Tenements in Glasgow trial new heating system

The new technology is being tested in twelve homes in Glasgow

Scientists in Glasgow are trying something unusual as an alternative to central heating – by testing ‘electric wallpaper’.

The new technology will be tested in twelve tenements across Glasgow as part of a project led by the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, the West of Scotland Housing Association and Glasgow City Council to assess its effectiveness as a clean heat source.

Electric wallpaper works by combining graphene nanotechnology on a hardened wallpaper sheet with a copper strip on each edge, which is then connected to the electrical grid.

This allows the graphene plate to radiate infrared heat into the room.

Electric wallpaper, in turn, heats objects in the room, including people, as opposed to heating the air, as traditional systems do.

Councilor Ruairi Kelly, Neighborhood Services Officer at Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow has around 70,000 rental properties, so finding new solutions to heat these homes more efficiently is vital to achieving a net zero future.”

“Innovative pilot projects like this are vital in determining how best to address the issues of energy costs and emissions in Glasgow’s homes.”

Funded by Scotland Beyond Net Zero – a coalition of leading climate and sustainability experts from Scottish universities – this trial is one of eight new research collaborations aimed at accelerating Scotland’s transition to net zero.

Each project involves cross-sector collaborations to address sustainability challenges in energy, finance, food, built environment, natural systems and transport.

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