rdr.link/lah024