By leveraging Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan R290 high-temperature air source heat pumps in homes with existing microbore/small bore pipework, the initiative will seek to cut costs, reduce disruption, and accelerate decarbonisation across SNG’s housing portfolio.
SNG, which manages more than 84,000 homes for 210,000 customers across London and southern England, is piloting the use of high-temperature Ecodan heat pumps which work effectively and efficiently with legacy microbore/small bore systems—narrow pipework once thought incompatible with heat pump technology. This innovative approach, backed by Mitsubishi Electric and SNG’s extensive research and paper on microbore/small bore compatibility, removes one of the biggest barriers to large-scale heat pump retrofitting in older homes.
Built Environment Director at SNG, Jim Dyer, said: “This solution emerged from our desire to innovate and balance key priorities for both our customers and SNG: Minimising disruption, cutting fuel bills, avoiding early replacement of components, and reducing both installation cost and the ongoing maintenance costs. It’s an ambitious holistic approach that places our customers’ wellbeing and operational cost-effectiveness at its core.”
The benefits of this retrofit strategy include:
- Reduced disruption to residents by avoiding the need to replace radiators and pipework or remove and replace floor coverings
- Significant capital savings by retaining existing pipework and radiators
- Improved energy efficiency and fuel bill reduction—crucial for tackling fuel poverty
- Lower operational and long-term maintenance costs
- Faster installation timelines – contractors report installations completed in two days
By retaining the radiators and microbore/small bore infrastructure (plastic and copper pipework), the direct replacement of gas heating with a heat pump is possible. Mitsubishi’s Electric R290’s Ecodan system is the key enabler in this approach.
Mitsubishi Electric Head of Product Marketing and Communications, James Chaplen, said: “The ability to retain microbore/small bore pipework of all types is a game-changer for retrofit projects. With our Ecodan heat pumps working effectively with existing systems, we’re removing a major financial and logistical hurdle. This opens the door for housing providers like SNG to scale-up their net zero efforts without compromising on resident comfort or driving up costs.”
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