A social housing development in Wales is being heated by an innovative wallpaper as part of a trial exploring affordable alternatives to radiators and heat pumps to keep residents warm.
NexGen’s Graphene Infrared Heating is one of a number of trials being carried out by housing association Melin Homes using funding through the Welsh Government’s Optimised RetroFit Programme.
The graphene heat system, which looks and feels like traditional wallpaper, can be plugged into a domestic socket, and is packaged with solar panels and a smart battery to cut emissions while lowering fuel costs.
The system, which uses a combination of far infrared and convection heat, takes just two to three days to install and is claimed to be more cost-effective when compared with a heat pump.
Melin Homes collaborated with Swansea University, which verified the performance of the technology, and is now in discussions with a range of other registered social landlords and local authorities who have shown an interest in the trial of the radiant heat system.
Paula Kennedy, chief executive of Melin Homes, said: “Our residents are already feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis and climate emergency that’s why we have set an ambitious target to become a NetZero organisation before 2050.
“We know we have to act now, so we have teamed up with Nexgen and our housing association peers in a bid to find alternatives to heating our homes that will be greener and cheaper for people to use.”
