Wavin Plastic’s expertise in producing superior heating and cooling systems has been endorsed by Persimmon Home’s decision to use the company’s genius OSMA Underfloor Heating (UFH) systems in its high profile housing project, Living-i.
Living-i consists of five innovative homes built this summer in Irlam, Manchester, using a range of modern construction methods that embrace the very latest in home technologies and eco-friendly solutions.
The Eco house – a detached timber-framed four bedroom home built with eco-friendliness in mind – features the OSMA UFH Foiled Polystyrene system. This is a wet system fitted just below the floor which consists of heating pipes controlled by an electronic thermostat. This arrangement emits heat linearly from the floor to the ceiling, thus resulting in a more even distribution of heat as opposed to radiators which rely on convection and results in high temperatures at ceiling level and cooler temperatures at floor level.
The Energy House is a four bedroom detached home which has been designed to meet the latest government legislation aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the UK. OSMA’s UFH Foiled Polystyrene system was again used but this time in the ceiling and operated in combination with air source heat pumps. Radiant heating and cooling panels in the ceiling can create an ultra-comfortable, thermally balanced indoor climate. Water circulating in a closed system provides the heat transfer medium within panels in the ceiling, while precision temperature control achieves the optimum comfort level for the room.
David Broadbent, regional chairman for Persimmon Homes North West said: “Wavin’s heating systems were just what we were looking for to fulfil the requirements within our innovative homes of the future and we were pleased to be able to work closely with them on this particular project.”
Living-i is the latest ground breaking project to feature OSMA UFH systems. Over the last two years, these cost-efficient and sustainable heating solutions have also been installed at the much lauded multi-million Eden Project in Cornwall, the ground-breaking low energy Zero Carbon House project in the remote Shetland Islands and the University of Nottingham’s Stoneguard C60 house scheme.
“Persimmon’s decision to use OSMA UFH underlines our belief that these systems really do offer the best heating solution for homes of tomorrow,” comments Karly Taylor, spokesperson at Wavin Plastics, the UK’s leading provider of water management solutions. “Already popular across the globe, UFH is completely unobtrusive and provides, on average, up to 15 per cent more useable space in a room. It is safe, hygienic and more energy efficient. What could be better?”