Are heat pumps really the answer?

All Government funded new-build school schemes must be net zero carbon in operation, but when it comes to refurbishment or retrofit the route to net zero carbon is less clear. There is of course the Strategic brief, the SS6 template that must be used on Department for Education projects, to set a route map to net zero carbon by 2050, but how to best achieve this? There is a clear direction in that gas boilers must be replaced by electric heat pumps, but the issues around embodied carbon and lifecycle carbon add complexity to this. The strategy of Fabric First with heat pumps, is not always going to be the right solution due to the upfront carbon and high capital / operation costs. At Cundall we have already started R&D that is helping steer us towards an optimum approach, which has some surprising answers - things are not always as clear cut as they seem!

Panel Discussion