An Aerona³ air source heat pump, Grant Solar Thermal system and DuoWave cylinder are now supplying the heating and hot water for a new build in West Wales, demonstrating the ease with which Grant’s efficient heating technologies can work together.
In early 2016, Dan Evans started the project of building his new family home. When selecting the right choice of home heating for the new build, Dan was clear about what he wanted. “As a plumbing and heating engineer, I wanted the best products on the market,” Dan writes. “I also wanted something that I would be confident to install and comfortable with using on a daily basis.”
Dan’s company, D J Evans Plumbing and Heating, are members of the Grant G-One Accredited Installer Scheme. Being part of this network, Dan is not only able to offer extended guarantees on the Grant products that he installs but he is also trained on those heating technologies. Striving to deliver a green build, Dan wanted to install renewable appliances so the decision was made to fit a Grant Aerona³ air source heat pump with a solar thermal system and cylinder set up as well.
The Grant Aerona³ is an inverter driven air source heat pump which is available in three outputs from 6kW up to 16kW. For Dan’s property, a 10kW model was installed which is compact in size, has simple plumbing and electrical connections, and incorporates a high efficiency plate heat exchanger. The Grant Aerona³ has greater operating efficiencies at lower external temperatures with superior SCOP values giving Dan and his family the peace of mind that the product is working as efficiently as possible throughout the year.
Alongside the Aerona³ heat pump, a Grant Solar Thermal system was also installed at this new build. A two panel in-roof solar thermal kit was selected which comprises of Sahara collectors, the roof mounting system, an expansion vessel, pump station, control panel, pipe connections, and solar fluid. Through the supply of these kits, Grant has made solar thermal as straightforward as possible.
The installation of Grant Solar collectors set into the roof tiles delivers a low-profile appearance on the build. The roof surface beneath the panels is closed within an aluminum weathering cassette which incorporates the flashings and drainage channels. For new builds, such as Dan’s, this mounting option can reduce roofing costs because tiles are not required beneath the installation.
To complete the installation, a Grant DuoWave cylinder was fitted which brings together the technologies. Grant’s heat pump cylinder range are Duplex stainless steel models which can be used either alongside heat pumps on their own (MonoWave cylinders) or with two combined technologies such as a heat pump and solar thermal (DuoWave cylinders). For Dan’s home, a 300litre Grant DuoWave model was installed, an unvented indirect cylinder which incorporates a larger primary coil for quicker heat transference.
The combination of these three Grant products not only made the installation simple to complete but, looking to the future, they will also ensure that Dan’s heating system works as efficiently as possible with each appliance designed to complement the other technologies. Dan continues, “I am satisfied with the installation side of the products as well as being happy with the products’ efficiencies and running costs.”
Furthermore, Dan is also able to benefit from the Government’s RHI payments after installing these renewable technologies. The Aerona³ heat pumps are MCS approved and Grant’s Solar Thermal systems are Solar Keymark approved, making them both eligible for RHI. Dan installed these products earlier this year and completed the installation as part of Grant UK’s G-Cert Scheme.
Launched in 2017, G-Cert is a new scheme through which Grant can certify renewable installations for MCS accreditation on behalf of the installer, ensuring that MCS compliant installation standards are achieved without the installing engineer having to operate a MCS quality management system. Since joining G-Cert, Dan is already benefitting from the advantages this scheme can offer. “Installing through the Grant UK G-Cert Scheme has made MCS compliance more achievable from an installer’s perspective,” Dan writes. “Through G-Cert, I can work on and supply MCS compliant installations enabling my customers to access RHI payments if they wish.”
Dan’s first happy customer under G-Cert is his family! They will be claiming the RHI while also enjoying many years of reliable, sustainable home heating. Dan concludes, “Our house is a four bedroom detached property with two adults and two messy boys living in it. It is great to have three products, all from one manufacturer, which are easy to use. I also know that Grant has an excellent support team who are there if we ever need them.”
