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The Zeroth Energy System
Combining a refrigerant-free low temperature network and in-apartment heat pumps to provide HVAC services to residential apartments
Designed for:
Developers
M&E Engineers
Architects
Created with the input of industry developers, the Zeroth Energy System has been designed to be a viable solution to providing heating, hot water and, should you choose, cooling to an apartment building.
The system has many benefits, when compared to a traditional communal heating scheme, including:
- Up to a 50% reduction in plant room footprint
- Potential incorporation into an offsite manufacturing process, including pre-fabricated utility pods
- Reduces overheating in communal areas and peak heat losses by up to 90%
- Able to facilitate future connection to a heat network
- Flexibility in the system design allowing your choice of plant room technology
The Zeroth Energy System is an alternative solution to a traditional communal heating scheme, combining in-apartment heat pumps and a water based, low temperature network, or energy loop, to deliver HVAC services to each dwelling.
The system has designed with practicality and flexibility in mind, meaning benefits include:
- Up to a 50% reduction in plant room footprint
- Provision of heating, hot water and cooling services via a two-pipe system
- An internal network water temperature of 25C, as opposed to 60 - 80C, reducing overheating in communal areas and peak heat losses by up to 90%
- Designed to fit within the standard apartment service cupboard, with your choice of plant technology, hydronic emitters and controls
When applied to your project, the Zeroth Energy System can be beneficial to the building’s design. From a smaller plant room and reduced rise spaces, to your choice of heating or cooling emitter and apartment controls, this solution can help you to create the spaces you envisioned.
This solution can also:
- Help save energy and reduce the carbon of a comparative dwelling by 29% when compared to today’s gas approach
- Reduce summer overheating, where traditionally communal corridor temperatures could reach 30°C+ with traditional community heating schemes
- Allow the opportunity to move energy between dwellings and buildings (only possible with heat pump technology)
- Include the ability to integrate current and emerging technologies to reduce fossil consumption
The Industry
The system’s development was based on the input and requests of industry-leading developers, resulting in a HVAC solution for apartment developments which considers both system performance and design practicality.
The Environment
The Zeroth Energy System addresses the growing need for carbon reducing solutions, whilst embracing the future of the decarbonising electrical grid.
Residential Apartments
The Zeroth Energy System provides low carbon heating, cooling and hot water services to residential spaces, using a low temperature network of water-water, in-apartment heat pumps.
"At a time when the industry is looking to go electric, it is good to see how innovation such as the Zeroth system takes full advantage of grid decarbonisation to help buildings achieve better compliance standards and improve thermal comfort."
- Michael Lim, AECOM


Suitable for offsite prefabrication, including utility pods


Flexible choice of plant technology, apartment controls and hydronic emitters


Up to a 50% reduction in plant room footprint


Reduces overheating in communal areas and peak heat losses by up to 90%


Cost effective comfort cooling through a two-pipe system


System efficiency of greater than 300% when modelled with an air source heat pump in SAP 2012
System Information
Product Specification
Case Study
The Zeroth Energy System consists of:
- In-apartment heat pumps, connected to a refrigerant free, communal energy loop
- A centralised heating or cooling plant to keep the water loop maintained at 25⁰C
- The ability to facilitate a future connection to a district heat network
Within the apartment:
- Each integral unit contains the heat pump technology and the hot water cylinder for each apartment
- The heat pump can be specified to provide heating only or heating and cooling
- The hot water cylinder is charged by the heat pump and the immersion heater
- A range of hydronic emitters can be used, including fan coils and underfloor heating
The Zeroth unit:
- Available in both 4kW and 6kW models
- Available in heating only and heating and cooling options
- Comes pre-wired and pre-plumbed for simple installation
- Has a compact footprint allows for easy incorporation into the dwelling
- Includes a 180L unvented cylinder, with a 2kW immersion heater able to be listed within SAP Appendix Q
Church Road, Leyton:
- One of the first developments to benefit from the Zeroth Energy System is Church Road, Leyton – a development owned by Galliard Homes
- In April 2019, a case study on this project appeared in the CIBSE Journal
Speak to our experts
Find out how the Zeroth Energy System:
- Can be applied to your design
- Relates to different elements of building compliance, including the London Plan
- Performed in our extensive testing of the solution
We also have a CIBSE approved CPD on the benefits of low temperature networks which we would be happy present for you.

Benefitting from a low temperature network
Over recent years our city landscapes have changed as high rise, high density residential developments have increased. But recently, as Part L requirements have become increasingly stricter, building designers are progressively needing to seek alternatives to traditional HVAC strategies.

The benefits of low temperature networks in residential apartments
To meet increasingly stricter compliance targets, building designers are progressively needing to seek alternatives to traditional HVAC strategies, especially within high-rise residential projects.



R&D initiatives are co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Enterprise Ireland under the Border, Midland and Western Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020.
Aims:
The Zeroth Energy system is a product solution aimed at delivering reversible heat pump technology and other compatible accessories including fan coils, MVHR and SmartRad into high density residential and commercial buildings.