Project Director: Aimee Ambrose
Project Duration: 2025-2026
This project focuses on developing a new, real-world demonstrator to evaluate the potential of ambient loop heat networks plus thermal storage to deliver decarbonisation of heat at scale. Working with Sheffield City Council, a trial site at Gleadless Valley has been identified.
The project spans both the evaluation and optimisation of the performance of the technical solutions, and investigation of the social perceptions of the technologies being explored. The latter will be vital in identifying and overcoming potential social barriers to widescale uptake of the technology. In this project, visitors to a demonstrator flat will be invited to complete an visual psychological test (an Implicit Association Test) upon arrival, and again after their visit to understand their unfiltered attitudes towards different types of home heating systems and technologies. Comparing results will reveal whether direct exposure to the technology being demonstrated and the opportunity to learn more about it shifts perceptions of low-carbon heating. A second activity will involve in-depth qualitative interviews with a sub-sample of 20–30 participants. These interviews will explore participants’ feelings about the demonstrated heating system in more detail, set against the backdrop of previous heating systems they have experienced. This richer qualitative insight will help identify potential reactions to future installations at Gleadless Valley and strategies to address concerns.
The project team also includes: Rob Barthorpe (University of Sheffield) and Oliver Hawkins (Sheffield Hallam University).
