UK’s leading infrared heating manufacturers, Welsh government, and social housing providers join forces at Baglan infrared showcase event

The event, held at the Swansea University Pilot Manufacturing Research Centre, brought together key industry and government representatives to raise awareness of infrared heating, and its potential for decarbonising Welsh homes. 

We were delighted by the commitment shown by attendees to fostering innovation in the decarbonisation sector, coupled with a strong emphasis on putting quality and the individual resident at the heart of the retrofit process.

Social housing providers at the event were also encouraged by the recent news that Wales’ flagship social housing retrofit scheme, the Optimised Retrofit Programme, will receive an additional £99 million, providing support for social homes to install improvement measures.

The insightful event, hosted by Talan, kicked off with a series of presentations about infrared heating and the role of innovation in upgrading Welsh social housing. It provided a space to celebrate the significant progress being made in the infrared sector to develop an approved energy performance testing methodology. It also touched on the additional steps being taken to professionalise the infrared industry and protect consumers, including the industry’s plans to raise quality through new MCS standards.

We were also delighted to be joined by Dr Bruce Philip, Technology Transfer Fellow at Swansea University, who has built a pioneering testing facility on site. Dr Philip outlined his role in carrying out robust independent testing of infrared heating technologies.

Ikenna Enyinna from Aelwyd Housing also gave a thought-provoking presentation from a social housing perspective, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges afforded by new technologies such as infrared, and the merits of a measured, incremental approach to adopting new innovations.

The event concluded with a showcase and networking session, where attendees witnessed infrared demonstrations by 8 of the UK’s leading manufacturers. The hands-on session provided an opportunity to experience a range of infrared technologies in person, including a visit to the Dr Philip’s purpose-built testing facility.

Dr Bruce Philip, Swansea University, said:

I am delighted that, through funding from Switch to Net Zero Buildings Wales, I and Swansea University are able to support the infrared heating industry by generating independent test data that will demonstrate the comparative warming effects of low temperature infrared heaters and conventional, direct electrical heaters. This work will help to determine the extent to which the technology could contribute to UK targets for decarbonisation of space heating and reducing fuel poverty, thereby guiding future energy policy and informing social landlords and the public.

Matt Rudd, Talan UK and Ireland, said:

We are proud to have supported the infrared heating industry over the last 12 months with their efforts to validate the energy performance of infrared heaters. The event marked a fantastic opportunity to showcase all of the exciting developments taking place within the industry and raise awareness of the technology’s benefits with social housing providers, Welsh and UK Government, and other key stakeholders. It was also a great chance to celebrate the groundbreaking work being carried out by Dr Bruce Philip to test infrared heaters at Swansea University’s facility.