Panasonic Welcomes Changes to the RHI for Social Housing Landlords and Tenants

12/12/2014

Panasonic has welcomed the latest changes to the Government’s domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme that come into effect in spring 2015 which benefit those in the social housing sector.

Under the new regulations, landlords will find it easier to apply to the scheme - which provides financial rewards in exchange for installing renewable heating systems such as air source heat pumps (ASHP) in tenants’ homes.

If social landlords already have Energy Performance Certificates for their properties, and these are less than two years old, they will be able to apply to the scheme without the need for a Green Deal Assessment. This change streamlines the application process, and reduces the costs for landlords.

Given the unpredictable nature of global fuel prices, renewable energy technologies are fast becoming a preferred alternative for landlords upgrading the heating systems in their properties. Highly-efficient, eco-friendly and cost-effective heating systems like the Aquarea benefit landlords, tenants and the environment. The technology can help reduce a household’s running costs by 60% over traditional fossil fuelled systems enabling them to make dramatic savings while reducing their carbon footprint by 65%.

Commenting on the changes, Marc Diaz, Panasonic UK and Ireland Country Manager said “One way to help lift households out of fuel poverty is to improve the energy-efficiency of their homes. Air-source-heat-pumps like our Aquarea range can often be the answer. They have a low maintenance profile which helps to keep annual running costs down, contributing to the significant cost savings on energy bills that can be made in comparison to other heat and hot water systems powered by fossil fuels.”

The RHI will pay owners of renewable energy heating technologies (including air source heat pumps, ASHPs) for the renewable heat they generate. This means that by replacing the gas, oil, direct electric or solid fuel heating systems within existing housing stock, landlords could benefit from tax-free payments which are guaranteed for seven years, for each property in which a heat pump is installed. The Government expects the RHI to make a significant contribution towards their 2020 ambition of having 12% of the UK’s heating needs serviced by renewable energies.

Electricity is used to power the Aquarea system; however the advanced inverter technology used is so energy-efficient that the output in KiloWatt (kW) terms is more than five times the input power (per 1kW of electricity used). This is an impressive Coefficient of Performance (COP) and places the Aquarea in a really strong position among its competitors. It is also a strong performer in cold outside temperatures, even at minus 15°C.


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