Existing Heating System:
Oil central heating
Technology Installed:
- Kensa Evo Ground Source Heat Pump
- Replacement Radiators
Funding Used:
- Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Location:
Cambridgeshire
Case Study:
Our Eco conscious customer Malcolm contacted us with a keen interest in replacing his traditional oil fired heating system with a ground source heat pump. Malcolm agrees with the mantra “stop burning stuff” for all the reasons given and was excited to see if we could design a system to meet his goals which were to have a property with very low running costs as well as high efficiency
The up-front capital cost was slightly less of a concern for Malcolm, as he could achieve running cost benefits. He had already taken steps to generate his own energy by having a solar photovoltaic system installed along with a Powerwall, enabling him to benefit from storing his own electricity.
Malcolm compared ground source to air source – he was keen to have low running costs and was attracted to the higher efficiency of the ground source system over air source. This being particularly true in the colder months of the year, when heating is in greater demand. When Malcolm made his decision to go ahead with the installation, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme was reasonably favourable to a ground source installation over air source.
Malcolm opted for a borehole installation (which is a vertical ground array used to extract heat energy from the ground to a ground source heat pump). Once we found the right contractor (Onsen Energy), things ran very smoothly and although there was a considerable opportunity for significant mess, things were actually controlled reasonably well.
When we asked Malcolm how he was finding his new eco-friendly heating system, Malcolm proudly commented “the system seems to run quietly and efficiently, there is always hot water and the house is always at a nice stable temperature. The heat pump seems to do this competently, despite being rather smaller in heat output capacity than the oil boiler it replaced. We use the EvoHome control system and so have independent control of the temperature of every room in the house and this works very well for us.”
If you are looking to start your renewable journey and are considering a ground source heat pump, Malcolm helpful has some advice for you.
“There are good contractors and there are bad contractors, take great care in choosing a good contractor that will suit your requirements and work with you to find the right solution. From talking to a number of potential contractors you will get to know more about the subject and find out about a greater range of options that will help you make the best choices for your installation. Beware the contractor who comes in and instantly knows what will suit your house best – they may be right but the chances are they are offering what they know best. After speaking to several possible contractors you will know about options and also know which contractors you are most likely to get along with, their styles (and prices) vary a lot. If you choose to go for a ground source installation, you must expect severe disruption before the goal is achieved.
For a new build a ground source can make good sense, however for a refit to an existing home there is more reason to be aware and accommodating of such disruption to avoid anxiety, also, not having to look at oil pricing is a major boost to one’s health!”
Testimonial:
The Eco Installer team were excellent. They were interested in our project and stuck with it to get us up and running in the nick of time before the RHI scheme changed. We were very impressed with the quality of the work and in the most part every member of staff had very high standards they worked to so the installation was not only functional but an aesthetic work of art. We would also recommend Onsen Energy as contractors in this field.
