ADVANCED renewable energy solutions are said to be among a range of building services installed by Arc-Tech (Scotland) that are supporting families across West Dunbartonshire.
Clydebank East is West Dunbartonshire Council’s largest ‘net zero ready’ development, comprising 88 homes in a mix of houses and flats for social rent. Arc-Tech’s in-house divisions were deployed across the project, with a purpose-built zero-emissions district heating system installed to serve the flatted block alongside solar PV panels and sprinkler systems.
The heating system – featuring two industrial-scale air-source heat pumps and two water-to-water heat pumps – delivers space heating and hot water from a centralised source rather than individual water cylinders in each property. The system was designed in partnership with Hawthorne Boyle.
John Gallacher, Arc-Tech (Scotland) MD, said, “Our in-house renewables and sprinklers divisions worked alongside main contractor CCG (Scotland) from the very early stages of Clydebank East’s delivery. Through this early engagement, our team – alongside Hawthorne Boyle – were able to develop innovative solutions to ensure the building services package for the contract could practically be installed on an affordable basis. The result is a fantastic new development that has helped address local housing demand and one which will support the local authority’s net zero transition.”
A second council-led development supported by Arc-Tech is Pappert, a 26-home scheme in Bonhill. The project comprises a mix of 20 ‘net zero ready’ and six Passivhaus homes for social rent. All properties again benefit from sprinklers and are complete with EV charging points, while each net zero home, which have solar PV panels installed on the roof, has solar battery storage units.
Arc-Tech is one of a small number of building services providers certified to install the TESLA Energy Powerwall in Scotland. The unit stores energy generated from the solar panels during daylight hours for later use, with the benefit of cheaper evening electricity tariffs. Smart technology installed within the unit tracks usage trends over time to maximise efficiencies as the energy is discharged.
John Gallacher added, “All of the homes constructed at Pappert will have advanced fabric performance, ensuring they stay warmer for longer and naturally reduce the tenant’s energy consumption. However, the addition of solar batteries can lower energy bills even further, and it is a testament to the council for piloting their use to understand more about how the technology can potentially be adopted to tackle the fuel poverty agenda at scale across the region.”
