Latchmore Court, Hitchin – Fossil Fuel Free with FIR heating from Herschel
Latchmore Court, Hitchin, was a Residential Conversion opportunity in Hertfordshire that offered planning consent for the development of 38 apartments. The development was carried out in 2017/2018 and consisted of converting the buildings from commercial to 36 residential flats, along with an additional two new roof apartments.
As with many conversion developments, the energy source for space heating, cooking and hot water was electric.
The property comprised two commercial office blocks situated within a courtyard development; one property being a 1980’s purpose-built office building with six levels. The second block being the former Town Hall, a grade II listed building, with a 1980’s extension to the rear, over basement, ground and two upper floors, and with high ceilings and period features. Total development is circa 23,935 sq ft.
The project management, redesign, conversion and new build works were undertaken by Probuild Ltd in . Our responsibilities included calculating, selecting and installing best solutions for upgrading the thermal efficiency of the building envelope along with selecting and installing most suitable energy efficiency solutions for SAP and EPC ratings. Not only was energy performance compliance necessary but also consideration of the wellbeing and long term running costs to the owner. As power to both of the buildings was being supplied by electric only, this was a challenge.
The conversion project sought an effective, efficient, space-saving electric heating solution that also delivered the finish required for a top-end development. Following detailed investigations of all electric heating solutions on the market, Herschel Infrared heaters were selected.
Solution
Low wattage, stylish Herschel panels were installed across the one and two bedroom apartments. A mixture of Inspire and Select XL panels were chosen in a range of contemporary finishes including mirror, white glass and white aluminium depending on the type of rooms and the style preferred.
All the panels are controlled by the Herschel iQ, Eco Design (Lot 20) compliant thermostat controllers for simple, efficient control.
Herschel Infrared panels provide an easy to install, zero maintenance, cost effective and stylish heating solution that is perfect for development projects of any scale.
Our Director Brad Kelly, is also a Domestic and Commercial Energy Assessor and was so impressed with the panels, controls, quality, performance and support from Herschel, that he teamed up with Design Engineer Ashley Kelly to form Thermoception Ltd – providing a turnkey service (consultancy, calculations, design, supply, installation and aftercare to SAP or EPC compliance) aimed towards developers, designers and architects.
The finish in the flats is high-end and contemporary and the Herschel panels are well suited to this type of flat design. In addition, the comfortable heat generated from the panels is apparent as soon as someone walks into the flat from the unheated common areas.
Brad Kelly, Probuild.
