Heating controls for 'lifetime homes'

Drayton Controls addresses the issue of "Lifetime Homes", what it means and how heating controls can help.

GROWING PAINS - A LOOK AT LIFETIME HOMES.

The UK Population is growing.

One in five people in the UK are under the age of 16 and one in six are aged 65 or over[1], yet UK properties are not built to deal with the changing needs and wants of the population.

Here Sean Collins-Powell, heating segment director at Drayton Controls, addresses the issue of "Lifetime Homes", what it means and how heating controls can help.

The concept of the "Lifetime Homes" is highlighted within a number of high profile industry documents, including the Code for Sustainable Homes and more recently a paper entitled the 'Future of the Code for Sustainable Homes' released by Communities and Local Government (CLG).

The Code for Sustainable Homes provides the housebuilding industry with a framework to go beyond the current building regulations.

Relating specifically to the issue of energy efficiency, properties will be rated on percentage improvements above and beyond the building regulations so that big advances are more visible.

The "Lifetime Home" concept is a theme threaded within the code to target the significantly ageing population and the changing needs of UK homeowners.

Offering projections for the next 30 years, the Future of the Code highlights that the population of people aged 65 years and above is expected to rise by 70%.

UK properties and new build homes do not however currently account for theses changes and are not adaptable to the changing requirements of homeowners.

To add further fuel to the fire, "Lifetime Homes" is currently only a consideration for housebuilders rather than an essential element of the Code's requirements.

With this in mind, it is now more important than ever for the housebuilding industry, and those working into it, to embrace the concept and encourage its development for the improvement of all UK housing stock For those within the heating industry working on new build developments or refurbishment projects, the concept of the "Lifetime Homes" can be easily transferable, by means of responding to the lifelong needs of households and providing homeowners with the ability to adapt to their changing needs.

Through the careful integration of heating controls throughout the home, it is possible to increase the efficiency of a property as well as to accommodate for the varying needs of a household whether that may be a young child, a teenager or an elderly family member.

This may include a programmable room thermostat such as the Drayton Digistat +2 and +3 or a time control system such as the Drayton LP or Drayton LPSI control range, each featuring numerous benefits and offering a supreme level of heating control.

Elderly residents for example will require a much higher temperature than a young teenager for example, and all of which must be considered during the specification process.

Wireless heating controls, such as the Drayton Digistat + RF range, are certainly a potential solution to this problem, enabling the homeowner to split the home into a series of zones, to enable much greater controls of the temperature.

In addition, Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) can also be installed on all radiators, when required, to increase energy efficiency and temperature control.

TRVs enable homeowners to control the temperature of individual rooms within a property, so that if a room is not being used the heat can be turned off, saving energy.

This feature is key in order to maintain a level of heat where it is required the most, perhaps in the living room and bedrooms, dependent on the homeowner's needs.

Product developments such as the Drayton chrome TRV4 are also popular with homeowners as they complement designer radiators and are a stylish attribute within any room, whilst also maintaining efficiency.

Heating zones however are generally used to separate the sleeping and living areas within the home but could be used to separate two areas of the home such as the main family area and the space used by the elderly members of the family, who may require a higher temperature, for example.

The concept of zone control was outlined as a requirement for all homes over 150m in Part L of the Building Regulations, 2002.

In fact, homeowners can save, on average, 25% off their heating bills by installing heating controls and TRVs within the home.

Moreover, wireless controls make it much easier to create heating zones throughout a property, enabling much greater efficiencies for the homeowner as well as increased control over the temperature throughout the home.

One of the key benefits of wireless controls such as the Drayton Digistat +2 and +3RF is the ability to position the control unit where is the most convenient, rather than where the wired cables depict.

The controls therefore provide homeowners with a much greater sense of freedom when specifying and positioning them.

The technology and concept of zoning is particularly advantageous when considering "Lifetime Homes", as the system can be altered and developed to match the changing needs of each member of the home.

Moreover, the concept of "Lifetime Homes" addresses the issue of making life as easy as possible and for as long as possible through thoughtful design.

Installers of heating and control systems should promote the benefits of such and the relative ease of using controls system in order to reap the greatest benefit from this proposed standard.

As the population of the UK continues to grow, installers will increasingly see a shift in the specification details for both new build and refurbishment homes.

Homeowners will be demanding systems that can be both flexible and reflective of their changing needs and it is important that the sector is ready and informed about the latest product offerings in order to meet this demand.

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