GTC
Networked ground source heat pump bore hole drilling
solutions can bring together generation, storage and demand management at development level. This can help smooth electricity demand and, in some circumstances, reduce the amount of network capacity required compared with a development where every home has its own high electrical load.
The wider lesson is that energy infrastructure should increasingly be considered alongside highways, water, drainage and telecommunications when a development is being planned. It should not be something addressed late in the process once house types and layouts have already been established.
This will require closer collaboration between housebuilders, utility providers, designers, local authorities and network operators. Early conversations can help identify available capacity, understand connection requirements and establish the most appropriate approach to heating before decisions become difficult or expensive to change.
The Future Homes Standard is therefore more than a change to Building Regulations. It represents a change in the way we need to think about delivering new communities.
The policy direction is now clear. The next challenge is making sure infrastructure planning keeps pace with it. Housebuilders
Adam Tkacz
that consider heating, electricity demand and utility capacity together from the outset will be better placed to deliver compliant homes efficiently and avoid infrastructure becoming a constraint on development.
The transition to low-carbon homes is no longer a question of if. The focus now needs to be on how we deliver it at scale, and utility planning will be central to that. www. gtc-uk. co. uk
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