Bishops Castle residents set to save on fuel bills

Shropshire Housing Group, which manages the twelve flats, is installing a ground source heat pump system and it is anticipated the work will be finished by the end of October, in time for the cold winter months.

Bernard Quinn, Assets Manager for SHG said: “We know from correspondence with our tenants across Shropshire and Herefordshire that it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find the money to keep their homes warm.  The residents at Clive House have storage heaters that were installed 20 years ago and as part of our review into updating their heating and hot water we found that ground source heating was a far better alternative.”

Ground source heating will ensure they enjoy a comfortable temperature year round, using only natural warmth drawn from the ground which is boosted using the same technology that keeps food cool inside a fridge, but in reverse.

This will give residents far more control over heating their property and enable them to save even more money. Estimated savings for each property should be upwards of £400 a year, a sizeable saving in anyone’s book.

Bernard Quinn said: “Shropshire Housing Group was an early adopter of air and ground source heating.  It’s been a key part of our affordable warmth strategy for the last six years and the project at Clive House is the latest in our upcoming projects. Total Response Ltd, Shropshire Housing’s in house contractor, is leading this project in partnership with Ice Energy Heat Pumps Ltd

So far it’s estimated that Shropshire Housing Group has saved its tenants more than a quarter of a million pounds.  The drive began with installing ground source heat pumps in homes that rely on solid fuel heating back in 2009, and we started fitting air source heat pumps three years later in 2012. More than 200 renewable heating systems have now been completed to Association properties at locations across Shropshire and Herefordshire.’

Shropshire is a county where fuel poverty is always high on the agenda. With an ageing population and many families on a tight budget, it also has a significant number of rural properties reliant on coal, oil or electric storage heaters and it’s easy to see how large fuel bills for heating their homes can be a real burden on residents.