This feature looks at the advantages of underfloor heating, its growing popularity in sustainable new build projects, and how Next Level is pioneering the latest heating technologies to meet today’s requirements for greener, smarter buildings.

With the construction industry turning toward greener methods, energy-saving technologies have become an increasingly popular element in the design and specification of new homes. One such innovation is underfloor heating (UFH).

The sustainability benefits of underfloor heating

The environmental impact of underfloor heating extends beyond its ability to distribute heat effectively. Here’s why more and more developers are choosing it to help them meet stricter and stricter energy codes:

Energy efficiency

Underfloor heating usually runs at a lower temperature than standard radiators. That means it can be heated by more energy-efficient heat sources, like heat pumps or condensing boilers, which are far more efficient than typical systems. Hydronic underfloor heating can decrease energy use by up to 30%! The outcome is fewer carbon emissions and cheaper utilities for homeowners. In short, uniform heat circulation also eliminates cold spots and warms up the entire room, so you can stay warm without warming the room or setting the heat at a much higher level. This minimises energy wastage and improves a building’s overall efficiency.

Lower carbon footprint

Underfloor heating’s increasing popularity is mainly due to one of the largest drivers of home building: sustainability. Its efficient operation helps to reduce buildings’ carbon emissions. When using low-carbon heat sources such as heat pumps or solar thermal systems, UFH can help lower a property’s carbon footprint, ensuring it is an important technology in reaching netzero energy performance.

Longer system lifespan

Underfloor heating is long-lasting and low-maintenance. Correctly installed, UFH lasts for years and years, reducing the environmental cost of the manufacture, installation and disposal of heating systems. And as there are no moving parts, UFH systems are less likely to go wrong than other heating systems.

Why developers should choose underfloor heating

Underfloor heating has become an increasingly appealing system for developers, as there is a growing need for energy-efficient homes and ones built largely around sustainable principles. Here’s why:

Cost-effective for new builds

Underfloor heating delivers cost savings when incorporated at a new build stage versus installing traditional radiator heating at a later date. By incorporating it into the floor design, developers can dispense with the extra expense of space and materials usually consumed by radiators and their pipework. When installed early in the build process, the system cost can be easier to bundle into a mortgage, while long-term energy savings provide overall market value.

Space-saving design

Developers who wish to maximise the available space in their properties have so much to gain from using underfloor heating systems. Developers can cover more wall space, as they don’t need to incorporate clunky radiators or other methods of providing warm air into the room. This is especially useful in small houses or apartments where every single square metre makes a difference. It can also be installed on a range of flooring types, including tiles and wood, so there are no aesthetic compromises to make for the sake of practicality.

Enhancing property appeal

As more house buyers become more environmentally and budget-conscious, properties with energy-efficient heating systems like underfloor systems are bound to garner more attention. On a purely aesthetic basis, the lack of radiators would also be a feature in more modern houses. More and more buyers are focused on sustainable homes, so underfloor heating in new builds adds an instant value to your property that can be enjoyed long-term.

Next Level: Innovation in underfloor heating solutions

Next Level specialises in underfloor heating and floor screeding in Scotland. Whether you need an underfloor heating installation in a big city like Edinburgh or in a smaller area, Next Level can fully help you transform your heating and comfort to a new level with a series of ultra-efficient, ecological and fast-to-fit products.

Here’s how Next Level stands out inthe underfloor heating sector: Advanced heat distribution technology

Advanced materials and design concepts are incorporated to guarantee effective heat transfer over every square metre. Proprietary hydronic systems are equipped with sleeved hose technology for even heat around each room and supercharged response times for less energy consumption and more comfort.

Eco-friendly and energy-efficient solutions

Sustainability is prioritised, with all structures built to be as energy efficient as possible. The solutions work with renewables and are perfect for developers wanting to cut carbon and comply with environmental legislation.

Seamless integration with modern building practices

Next Level hydronic underfloor heating systems have been made to work with contemporary building techniques. Their systems can be used in new construction and remodelled spaces, making them versatile in any situation. A fast and easy installation – and turnaround times – prevents construction schedules from breaking.

The future of sustainable heating

When you work in a sector that now has an environmental conscience, underfloor heating provides a solution that is both cost-effective and meets green obligations. With underfloor heating, housebuilders have an offer that adds a protected living space with a 365-day comfortable room temperature, adding value in an environmentally friendly way.

For housebuilders considering specifying underfloor heating in their next development, Next Level has the experience and solutions to provide a comfortable, energy-efficient future for newly built developments.

For more information on Next Level, visit www.rdr.link/dbe020

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Carbon emissions are one of the most important causes of global warming, and concrete is a big contributor mainly because of one of its key ingredients: cement. Tim Capey, general manager of CCP Building Products, reports.

General manager of CCP Building Products, Tim Capey

Roughly 600kg of carbon dioxide are released for every tonne of cement produced, which is why cement manufacturing accounts for 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. This means that the simplest way for concrete, one of the world’s most extensively used building materials, to reduce its carbon footprint is to cut the amount of cement used in its manufacture.

The research and development necessary to bring cement-free concrete blocks to market is already taking place, with a number of products already on the market.

Now the goal is to go further than simply developing products that cut the carbon emissions during manufacturing. Instead, the challenge is to develop concrete products that are actually carbon negative.

One of the leaders in this field is Carbon8, a specialist in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), which has developed the carbon-negative aggregate CircaBuild.

Low carbon aggregates
CircaBuild aggregates are low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives to virgin lightweight aggregates. They are manufactured using Carbon8’s patented technology, Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), which mineralises and carbonates industrial residues. These residues and ash, resulting from the incineration processes at industrial sites, contain oxides, hydroxides and silicates, which are reactive to carbon dioxide (CO₂).

ACT controls, manages and accelerates this natural reaction to manufacture new products using CO₂ and residues produced by heavy industry. The CO₂ is permanently and safely stored within the new material, in solid mineral form, contributing to the decarbonisation of industry and providing an alternative to virgin materials in the construction industry.

Carbon8’s technology can capture and store more CO₂ in CircaBuild aggregates, than emitted in the process, making them low-carbon and carbon negative. The question is whether or not these aggregates can be incorporated into a cement-free block to create a carbon negative block, a practical alternative to conventional construction methods that does not require carbon offsets and all the other workarounds that have been tried so far.

And the good news is that early trials in collaboration with a construction materials manufacturer have been successful, resulting in just that: the production of cement-free carbon-negative concrete blocks.

The chosen partner is CCP Building Products, a large construction components manufacturer and leading supplier of concrete blocks in the UK that is part of the SigmaRoc group.

CCP had its own technology to contribute, Greenbloc, a high-density load-bearing concrete block made from class 1 aggregates and Cemfree, a cement-free alternative to conventional concrete. The company introduced the first version of this in 2021 and has introduced two greener versions since that are produced with even fewer carbon emissions.

These latest trials were experiments to find out whether it was possible to combine the Circabuild aggregate with Greenbloc technology.

SigmaRoc’s technology & innovation Director, Ian St Hillaire, has been leading the ground-breaking trials, explains: “We set about producing trial samples of concrete blocks at site production scale to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

The trials established that it was possible to combine the alternative aggregate with cement-free technology but the proportions had to be right in order to successfully produce a concrete block that is actually carbon negative.

Yet there are still further hurdles to overcome before these blocks will be available to the market. The next stage of this important project will see plant trials but on a much larger scale, followed by the development of supporting Environmental Product Declarations (EPD’s) to establish the product’s suitability for use, as well as to confirm the carbon negative claims.

Want to know more?

More information on Carbon8, Circabuild and CCP Building Products

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Andy Morris, managing director of Hayfield, calls on industry to keep pace with low carbon technology.

As a business, we are committed to ambitious targets to lessen our impact on the environment, but efforts to install eco technology in all of our new homes are being hampered by a lack of resources and skills shortages; and we need supply chain partners to do more to keep pace with low carbon technology.

When gas boilers were first rolled out, they were highly complicated pieces of technology; but as industry demand grew, manufacturers simplified their installation and maintenance. We now need the same resolve and vigour behind Air Source Heat Pumps.

Moving towards a net zero carbon future, the housing industry and supply chain partners must step up again and ensure that the manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of low carbon technology keeps pace with growing demand.

Only then can we ensure that supply chain and associated resources are readily available to make widespread utilisation a reality.

COP27, billed as ‘a defining moment in the fight against climate change’ where the world is being asked to move from ‘negotiation to implementation’ makes it clear that the time for action is now. And we support the government’s ambition to transition the UK to net zero carbon by 2050 and tackling climate change and creating sustainable communities remains at the core of what we do.

With a considered and scientific approach, our Eco Focus specification betters current legislation and has been delivering Zero Carbon Ready Homes to the marketplace since 2021.

Our homes are powered and heated by electricity only – we do not use fossil fuels. This, combined with other low carbon technologies we install as standard, and the high thermal efficiency of our homes, means our private homes have the potential to not add any carbon dioxide to the atmosphere during their use by a homeowner.

Heat pumps were identified as a key part of Boris Johnson’s 2020 ten-point plan, and he announced a target of 600,000 installations per year by 2028. But it is widely recognised that there is a significant shortfall in the number of trained heat pump engineers needed to deliver those targets.

But we need the industry to move with us. We cannot do this on our own. The skills shortage needs to be addressed and scaled up across the key trinity of manufacturer, installation and maintenance, and we need housing and sustainability to be put at the top of the political agenda now.

Hopefully the legacy of COP27 – promoting ‘Together for Implementation’ – will motivate the UK to drive forward faster its Net Zero ambitions. A unified commitment to ensuring that our homes – and our businesses – are futureproofed is the only way to effectively tackle climate change.

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