Tendring District Council

Summary Highlights

Herschel Select heaters trialled in a 2 bed apartment with energy bills monitored over 14 months

• 3.75 kW total Herschel wattage compared to 12kW previous power requirement. Savings from Herschel consumption far outweigh benefits of Economy 7 tariff
• impressive saving on energy bill of 30%, a massive £250 saving p.a on the tenant’s energy bill for the apartment, compared with night storage heaters
• tenant loves feeling of heat, ease of control, increased room space now available
• Herschel being installed throughout all 32 rooms, plus all communal areas, in a Residential Home in Tendring

Background

A trial was undertaken in an apartment over a period of 14 months, incorporating 2 full winters, in order to review energy savings and comfort levels.

Site address: Dovercourt, Essex.  The tenant is Mrs Smith.

Property details: The location of the trial was a two bed apartment, in a block of 12, owned by the council and rented out to local residents mainly over the age of 55 years. The home was built in the early 1970’s.  A new roof was fitted circa 3 years ago, no other insulation improvements have been undertaken.

Why involve Herschel

Tendring Council was reviewing several replacement solutions including gas, air source heat pumps and other electrical heating options. DSA Electrical, one of the Council’s preferred council installers, suggested Herschel infrared heaters was involved given their experience from previous projects of using Herschel heaters over the last 2 years.

Herschel infrared heaters were selected by the Council over gas and heat pumps. It was decided that the cost of bringing the gas supply into the building was just far too prohibitive. Likewise, with heat pumps, the cost was double that of Herschel even before all of the ancillary pipework and fitting to each room was taken into account. The Legionnaire legislation and the associated requirements with heat pump water storage installations were another reason it was determined that heat pumps were not a viable option for this installation.

The Council decided to undertake the trial using Herschel infrared with DSA Electrical installing the heaters on their behalf.

Existing heating

The existing heating in the apartment consisted largely of 2kW night storage heaters with a total energy output of 12kW.

Herschel Solution

Herschel Select white panels were fitted. 6 Select White panels were ceiling mounted throughout the apartment, at a total wattage of 3.75kW.

The heaters were controlled by a programmable thermostat which Mrs Smith confirmed was generally set to 22⁰.

Energy Consumption and Financial Summary

The tenant has reviewed her energy bills with Herschel, DSA Electrical and the Council and the trial has shown an energy saving on her bill of 30%. This incorporates a reduced monthly charge plus a significant rebate.  A massive £250 saving p.a on the tenant’s energy bill for the apartment, compared with the previous bills for the night storage heaters.

Testimonial

The Council’s building surveyor confirmed that the council was open minded at the onset of the trials as to which type of heating solution would be their preferred option as a replacement for the older electric heating systems.   Options were Herschel, gas, heat pumps and other electric heating options such as advanced electric night storage heaters.  Mrs Smith’s opinion as tenant was also extremely important to them and that she liked the performance and comfort from Herschel.

“In terms of the purchasing price, an easy installation plus reduced energy costs Herschel won the contract hands down”. Richard Cuthbert, Building Surveyor, Tendring Council

Occupier Feedback

Mrs Smith, Tenant, who lives in the apartment used in the trial “loves our heating and she says it is very easy to control”. Another big positive for Mrs Smith was that with the old heaters gone she now has so much more space to put furniture.