David Patrick at Dimplex explains why key decisions around heating, hot water and comfort cooling must now be considered holistically at the masterplanning stage – including electricity load implications – rather than left until detailed design.
For architects working on new residential developments in the UK, masterplanning has always been about more than simply arranging buildings on a site. It is the stage at which long-term performance, compliance and quality of life are established – as the sector moves rapidly toward all-electric, low-carbon homes.
In today’s regulatory and environmental context, setting the framework for how a development functions as a whole, energy strategy is a core part of the masterplanning phase. The transition away from gas, combined with rising concerns about overheating, means architects must consider electric heating, hot water and low-carbon comfort cooling together from the outset.
Electric heating and cooling systems offer clear benefits for carbon reduction and future compliance – however, it’s crucial to ensure early engagement with Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). Building this vital partnership early on enables accurate load modelling at the masterplanning stage, avoiding costly reinforcement or delays later. When these requirements are considered up front, architects can integrate them cleanly into building form, roofscapes and landscape design, allowing them to be accommodated without compromising internal layouts or external space.
Comfort cooling
Alongside heating and hot water, comfort cooling is emerging as a defining issue for UK housing design. Rising summer temperatures, increased airtightness and higher internal heat gains mean overheating risk is now a planning, compliance and reputational concern. The challenge is to address this without resorting to energy intensive air conditioning that undermines carbon targets.
Building orientation, massing, glazing ratios, shading and landscape design all influence cooling demand, so low-carbon comfort cooling technologies must also be considered at the masterplanning stage.
Meeting policy & future standards
The proposed UK Future Homes Standard (FHS) and tightening local planning policies are pushing developments toward ultra-low-carbon operation. A site -ide approach to electric heating, hot water and comfort cooling allows architects to coordinate fabric performance, renewable energy such as solar PV and smart energy management. This holistic strategy supports compliance while improving occupant comfort and reducing energy bills.
From a commercial perspective, early energy planning reduces risk. It avoids late stage redesigns, improves programme certainty and helps control capital and operational costs. From a design perspective, it enables architects to create homes that are comfortable year round, resilient to climate change and aligned with the UK’s net zero trajectory.
Ultimately, masterplanning today is about anticipating the demands of tomorrow. By embedding low-carbon heating, hot water and comfort cooling strategies at the very start of the process, architects can help deliver residential developments that are not only compliant and efficient but genuinely fit for the future.
Innovation in action
The Silvertown regeneration in East London is fast becoming a benchmark for low-carbon residential design. The development is leading the way by demonstrating how integrated energy systems can be specified at masterplan and building levels to deliver efficient, comfortable homes at scale. One key part of this ambitious project is the integration of Dimplex’s Zeroth Energy System. This innovative system supports E.ON’s ectogrid low-carbon district heating network, creating a resilient energy solution suitable for modern urban living.
The project has a bold vision to be net-zero carbon by 2025, carbon neutral by 2030 and absolute zero carbon by 2040, aligning with the London Borough of Newham’s wider sustainability targets. Meeting these milestones will be achieved through the smart integration of low-carbon technologies across the development, which will ultimately deliver thousands of homes alongside commercial and leisure spaces.
For Plot six, the first phase of residential delivery, the Dimplex Zeroth Energy System provides highly efficient, low-carbon space heating and hot water to 106 affordable homes using an ambient loop maintained at around 25°C. Connected to in-apartment heat pumps, this communal network delivers excellent overall efficiency and can be specified to include comfort cooling, helping mitigate overheating risk and meet regulatory expectations.
The integration with E.ON’s ectogrid district network enables energy sharing between buildings across the Silvertown site. As a fifth-generation heat network, ectogrid operates at low temperatures and can draw on local low-carbon sources and waste heat, reducing reliance on external inputs while balancing heating and cooling demands throughout the community.
For architects, the Silvertown project is an important illustration of the design potential of integrating low-carbon heating, hot water and comfort cooling early in the design process. By embedding these technologies from masterplan through to detailed delivery, it sets a replicable precedent for sustainable urban living in the UK.
David Patrick is head of specification marketing at Dimplex