HEATING, PLUMBING AND VENTILATION
Chateau Mews is a contemporary residential development from Keepmoat Homes, built on the site of a former derelict restaurant in West Bridgford, South Nottingham. The brownfield plot has been transformed into a community of high-quality homes, bringing a previously underused location back into meaningful residential use and supporting local housing need.
The scheme includes 40 newbuild apartments across two modern buildings, one of which is reserved for affordable housing. To support accessible, sustainable living for future residents, Keepmoat partnered with Dimplex on a smart, fully electric heating and hot water solution designed to balance efficiency, project compliance requirements, ease of installation and long-term usability.
SPACE, SIMPLICITY AND PERFORMANCE
The 2021 updates to Part L of the Building Regulations focus on reducing carbon emissions in line with the UK’s 2050 net zero carbon target. At the time Chateau Mews was designed and built, this placed greater emphasis on practical, commercially viable technologies that could be modelled effectively at design stage and delivered consistently on site.
At the time of specification, SAP10.2 provided the modelling framework used to assess low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, electric panel heaters and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. For Chateau Mews, this helped the project team evidence how the proposed solution supported the carbon reduction targets, Primary Energy limits and Fabric Energy Efficiency Standards set out in Part L 2021.
For the apartment buildings at Chateau Mews, Keepmoat needed a cost-effective heating and hot water system that could support the project’s Part L compliance requirements while delivering strong carbon performance.
Space and logistics also shaped the brief. Each apartment included a compact utility cupboard and the four-storey buildings had no lift access, so any specified system needed to be easy to accommodate, transport and install.
At the same time, Keepmoat wanted a resident-friendly solution that would offer comfort, simplicity and smart control without adding unnecessary complexity.
WORKING TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY
Following discussions with Keepmoat’s design and commercial teams, Dimplex recommended a fully electric solution that paired Edel hot water heat pumps with PLXE electric panel heaters. The Edel unit provides an efficient, low-carbon way to deliver domestic hot water, which was the most significant energy load in each apartment. Its strong coefficient of performance helped reduce carbon emissions, supporting the Part L 2021 compliance route in place for the development while offering a compact, self-contained alternative to more complex communal systems.
Each apartment was fitted with a single Edel 200-litre hot water heat pump, discreetly housed in the utility cupboard. Edel’s 10-metre ducting capability allowed air to be drawn via a route above living spaces and out through the front elevation, without affecting layouts or aesthetics. This made it easier to integrate the units while maintaining usable internal space.
Alongside this, each apartment was equipped with five PLXE panel heaters. Their contemporary design, fast response and programmable control provide a simple way to deliver room-by-room comfort in a residential setting focused on reliability. The heaters also complement the Edel system by keeping the overall specification fully electric and straightforward for residents to use.
To improve the resident experience, each apartment is also being fitted with Dimplex hubs ahead of handover. This enables control of heating and hot water via the Dimplex Control app, helping residents manage comfort and energy use more easily.
REAPPLYING SUCCESS
The specification for Chateau Mews was adapted from a previous Dimplexled design for another Keepmoat regeneration project on a former Boots site nearby. That earlier collaboration between Dimplex, Keepmoat and CPW Nottingham provided a proven blueprint that could be applied quickly as Chateau Mews moved ahead, reducing design duplication and giving the project team confidence in the performance of the proposed approach.
Laura Perkins, Dimplex’s Key Account Manager for the Midlands, worked with Keepmoat’s Quantity Surveyor Charlie Grewcock, and Senior Technical Manager Andy Gilliver, to ensure the solution was cost-effective and aligned with the project’s compliance requirements. CPW Nottingham provided design input, while the Dimplex Applications Design Team supported heating calculations, product sizing and technical validation throughout the specification process. On site, Neil Shacklocks managed the Edel hot water systems, while electrical contractor Electract fitted the PLXE heaters.
The apartments at Chateau Mews now benefit from a smart, low-carbon heating and hot water system that integrates neatly into the building design. The Edel heat pump also proved installer friendly, with a custom transport bag supporting safe manual handling up staircases and reducing the risk of tipping the unit beyond its safe transport angle during delivery to upper floors. The Dimplex solution delivers quiet, reliable and efficient operation, supported the project’s compliance route at design and build stage and is ready for the connected lifestyle expectations of today’s residents. www.dimplex.co.uk