One of the problems in attempting to switch our reliance on natural gas to electricity, when it comes to how we heat our buildings and generate hot water, is the huge gap between the historic peak figures of gas and electricity consumption in this country. Put simply, the gap between the UK's peak gas use and peak electricity use is so vast that the electricity grid in its current format would not support a sudden wholesale switch to becoming the main form of providing heat.
The electricity grid infrastructure will need to be upgraded to build in more resilience, however it's not expected that upgrades alone will be enough due to the scale of the extra capacity needed to get close to the higher peak gas use figure.
This reality is clearly at odds with our carbon neutral aspirations as a country and this is why a natural gas supply blended with Hydrogen will still be a part of our overall transition to a low carbon future. For buildings that use electricity as their heat source; the ability to store energy will start to become more prevalent. This will mean that rather than attempting to deal with huge spikes in energy use, there will be more of an emphasis on slow energy release over longer periods, making use of the storage of energy.
An example of this is battery storage linked to photovoltaic panels in houses, used as a means of harnessing the energy produced via the PV during the daytime when a house could be mostly empty. The occupiers can then draw on this stored energy when they return home in the evening to power their heating, charge their electric car or for general power use. The technology required to achieve this is now becoming more readily available, with costs expected to come down as more products come to market.
Battery storage for houses won't help bridge the gap on its own and so the storage of energy elsewhere will also become important good practice. The ability to build in energy storage can be achieved by selecting building materials with good u- values to keep heat energy locked in, by making use of buffer vessels to store heat energy & minimise peak heat load demands and by storing hot water rather than having an instantaneous hot water demand.
Using these measures, along with low carbon heat sources and other technology such as heat recovery ventilation, we can see the building blocks of low carbon building services designs with electricity at their heart.
For more advice, please contact us.
More about Neil...
Neil joined the practise in 1999 having served a five year apprenticeship with a national contracting company, qualifying as a Building Services Engineer in 1998. He is experienced in the design of mechanical services and in the development of the detail, producing working drawings, specifications, and liaising with other members of the professional team has been extensive over the years.
Neil has been the lead mechanical engineer across most of our biggest schemes, in terms of construction cost, covering a wide range of different sectors. Also performing the role of Senior Project Engineer overseeing both mechanical & electrical design work and installations on site.
Speak to Neil about your next project: neil@stevenhunt.com
