Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) Wave 3?
A: The WH:SHF Wave 3 is a government funded programme which provides grant funding for social housing retrofit projects. In short, the government is providing funding to make social housing more energy efficient and so reduce bills and carbon emissions from social housing.
Wave 3 of the funding has allocated £1.29bn to social housing providers to retrofit their housing between April 2025 and March 2028. All grant recipients are required to match fund their grant at least 50%.
Q: What is a ground source heat pump (GSHP)?
A: A GSHP extracts heat from the ground to provide heating and hot water for buildings. It works by circulating a fluid through underground pipes to absorb natural heat, which is then compressed to warm your home. This project will see about 100 boreholes drilled hundreds of meters deep to extract heat.
Q: Why are we installing GSHPs?
A: Replacing the existing electric storage heaters with ground source heat pumps will have lots of advantages. Firstly, energy bills will fall by at least 50%, meaning this project will make heating much more affordable for residents across the three Balmoral tower blocks. Secondly, the GSHP system will have a lower carbon output than the existing electric storage heaters. Finally, this project will bring all EPCs in the tower blocks up to an EPC C, which the council is required to achieve both for grant funding and to meet its Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards by 2030.
Q: How does a GSHP differ from a traditional boiler?
A: A GSHP does not use gas to provide heating and hot water for your home. Instead it uses heat from the earth to provide heating and hot water for your home. It uses electricity to do this, meaning that your home will be net zero when the grid is decarbonised.
Q: Will I still be able to control my own heating?
A: Yes, while there is a shared ground loop for the ground source heat pumps, they will all service individual flats and be controlled individually. This is not a communal heating system.
Q: Can I still choose my own energy provider?
A: Absolutely, yes. Your heat pump will be individually connected to your electricity meter, with no heat metering or billing required. You will have complete control over your energy provider and can look for the best tariff for you. The council’s resident engagement officers can help you with selecting the best tariff when you have your new heating system installed.
Q: Will my heating bills go up or down?
A: Assuming you continue using your heating in a similar way, we would expect your heating bills to fall by at least 50%. This is because existing electric storage heaters will operate at most 100% efficiency, whereas a GSHP will operate at least 300% efficiency. Unlike moving from a gas boiler to a heat pump, fuel prices remain the same, so you just benefit from the efficiency gain.
Q: Will this project impact my rent or service charge?
A: No, this project will not lead to any changes in rent or service charges. The project funding is earmarked from reserves and government funding, meaning it is not factoring in rent or service charge increases to pay for the system.
Q: Are leaseholders eligible for works?
A: Yes, leaseholders are eligible for work but will be required to pay for the non-grant funded elements of the work in their flat, which will mean paying for the heat pump, radiators, and new water cylinder. We will be in touch with leaseholders to introduce and explain the project, in addition to outlining the process for expressing interest in and signing up to the works. Should leaseholders be looking to sell their properties, the council has an ongoing acquisition programme and would be open to discussions about buybacks.
Q: Will the GSHP struggle to operate in winter when temperatures drop?
A: No, a GSHP is very good at maintaining its efficiency year-round. This is because rather than relying on air temperature, which can change, it relies on underground temperature, which is more constant.
Q: How long will installation take?
A: The project involves drilling around 100 boreholes and installing a shared ground loop. The project as a whole will take around 24 months. However, only around 3 days are required to fit the new heating system within a flat.
Q: Will I need radiators?
A: Yes, as part of the ground source heat pump installation, you will have radiators installed, as you will be moved to a central heating system.
Q: Is the GSHP noisy?
A: No, the GSHP system is no louder than a standard boiler. It operates at a similar noise level to the humming of a fridge.
Q: What quality assurance measures are in place?
A: All work will be completed through the PAS:2035 process, which is the government’s retrofit framework for assuring quality. All heat pumps will also be registered with MCS, which provides quality assurance on low-carbon technology installations.
For more on PAS:2035 click the following web link : PAS 2035 and PAS 2030: retrofit, accreditation and certification
For more on MCS click the following web link: MCS Certified | Giving you confidence in home-grown energy