Client - Heat pump in Kent – Sunspot, Dungerness
The homeowner of Sunspot was eager to change his current heating system and took full advantage of the Retrofit offer available, which is part of the OVO Energy scheme. 250 homeowners have been selected to take part in a Zero Carbon Heat Trial which aims to demonstrate how OVO Energy can swap fossil fuels for cleaner, cheaper, easier to use heating that is powered by renewable electricity. Part of the trial will learn about how renewable heating such as Heat Pumps work in practice as part of a smart, flexible energy system – from install to use and maintenance – to accelerate the evolution of low carbon heat technologies and get them to market scale faster.
Sunspot is situated just yards from the sea in Dungerness, Kent and is a three-bedroom modern chalet-style cottage. The building itself has been beautifully designed using exposed wood giving the appearance of a Scandinavian style interior. Sunspot is a perfect place to live offering a relaxed haven in the midst of a beautiful and natural location. The property was originally heated by an oil boiler and heat from a wood burning stove in the living area, with radiators heating the other rooms. Although, it was a new type boiler it regularly broke down. The client was eager to move away from the oil burning for heating down to something more sustainable and less polluting.
The Reina engineers arrived on site in January and with very little disruption, took out the existing oil boiler before installing a Daikin Altherma 11kW Monobloc Heat Pump, taking only a week from start to finish. The Daikin Altherma Heat Pump was the best fit solution for this type of property offering a constant efficient and more comfortable heat. The heat pump unit is fixed onto the rear wall of the property and does not ruin the aesthetic image of the rustic approach to the cottage.
The Daikin control panel for the heat pump was situated in a small cupboard where the original cylinder was housed, completely out of sight and not impacting on any of the living space.
Since the installation of the heat pump the house is kept to a nice comfortable temperature of 21° throughout the day. The house boasts an open plan living and comfortable lounge area with a Kitchen just off this room. 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. “The communication was good. Retrofit & The Reina Group kept me informed on the various stages and were extremely helpful. The installation was very tidy and the level of heating in my home has exceeded my expectations”. Commented the client.
What can be achieved with the OVO Energy – Zero Carbon Heat Trial?
Well 250 participants installed with renewable heat + energy efficiency upgrades, demonstrating innovations to overcome large scale deployment of heat pumps. Also, invaluable insights into customers behaviour and collecting data relating to the optimisation of heat pumps can be gained. Ultimately lessons learned in the practicalities of surveying properties, specifying energy efficiency measures, and installing zero-carbon heating solutions.
