<p>Taylor Wimpey has partnered with multi-utility provider GTC on a community heat hub pilot - a low carbon solution that GTC has revealed to replace gas on low density schemes.</p> <p><span>The community heat hub will be trialled at Taylor Wimpey’s Chilton Woods scheme in Sudbury, with a planning application for the heat network submitted this month.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>GTC’s heat network solution for traditional, new build, low rise developments involves hot water being produced centrally in a hub, using large scale heat pumps powered by grid electricity.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>GTC said its system “should comfortably meet the anticipated carbon emissions requirements of the 2025 Future Homes Standard”, decreasing carbon by 75-80% against current Building Regulations.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>It explained that the hub would transfer hot water to each individual home through a “highly insulated” plastic pipe heat network, supplying instant heating and hot water, with a thermal storage tank replenishing itself when wholesale electricity costs were lower. “This store reduces peak demand on the grid, lessening the need for reinforcement. Back-up electric boilers ensure a resilient supply of hot water,” GTC said.</span></p><p></p> <p><span>The utility provider said that with changing regulations supporting lower operating temperatures, insulated plastic pipes were now a viable choice; previously heat networks could …