The UK housing sector stands at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. This transformation is particularly significant in the realm of home electrification, where emerging trends in sustainability are not just changing how houses are built, but fundamentally altering their functionality and interaction with the wider energy ecosystem.
In its new white paper, ‘Shaping Tomorrow’, Garo explores how consumer units will play an increasingly central role in managing the complex electrical needs of sustainable, technology-driven households.
Available to download here, the white paper reviews how new regulations and green technologies are changing requirements for electrical units within new build designs.
Currently the integration of solar panels, heat pumps, EV charging points, and smart home systems requires a more sophisticated and robust electrical infrastructure. Consumer units and distribution boards must be designed to handle bidirectional power flow from solar panels, manage the high-power demands of heat pumps and EV chargers, and incorporate smart monitoring and control systems. The challenge is making sure the implementation of such advanced electrical consumer units doesn’t become detrimentally expensive for the consumer and housebuilder.
Moving forward, electrical units must also have the flexibility and capacity to support new innovations, meaning they must also be able to scale up over time, to accommodate any new devices that will emerge in the next few decades.
Being ready for change
A well-designed consumer unit will incorporate multiple layers of protection, flexibility and futureproofing. At its core, it should provide robust safeguards against overcurrent and short circuits, preventing potential fire hazards as homes adopt more high-power devices. Furthermore, adaptability in the form of a modular design should allow for easy integration of new components as requirements evolve, potentially saving SME housebuilders from costly retrofits or system overhauls in the future.
Consumer units, such as the GARO Diamond range, incorporate advanced protection features as standard, including surge protection devices (SPDs), arc fault detection devices (AFDDs), and bi-directional protection capabilities that can potentially streamline the planning and approval process for SME housebuilders. This design and approach to the consumer unit demonstrates proactivity to consider the rapidly changing regulations and technologies in the housing sector and allow for evolution, something that will save housebuilders money in the long term.
Looking ahead
Future housebuilding represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the housing industry. By embracing innovation, prioritising adaptability, and focusing on long-term sustainability, housebuilders can create homes that not only meet the needs of today’s homeowners but are also prepared for the demands of tomorrow.
Regulatory changes will improve safety and the overall resilience of electrical systems in modern homes. The next generation of consumer units will have to integrate advanced features, commit to quality and safety, and also keep sustainability as a priority. These elements will remain paramount in shaping the homes of the future.