Cost Effective Heating – A story of a Reina Group Heat Pump Installation
The Background
An unloved 1950’s semi detached property is being restored to its former glory merging period features and modern day technologies to create a new home for its owners.
10 Church Road, in the leafy Kent village of Grafty Green, was spotted for sale by property restoration couple Matt Bridges and Peter Dann and within a matter of days their offer was accepted on this new property.
Critical to the success of the restoration – perhaps even more important than aesthetic improvements – was the need to install a complete heating system; the property was ‘heated’ entirely by a single coal fire and, furthermore, had no access to mains gas supply due to its rural location.
As part of the sourcing process the owners wished to commission the most economical, sustainable system possible and after considerable research concluded that a NIBE Air Source Heat Pump would deliver all of the heating and hot water requirements for the property and deliver a strong financial return on investment.
Reina Group Ltd were commissioned to install the heat pump with Matt and Peter managing costs by utilising their own skill base installing radiators and pipework throughout the property. They did this in line with advice from Reina as to the pipe diameters, size / output and location of the radiators to ensure maximum efficiencies were attained.
A full heat loss survey of the property was also conducted by Reina Group with staggering results – the drafty property was spectacularly inefficient and had previously received the lowest EPC rating possible.
As a result, room and roof insulation has been installed to meet the RHI criteria – before there was none at all, with two of the bedrooms having only a thin layer of plaster and a leaky roof between them and the elements. The 1950’s Crittall windows provided no protection or warmth and have been replaced by ‘A’ rated Argon filled double glazed windows. Combined, this has elevated the property from EPC rating of ‘G’ to ‘C’ or above.
Solution
“A NIBE Air Source Heat Pump provided the ideal solution for Church Road’s heating and hot water requirements and would deliver cost savings over other solutions such as Oil or LPG as well as supporting the drive to specify more sustainable domestic energy solutions in the UK,” said Peter Graham, Director at Reina Group. “NIBE has established itself as one of the premier renewable energy product manufacturers and we are finding that they are one of the most efficient and reliable systems that we currently specify. We have a strong relationship with our area sales representative and we work together to ensure renewable heating systems are specified to each clients requirements. Our engineers also have regular training from NIBE which gives them knowledge and confidence to install and maintain the systems. We were completely confident that this sustainable energy system would support Matt and Peter’s needs for their latest renovation project.”
A NIBE F2040 8kW Air Source Heat Pump was commissioned along with a SMO 20 control panel which allowed Matt and Peter to monitor the performace of the system with information easily assimilated including status of the system, operating time and temperatures in an easy to read display.
Results
Air Source Heat Pumps work by absorbing heat from the outside air through the system and can operate effectively at temperatures as low as -20°C meaning it can be relied upon across the seasons to provide regular and consistent performance giving homeowners control over costs and efficiencies.
In this instance, the property owners worked with Reina Group Ltd– a NIBE VIP Installer – to ensure a seamless system installation which they in part did themselves. Reina Group played a significant part in offering technical advice and connected the air to water system to the pump during installation. It took just three days for Reina Group to install and commission the system which was straightforward and posed no complications.The particular pump used in this installation is also available in 8kW, 12kW and 16kW all of which enjoy a A*** energy rating.
Testimonial
Matt Bridges, property owner commented; “Quite simply we are thrilled with every element of this process from working with Reina Group, the quality of the product and the performance and heat we now enjoy from this fantastic system. Installing a renewable heat system has breathed life into this old unloved property, and has played a huge part in our renovation plans. We have also completed the RHI (Renewable Heat Incentive) registration now and it was quick & easy to do using the information pack you gave us. We fully expect that they will exceed our installation costs and deliver a more cost effective monthly energy bill than LPG systems that our neighbours in the village currently use.
Our renovations will retain original features whilst making the property entirely suited for modern life ensuring it is sustainable, energy efficient and a wonderful home for us and future generations. Indeed, we are that fond of this property that we may choose to call this one our home, rather than renovate, sell and move onto a new project. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Reina Group and a NIBE Air Source Heat Pump as a fantastic and reliable way of achieving a renewable energy system for domestic homes across the UK and are delighted to have already welcomed potential NIBE and Reina Group customers to our home for them to see the system and discuss each aspect of it with us.”