MCS Heat Pumps Case Studies

Lymbridge Green Farm is a stunning 400 year old farm house located in a quaint Kent village. The house comprises of 4 big bedrooms and 5 reception rooms downstairs all with the original features; low ceilings, beams and an impressive open inglenook fireplace in the lounge.
A log burner in the kitchen was the main source of heat along with an Arga which heated the kitchen, leaving the other reception and bedrooms chilly during the winter months. The homeowner was consistently having to feed the burner with wood which consisted of several trips to the log store a day and a consistent supply of logs, just to keep the house heated. The owner said “so much time evolved around the logs and keeping the house warm”!
The homeowners when looking at a new heating system did not consider renewable heat pumps as a solution as they did not believe such an old property would fit into the criteria. Knowing of the Reina Group they enquired about different economic heating systems for homes that were off gas. They were surprised when an Air Source heat pump was recommended as the most economic heating solution and with the money back RHI scheme, their decision was made for them.

The new heating system was carefully designed and installed to ensure that the character of the cottage was not affected. It was agreed to install a couple of new radiators into the bedrooms to increase maximum efficiency. We chose a Nibe F0240 ASHP which was perfect for this type of house. The pump was located under the study window at the rear of the property, being the most inconspicuous place, with the control panel hidden in a small cupboard in the dining room with easy access. Installation was quick and seamless with little disruption during the time our engineers were on site.

The client has now had the heat pump for 4 months and is amazed with the results. Since the heat pump was installed the whole house is kept to a nice comfortable temperature of 21° throughout the day. All the rooms in the house are the same temperature which is a novelty for the owner. The heat pump operates the heating and hot water which is a luxury for our client having had limited hot water and inconsistent heating throughout. “Having a heat pump has been an absolute life changer” commented the client. The many hours filling up the wood burner to keep the house warm are no-longer required which creates more free time

Visiting Ocean Mist was an absolute delight, a modern 5 bedroomed family detached modern house built 10 years ago, maintained and groomed to a very high standard.
With an existing gas boiler not working efficiently and ongoing issues with water pressure from a tank fed system the client started looking into a renewable heating solution, with a vision for a more contemporary, environmentally friendly method of heating his home.
The house already has PV Solar panels to help supplement the hot water which our client had invested in previously, and so far, had experienced a positive feedback. He was keen to look at renewable heating having had a background of dealing with eco-friendly products and reading about the future of sustainable influences and products in the market.
His website research led him to the Reina Group, being a local design & installation company with a proven track record in both air & ground source Heat Pumps. His first impression with the Reina Group was a positive one with a meeting arranged on the same day of his first enquiry. The client already had a little understanding of heat pumps but was encouraged about the Reina Group’s in-depth knowledge and experience of heat pumps. “It was all about finding the right system and the right company who were offering a competitive price” commented the client.

Our engineers arrived on site in August and with very little disruption, took out the existing boiler before installing the new Nibe F2040 12kW Heat Pump, taking only a week from start to finish. The client remarked that it was a seamless operation and how courteous, tidy and professional our engineers were throughout the installation.
The heat pump unit is fixed onto the rear wall of the property and does not ruin the aesthetic image of the maintained patio and garden area. There was a soft hum coming from the unit which was no noisier than a fridge which cannot be heard if you were sitting out in the garden area. The SMO 20 control panel for the Nibe heat pump was housed in a small downstairs cupboard, neatly installed, together with all the house, alarm controls & electrical circuit boards. The large cylinder is accommodated into a narrow cupboard in one of the bedrooms, completely out of sight and not impacting on any of the living space.
The Solar PV array was left connected to supplement the HW demand through an Immersun solar power diverter, heating the water through the cylinder’s immersion.

Since the installation of the heat pump the house is kept to a nice comfortable temperature of 21° throughout the day. The house boasts a large open plan kitchen/living area, with a large lounge off the entrance hall, with heat generated from the underfloor heating.
Upstairs is kept at a perfect temperature with radiators in all bedrooms. The client is now reaping the benefits of living in an energy efficient home and getting used to this lifestyle change, living with a comfortable temperature all the time instead of surges of heat twice daily, when the heating came
on, with his old system. In addition the client installed an electric towel rail in the bathroom upstairs to dry damp towels which is a great solution for this purpose.
The client has calculated his usage of electricity with the new Heat Pump system, with his initial findings from Sept – Oct using only £5.30 of electricity daily for the whole house. He estimates a figure of £1600 a year, a huge saving from his existing utility bills.
The client is taking full advantage of the RHI, government incentive scheme available to homeowners installing renewable energy heating systems. An online application whereby our team guides the client through, to ensure clarity and completion without any stress.
The client estimates that on the figures he has collected so far, he expects to have recovered his initial installation costs within 6 years.

Bumpers Oast sits in the heart of the Kent countryside, standing proud, with a cluster of 3 classic brick-built Oast Houses. The Oast buildings are Timber Framed with smooth circular wall interior and curved bricklaying, curved walls and a detailed tiling pattern.
Internally, the central roundel is open to the roof offering a spectacular open plan interior. The 3 of the 4 bedrooms, each occupying a roundel of it’s own with a separate curved staircase to a mezzanine floor. Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, finished with micro-cement walls and floors.
On the ground floor, the house is largely open plan, having a polished concrete floor with Under Floor Heating throughout, installed by the Reina Group.

We installed a 12kW Thermia Ground Source Heat Pump with 600 metres of pipe buried in the area adjacent the property. Considering the open plan and high ceilings of all three Oasts the heat pump will be able to provide enough constant heat and a constant supply hot water.

This was a spectacular project for The Reina Group. Having visited the property in the early stages of the build, we recommended a Ground Source heat pump primarily because the property sat on plenty of flat land, perfect for laying horizontal loops which are buried in the garden. The heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid in the loops, which is then passed through a compressor that raises it to a higher temperature and as a result water is heated ready to be distributed around the property for heating and hot water.

A stunning property in Aldington, Kent having been occupied by the same owner for over 60 years. The interior of the 34 roomed Georgian house was like a scene out of Pride & Prejudice with many of the original features still apparent.
The original heating system was a combined Trianco air source heat pump connected to oil central heating. Due to the size of the property and inefficiency of the old heat pump, the current heating system did not work effectively and with oil prices inflating yearly, heating costs were expensive reaching over £3600 per annum.

Our initial recommendations were to install a Ground Source Heat pump, as the house had a large field at the back of the house, perfect to accommodate the underground looped pipes, although on closer examination having to run through an orchard. It was also suggested that larger radiators were installed in each room to improve the heat output, irrespective of heat source.
After further discussions and recommendations took place it was agreed to install a Nibe ASHP using the oil heating as a backup, when outside temperatures drop below 7 degrees. The client was keen to keep the original radiators to experiment and see if the Nibe ASHP worked effectively, using only the oil boiler as a backup, in cases of extreme cold weather. So far, the oil boiler has not been used, however mild weather may have influenced this. The client expects that the true test will come, during the extreme weather conditions.

Installation was smooth and fluid leaving our customer with a satisfied impression of the Reina Group. He praised the experienced and professional workmanship of our Heat Pump Engineer. “The complete installation process was slick and well-done, I was particularly impressed by the removal of the old water tank and HP, which was successfully recycled, locally”.
In the first quarter the client's experience is encouraging with the economical view that his hot water and heating has cost in the region of £450 with no oil being used. The HP has consumed 3033 kWhrs and produced 9548 kWhr which provides a staggering 3/1 plus output.
The client has also applied for The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which is a Government initiative offering a tariff payment each year, for a set period.
The RHI will be paid to the client and calculated at a set rate per unit of renewable heat produced (kWh) for seven years. For air source heat pumps (ASHP) the rate tariff was 10.49p /kWhr but has subsequently increased to 10.71p
On reflection the client could not speak more highly of his experience with the Reina Group “The Reina Group appear to be courteous but cautious”. His only criticism being the RHI paperwork was a little difficult to understand and was rather lengthy. The Reina Group ensured that help was available, and all paperwork submitted was correct.

A bespoke four unit development of duplex and triplex luxury apartments, which achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3.

Each apartment had individually installed Daikin Altherma 6KW air to water heat pumps, providing heating and hot water. The heating distribution method, combined modern under floor heating to the ground floor with a traditional radiator system to all upper floors. All the bathrooms were fitted with a towel rail, with a separate heating circuit, enabling a higher temperature for towel warming. Hot water was provided via a 200 litre unvented cylinder.

MCS mechanical design; UFH installation; heating and plumbing installation; code for sustainable homes consultancy; SAP assessment; air testing; sound testing and electrical control wiring.

A 400m2, three storey state of the art dwelling, built to modern methods of construction, which included an indoor heated pool.

The main part of the dwelling is fitted with a Nibe Fighter 1330 22kW ground source heat pump, which draws energy via a 6 x 100m bore-hole matrix.

The energy sourced from the ground is stored within a 200 litre buffer vessel for heating distribution, within a under floor heating system, set in the floor screed to the ground and first floor. The second floor benefits from an Uponor Unipipe system 12 (15mm floating floor panels combining a 12mm pipe due to height restrictions). The hot water is provided via a 500 litre VPAS cylinder linked to solar collectors.

A Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system was installed throughout, which complemented the designed low air permeability of the building. The MVHR system incorporated comfort cooling to all bedrooms, which utilised an existing ducting system.

The Swimming Pool is heated continually by an additional Nibe Fighter 22kW ground source heat pump, which draws energy from 6 x100 meter bore holes. This energy is then distributed to a 200litre buffer.

Mechanical design; UFH design & installation; plumbing and heating installation; heat pump installation; sanitary-ware Installation; electrical control wiring; mechanical ventilation and heat recovery installation; borehole header pipe-work and external manifold installation.

Renovated pre 1900’s building incorporating a new build extension. The four bedroom property consisted of an en suite and two bathrooms.

A Nibe Fighter 1145-12 Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) has been installed which extracts energy from the ground via 2x 81meter vertical ground collectors (borehole). The heat produced from the GSHP is distributed via a 200litre buffer vessel. This is connected to an underfloor heating system, supplying heat to the new extension in the home and designer low temperature radiators to the original building. It also heats a 300litre unvented hot water cylinder which incorporates a secondary hot water pump allowing instant hot water at the hot tap in the building.
The plant room is located in the garage which is situated away from the main building and is connected via uponor ecoflex which is a flexible, pre-insulated piping system. This allows for minimal heat loss from the plant room to the home.

MCS mechanical design & heat pump installation; mechanical ventilation heat recovery installation; underfloor heating installation; heating and plumbing installation;

Development of 8nr homes comprising of a mixture of 3 and 2 bed houses and flats.

8nr Danfoss highly efficient DHP L Opti Pro 6KW Ground Source Heat Pumps. The energy is drawn via vertical boreholes located in the rear gardens at a depth of 70M. Energy is stored for use within a compact 90litre buffer vessel, which is pumped around the heating system. Multiple zones supply Uponor Unipipe under floor heating to the ground floor and traditional radiators to the first floor. Hot water is distributed via a high efficiency fabdeck 170litre unvented cylinder.

MCS design & heat pump installation; mechanical design and installation; under-floor heating; mechanical ventilation with heat recovery; rainwater goods design and installation; SAP calculations; air and sound testing.

4 Bedroom bespoke house with 2 en-suites and 2 bathrooms.

A Daikin Altherma Split single phase system was installed with the outdoor unit fitted 15 meters from the main house on the outside of the garage. The Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) provides heating to the home via zoned Underfloor Heating and Hot water via a 300litre Unvented Cylinder.

MCS mechanical design & heat pump installation; mechanical ventilation heat recovery system; under floor heating installation; plumbing installation.

3 Bedroom bespoke house with 1 en suite and 2 bathrooms.

A Mitsubishi Ecodan W85 monobloc single phase system was installed. The Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) provides heating to the home via zoned underfloor heating to the ground floor, radiators to the first floor and hot water via a 250litre unvented cylinder.

MCS mechanical design & heat pump installation; underfloor heating installation; heating and plumbing installation.

Renovated pre 1900’s building. The four bedroom property consisted of two bathrooms.

A Danfoss DHP-H 12 Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) has been installed which extracts energy from the ground via 2x 250meter horizontal ground collectors. The heat produced from the GSHP is distributed via a 210litre buffer vessel. This is connected to a combination of underfloor heating and oversized radiators to the building. It also heats a 180litre unvented hot water cylinder which incorporates a secondary hot water pump allowing instant hot water at the hot tap in the building. This integrated into the heat pump to maximise space.

MCS mechanical design & heat pump installation; underfloor heating installation.

A 330m2 two storey 4/5 bed timber framed new build dwelling

A full room by room heat loss calculation undertaken by Reina Group to determine space heating load of the dwelling. The altitude & location was taken into consideration when calculating the 330m2 units heat loss of 34W/m2.

The client had requested a combination of underfloor heating (UFH) on ground floor with radiator emitters to 1st floor (design & sized by Reina Group) and the position of the air source heat pump (ASHP) to be sited adjacent to the back door as shown in picture.

A 16kW Daikin Altherma ERLQ016CV3 was installed along with a 300 litre Joule hot water cylinder

Completed the 1st & 2nd fix mechanical installation working hand in hand with principal main contractor and wanted to share the clients feedback he left on Checkatrade below

Full fix on a large new build and installation of air source heat pump.

Tidiness: 10

Reliability: 10

Average: 10

Courtesy: 10

Workmanship: 10

Great company - I needed a complete fit out for a very large new build. I didn't want to use a heating company that were too large and 'corporate' as the price can get out of control but with Reina Group Ltd I found they had all the skills and experience in house to do a high-quality job. Very neat, and they use specialist materials for a better installation which I feel I can rely on. They also helped me with some second fix work and I understand my principal builder (highly experienced) has now asked them to take on their next new build project. Honestly - Reina Group Ltd were excellent!