As Concept Heating’s preferred manufacturer of air-source heat pumps, Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions has provided heat pumps for social housing provider Together Housing.
Concept Heating is the Lancashire contractor for Together Housing, also in collaboration with Graham Plumbing, an accredited Panasonic distributor supplying the Panasonic units.
In a bid to decarbonise Together Housing’s social housing stock, Concept Heating turned to Panasonic to provide heat pumps for tenants. Panasonic’s Aquarea J Series air-to-water heat pumps were specified to meet the request, along with its Aquarea Service Cloud software to help monitor energy efficiency.
A company statement said that Panasonic and Graham Plumbing have already provided sustainable heat pumps to over 700 of Together Housing’s properties, including one-bedroom apartments, terraced houses and semi-detached homes. This year, an additional 600 properties are expected to transition to air-to-water heat pumps.
The statement added that the Panasonic Aquarea Service Cloud app enables Concept Heating to identify when tenants are incorrectly operating their heat pumps. To support this, Panasonic offers technical assistance through remote or on-site engineers and has Panasonic-trained and accredited engineers at Concept Heating’s training centre in Bolton, it cited.
Paula Byrom, director of Concept Heating, said: “Panasonic is our preferred manufacturer, and we find the units to be good quality and reliable. The service from both Panasonic and the team at Graham Plumbing regarding supplying the units has been very reliable, with no supply issues. The Panasonic Aquarea Service Cloud monitoring system is far better, in comparison than any of the other manufacturers currently on the market.
“We find the Smart Cloud app very useful, as we can see how the heat pumps are being utilised in each household. If the unit is not being operated efficiently by tenants, we can often either solve a problem remotely or visit the property to educate and advise the tenant on their operation of the units.”
Together Housing tenant, Graham, had his old gas heating system replaced with a Panasonic air source heat pump.
Graham added: “The old system was very inefficient, and with the high bills these days, I didn’t want to switch it on too much, so it was pretty cold. With the heat pump, I can control how warm it is much easier. You set it to what you want and then the heating just clicks on when it drops to that temperature. I don’t have gas at all now so no standing charge, so there’s a saving there straightaway. It’s been fantastic.”
Tenants of Together Housing found during the winter that their heating bills were as low as £1 per day, the statement said. The seven year warranty offered by Panasonic supports the investment in Panasonic heat pumps.
The statement added that the Panasonic J Series High Performance heat pump has an A+++ Energy Class, achieving average water outlet temperatures of 35°C and maximum output temperatures of 60°C. The Panasonic cloud control app and service app, with an easy-to-use remote controller for end user accessibility, enables a low carbon solution to heating, it noted. The Panasonic units are available in a range of sizes from 5, 7 and 9 kW, with an internal domestic hot water tank and external unit.