Case Studies
Canal View
The owner of this new-build project in Knowle wanted to create a futuristic and sustainable home for his family.
Case Studies
Canal View
The owner of this new-build project in Knowle wanted to create a futuristic and sustainable home for his family.
Case Studies
Canal View
Project outline:
Situated on the outskirts of Knowle by the Grand Union Canal, this project started off as an old barn with the land being purchased by John who had plans to create his dream home looking over the beautiful landscape of Knowle Locks and surrounding areas.
The satellite image below shows how the land looked before we commenced work in 2023.
Working with the building contractors, plumbing and heating specialists: Heatflo Mechanical and our specialised heat pump team, plans and designs formalised overtime and the old structure was taken down, leaving the space for a stunning sustainable new-build home utilising state-of-the-art technology.
The Challenge:
Mr Whitehead wanted to create a sustainable home for his family which was future proofed from rising energy prices and being the environmentally conscious mind that he is, he wanted to minimise his families’ carbon footprint and negate their reliance on fossil fuels moving forward.
The idea of having a heat pump installed in his home was very intriguing for John as he understood the efficiencies that these systems could reach and the possibility of them being connected to other means of heating appliances such as radiators and underfloor heating, which Heatflo Mechanical were installing for John.
When John contacted Heat From Air, our team supported his idea of using a heat pump for heating during the colder months and also to heat up the hot water supply of the home, with ease and with extra storage. We created designs with this in mind and decided that Vaillant UK was the best manufacture to go ahead with.
Not only did we recommend heating and hot water but our award-winning HVAC team at Mid-Tech Services intricately designed a Ducted Fan Coil system to be installed within the centre of the home to provide air conditioning in the summer months. This was to be accessed through the loft hatch and connected to condensers suitably located outside the property on ground level for ease of access.
Use the arrows to navigate through the project from start to finish!
Installing the heat pump..
How long did it take?
Because of the complexities with the overall project, installing the heat pump and all of it’s components had to be moved around deadlines and other tasks to be completed beforehand like the underfloor heating and some structural work. With all of this in mind, our team still managed to install the system within three working days. Our installers came back to the house a few times after this to complete the set up of the heat pump.
What did it involve?
The 12kw outdoor Vaillant unit was installed on the ground level next to the home besides the Panasonic air conditioning condensers. This location sits parallel with the 250 Litre water cylinder and 45 Litre buffer tank and all of the components/controls inside a mini plant room in the home. We positioned the heat
pump as close to the property as
possible to reduce pressure and energy
loss.
Taking into consideration the style and location of the home, flexible hoses and anti-vibration feet were installed in accordance with MCS MIS 3005 and the primary pipework was suitably sized to ensure correct flow across the heat pump.
Was John happy with the result?
After all of the setup issues were sorted, John was very pleased with the work of the installers and mentioned that they were very professional during the installation. Even though the renovation took longer than he anticipated, John found that the new heat pump took no time getting used to as it is very easy to adjust.
“After playing around with the system, I could easily use it and adjust the temperature to my liking. It’s pretty obvious what you need to do.”
Project outcome..
The state-of-the-art home now boasts a reliable and renewable heat source courtesy of latent heat in the outside air, which the aroTHERM heat pump subsequently converts into heat and hot water production. The heat pump is housed in a fenced off area next to the property to ensure maximum space within the home. It is connected to a 250 litre stainless steel high performance hot water cylinder to generate domestic hot water, as well as supply energy for the underfloor heating system.
To comply with HSE Code of Practice, Vaillant’s weather compensated controls ensure the water content of the cylinder is heated to a temperature of 60°C for one hour every day as well as making sure the heat pump always performs at maximum efficiency to minimise energy consumption.
Common concerns about heat pumps..
Warmth and comfort:
John was worried that the heat pump would be unable to heat up their home sufficiently and meet their hot water needs. However, this has not been the case. He is very happy with the results as he has noticed consistent temperatures throughout the house and sufficient hot water to cover their needs.
“The heat pump and underfloor heating performs very well.”
Energy costs:
John believes that the heat pump is an excellent choice for providing sufficient warmth in the home, but is a significant financial decision when it comes to running costs. He calculated that using the heat pump resulted in higher bills for achieving the same indoor temperature compared to an equivalent gas boiler over the billing period. This is because heat pumps run on electricity, which is more expensive per unit than gas in the current day, although this will change overtime as gas prices continue to soar.
So, even though they are more efficient, heat pumps can cost more to run depending on the householder’s circumstances. However, John is happy to pay a little extra for the heat pump.
“There is a price that you have to pay for the new technology and the environmental impact is a huge benefit.”
Disruption:
The installation of the heat pump was a fairly small task in terms of the huge renovation that John was going through. Our engineers managed to install the pipework and systems within a couple of days. Although, the system did have some minor issues at the start which required a Vaillant technical engineer to come and fix.
Aesthetics and “the look” of the heat pump:
The couple decided to hide the indoor unit of the heat pump in a custom-made plant room inside the house. The outdoor unit was also installed into an area which was fenced off for aesthetics. John is very happy with the overall look of these units!
Noise:
Once the heat pump had been installed, the couple discovered that both the outdoor and the indoor unit were noisy while operating. The noise from the outdoor unit was not an issue though, as it was positioned on the roof of their garage where they could not hear it.
Robert installed acoustic thermal insulation in the property to overcome the noisy operation of the indoor unit and noticed a significant drop to the noise levels.
“Now it’s much better.”
This case study is part of a series produced as part of a UK Government funded project through its Energy Innovation Programme, the Electrification of Heat Demonstration project. The project is trialling different types of heat pumps in up to 750 homes across the UK.
Looking for funding to install a heat pump?
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a UK Government initiative to encourage more people in England and Wales to install low carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps and biomass boilers.
The Government have recently extended this scheme until 2028 and increased the grant offering to £7,500 meaning you could get your brand new heat pump for FREE of charge!
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