Scene Connect Ltd. (Scene) was appointed to conduct a low carbon options and business appraisal for the Alt Housing Co-operative (AHC) in Liverpool, in partnership with North West Housing Services (NWHS), and Zero Carbon Liverpool City Region Ltd. (ZCL-CR). Initial technical and economic modelling was conducted for a number of different scenarios, to understand the potential benefits that different low carbon interventions could have across AHC’s 138 properties. Assessment included techno-economic modelling of solar PV, energy efficiency and electrical heating system options (heat pumps) for the housing cooperative, with recommendations focusing on a local energy system approach of wholesale energy efficiency upgrade, followed by solar PV installation alongside air-source heat pumps on an individual or centralised basis.
A total of 163 kW of solar PV was designed across the site, necessitating detailed physical building surveys and system specifications. Whilst ASHP inclusion was estimated to reduce heating costs by just £6,000/year (£45 per household), carbon emission reductions were anticipated to be arounud 50% (~1 tonne of CO2e per household per year).