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Local Planning authority requirements for heat pumps - information sought.

 
Government Schemes, Regulations, Planning & Organisations
Last Post by JamesPa 9 months ago
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 JamesPa
(@jamespa)
Illustrious Member Moderator
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2311
Topic starter 03/07/2024 9:40 pm  

I am trying to collate some information of the spread of requirements for noise levels from heat pumps which planning authorities in the UK impose, when planning permission is sought.  The principal motivation is that mine has finally published its requirements, and they are quite extreme, so I would like some evidence to compare.  However some assembled data might prove more generally useful to others.

To kick the table off, here are the requirements for permitted development, and the requirements imposed by East Hertfordshire (the figures being the maximum sound pressure from the heat pump alone at the most affected assessment point)

 

Permitted development: 37dB(A) (figure included for comparison)

East Hertfordshire: Town Centres and 'most' locations within 500m of a main road: 29dB(A), Rural areas - 19dB(A)  (the actual figures they publish are 6dB higher than this, but they insist on applying a 6dB penalty for tonality/intermittency on top of the calculation)

 

If anyone is willing to contribute figures for other local planning authorities I would be grateful, you can PM me if you don't want to link your name to the locality.  I will publish here a table of any figures I collect.

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.


   
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 Judith
(@judith)
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Joined: 1 year ago
Posts: 331
06/07/2024 10:18 am  

Our planning application is submitted and noise may not be addressed because we ended up within MCS on everything except it can be seen from the road. But I’ll let you know. Our neighbours are supportive and think it ridiculous that planning is needed at all.

2kW + Growatt & 4kW +Sunnyboy PV on south-facing roof Solar thermal. 9.5kWh Givenergy battery with AC3. MVHR. Vaillant 7kW ASHP (very pleased with it) open system operating on WC


   
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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
Famed Member Contributor
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 1892
06/07/2024 10:28 am  

@judith How good are your artistic skills? Paint the case as a flower border filled with err… sunflowers or roses, a few bees (we need lots of those at the moment) or perhaps a parked snazzy looking EV appearing to be parked outside a mansion? 😉 Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.


   
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 JamesPa
(@jamespa)
Illustrious Member Moderator
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2311
Topic starter 06/07/2024 11:33 am  

Posted by: @judith
↑

Our planning application is submitted and noise may not be addressed because we ended up within MCS on everything except it can be seen from the road. But I’ll let you know. Our neighbours are supportive and think it ridiculous that planning is needed at all.

Thanks.

 

Interestingly the Institute of Acoustics points out that locating an ASHP on the road side of a property will often make sense in terms of noise.  With suitable visual treatment (which could be disguise or emphasis, depending on the context) I personally cant see the problem.  Cars are normally left on front drives most of the time, they are much bigger, sometimes in lurid colours, yet nobody complains. Whats the problem with a piece of heating equipment provided it is sensibly sited?

 

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.


   
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 Judith
(@judith)
Prominent Member Member
Joined: 1 year ago
Posts: 331
31/07/2024 4:46 pm  

Our planning permission has come through and the MCS levels were applied. We have to install in line with the permission. Our nearest neighbour is in fact 12m away so meeting the noise levels was fine but would not have been viable if our installation and the neighbour was within 1m from the boundary. So although removing the 1m constraint is going through consultation it is irrelevant compared to achieving the noise level predicted.

ASHP which will be seen from the road on the side of the house will look nicer than our bins which live on the front, (and will continue to live there) but it can’t be seen for the cars anyway.

We are in Southampton unitary authority.

2kW + Growatt & 4kW +Sunnyboy PV on south-facing roof Solar thermal. 9.5kWh Givenergy battery with AC3. MVHR. Vaillant 7kW ASHP (very pleased with it) open system operating on WC


   
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 JamesPa
(@jamespa)
Illustrious Member Moderator
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2311
Topic starter 31/07/2024 5:24 pm  

Posted by: @judith
↑

Our planning permission has come through and the MCS levels were applied. We have to install in line with the permission. Our nearest neighbour is in fact 12m away so meeting the noise levels was fine but would not have been viable if our installation and the neighbour was within 1m from the boundary. So although removing the 1m constraint is going through consultation it is irrelevant compared to achieving the noise level predicted.

ASHP which will be seen from the road on the side of the house will look nicer than our bins which live on the front, (and will continue to live there) but it can’t be seen for the cars anyway.

We are in Southampton unitary authority.

Good and very interesting news  thanks, I will look at their website to see what they say publicly.

My lpa is in the process of doubling down on its policy of requiring or 20dBA in 'rural' areas ( which apparently includes a site just 20m from a busy A road) and 29dBA in towns, in both cases sound pressure at most affected neighbour.  I have managed to get a couple of councillors interested in challenging the policy but they have almost zero understanding so can easily have the wool pulled over their eyes by others.

I've only had a handful of responses to the original question.  If anyone else can post about what their lpa requires I would appreciate it.  So far I haven't had enough to compile a meaningful table, but if I get a handful more I will have enough and will compile the table.

Although the 1m rule is irrelevant in your cases its easy to imagine a case where it isn't.  For example if the boundary is a brick wall, putting the ashp up against it will likely be better than 1m away, if the result is to fully screen it from the neighbour.

This post was modified 9 months ago by JamesPa

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.


   
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