Minimal gas consumption, maximum comfort

Housing corporations face the enormous task of making approximately 2.4 million homes more sustainable before 2050. As a "starter motor," the corporations will make 100,000 additional homes natural gas-free in the coming years. Making homes low on natural gas is also one of the measures to slowly get rid of natural gas. Options include insulation, connection to a heat (pump) network and/or the installation of (hybrid) heat pumps. For the renovation of 124 homes in Blerick, housing corporation Antares opted for the latter.

Text | Lieke van Zuilekom    Image | Antares and Itho Daalderop

Antares is an ambitious housing corporation with approximately 6,000 family homes, senior housing, care homes and apartments in the municipalities of Peel and Maas and Venlo. "Our core task is to build, rent and maintain housing, with the goal of satisfied residents," says Diana van Steenkiste, senior project manager at Antares. "In everything Antares does, affordability, sustainability and the livability of neighborhoods and districts come first. We are working hard to create a sustainable housing stock, for example by carrying out renovation and improvement projects at a rapid pace. Every year we make approximately 250 homes more sustainable. For example, in Blerick (municipality of Venlo), where 124 single-family homes in the Vastenavondkamp neighborhood are currently being improved from an average label E to label A+."

In Blerick (municipality of Venlo), 124 single-family homes in the Vastenavondkamp neighborhood are currently being improved from an average label E to label A+.

The houses from the 1960s will be equipped with new and insulated roofs with an Rc value of 6. The facades will also be insulated and eight solar panels will be installed per house. "Because most of the homes were already equipped with a high-efficiency central heating combi boiler several years ago, we opted for an additional heat pump; a so-called hybrid installation. In the spring and fall, the heat pump heats the house independently. In severe winters and at peak demand, the HR central heating combi boiler jumps in, allowing tenants to save directly and substantially on their natural gas consumption, lowering the energy bill and allowing Antares to counter an emerging development such as energy poverty."

Monobloc air-to-water heat pump

The monobloc HP-M 25 i air-to-water heat pump from Itho Daalderop was chosen in combination with mechanical ventilation because it is partially fed by outside air, Van Steenkiste said. "This prevents unnecessary and annoying air movement in the homes. In addition, CO2 emissions are reduced significantly. Because the hybrid heat pump does not have a separate outdoor unit, noise pollution is not an issue."

The monobloc HP-M 25 i air/water heat pump from Itho Daalderop was chosen in combination with mechanical ventilation, as this heat pump is partially fed by outside air.

The HP-M 25 i is easy to apply in existing homes, in combination with any brand/type of central heating boiler. In this project, the radiators were (partially) replaced with ECO radiators. In addition to outside air, the heat pump uses exhausted ventilation air as an energy source. Per hour, approximately 150 m³ of normal ventilation return air and 450 m³ of outside air is available to extract energy from. This yields a significantly higher efficiency than when only ventilation air is used. Because the HP-M 25 i consists only of an indoor unit, significantly less installation work is required. On request, the hybrid heat pump can also be combined with a special roof gland, allowing the system to be aesthetically integrated into the roof surface.

Extended Explanation

Renovation work in the Vastenavondkamp neighborhood began in June 2020. In the run-up to the renovation, Itho Daalderop visited Antares' temporary office in the Vastenavondkamp neighborhood of Blerick to explain the heat pump concept. In addition, an information evening for residents was organized, at which Itho Daalderop was also present to explain the operation of the heat pumps in detail. Because residents receive quite a lot of information at such an evening, this explanation was also provided on paper. In addition, residents will receive brief instructions from the installer when their homes are handed over. The renovation work is expected to be completed in early 2021.