Heating and Ventilation

The majority of Britain’s tower blocks have originally been designed to provide affordable and safe housing to a large number of residents. With great views and surrounding public open spaces, many of them were created to replace damaged or unsanitary pre-war dwellings, with the aim of modernising our cities and improving the living conditions of many.

However, despite the designers original intentions, tower blocks are now notorious for high energy bills. This is due to the fact that most of these high-rise, multi-occupancy buildings use electric storage heaters that are expensive to run and don’t provide adequate temperature control. This challenge is especially serious in the case of social housing blocks, where residents are particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty.

Mainstream media has been buzzing these last few weeks with stories about households being forced onto prepayment meters because they have been unable to pay their bills. British Gas has come under particular fire due to employing bailiffs who have allegedly used threatening behaviour to enter people’s properties and install prepaid meters.

This has generated a lot of negative reactions - and understandably so. People are being expected to find sometimes hundreds more pounds a month from incomes that have not increased in line with inflation, to cover household bills and everyday shopping essentials, the costs of which are spiralling out of control.

A national trade body is signposting social housing professionals to a range of services to find a trusted route to solve damp and mould issues in properties.

The Property Care Association, which has been in formation for ninety years, is the UK trade body for companies and professionals who specialise in the diagnosis, control and management of dampness in buildings.

Its members understand all the different variables which can affect moisture levels in properties, such as the building’s construction, style of occupation, heating, thermal performance of walls and floors, and the provision of air exchange.

Fuel poverty is a serious issue across the UK, especially for families living in old, energy inefficient housing. As the temperatures drop and the cost of energy rises, tackling this issue is high on the agenda – and housing associations, among others, are addressing it as a top priority. To reduce costs, an increase in energy efficiency is a must, and action needs to be taken as soon as possible to lift households out of fuel poverty.

Alongside fuel poverty, achieving net-zero is another key national issue. For housing associations that we at Mitsubishi Electric are working with, these heating options are not mutually exclusive. Not only does an implementation of energy-efficient measures reduce operating costs, it also slashes the carbon impact of providing power to tenants.

Leading ventilation manufacturer Vent-Axia has launched the Lo-Carbon Calido, decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (dMVHR) unit, to help social housing landlords tackle condensation and mould while reducing energy bills. Offering up to 80% heat recovery the Calido is designed for retrofit properties, allowing landlords to easily install discrete decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in existing homes, improving indoor air quality and energy efficiency. With pressure on social housing landlords to both tackle condensation and mould in their housing stock, while reducing carbon emissions the Lo-Carbon Calido’s dMVHR is the ideal solution.

Condensation and mould specialists, Airtech Solutions, is offering expert advice and help to social housing providers following the Rt Hon Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, writing to council leaders and social housing providers regarding damp and mould. His letters highlight landlords’ responsibility to take action to protect residents from hazardous damp and mould following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. As a result, the minister asks both council leaders and social housing providers to treat damp and mould more seriously.