MANCHESTER, UK, 28 SEPTEMBER 2026 - Clever Centre Ltd has launched a six-month study across the UK involving six historic properties with existing wet heating systems. The study, undertaken in collaboration with the University of Greater Manchester's Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, will examine changes in heating energy use after a passive deaeration approach is applied within eligible circulating systems. It is intended to generate measured evidence for building owners and conservation professionals considering energy work where changes to historic fabric may be restricted.
The study will run from September 2026 to March 2027. It will compare heating energy consumption before and after the intervention at each participating property. The participating sites are historic buildings with wet heating systems and sufficient historical energy information to establish a baseline before installation.
The intervention will be installed only within non-historic mechanical services where the property's technical and conservation requirements allow. The research does not cover window replacement, insulation works or alterations to protected building fabric. This defined scope is intended to separate the assessment of mechanical-services performance from wider building-fabric retrofit measures.
Baseline and post-installation consumption will be examined using measurement and verification principles. The analysis will use weather normalisation and Heating Degree Day analysis where appropriate. It will also consider factors that can affect heating use, including weather, occupancy, operating hours, building condition and data quality.
The University of Greater Manchester's Centre for Advanced Manufacturing is collaborating on the study methodology and analysis. Its role includes reviewing the treatment of baseline and post-installation data and contributing to interpretation of the measured results. Clever Centre Ltd is funding and coordinating the programme in collaboration with the university centre.
No reduction in energy use has been assumed before the study is complete. The final report will set out the measured results for the participating properties, including instances where changes are small, absent or affected by building-specific conditions. The results are not intended to establish a universal conclusion for all historic buildings.
Historic buildings often present different technical and consent considerations from newer properties. The study is designed to add evidence about one intervention within existing heating services, rather than to make a general recommendation on heritage energy efficiency. The final analysis is expected after the six-month assessment period concludes in March 2027.
About Clever Centre Ltd
Clever Centre Ltd is a Greater Manchester engineering company. It is funding and coordinating the six-property UK heating study in collaboration with the University of Greater Manchester's Centre for Advanced Manufacturing.
