Based in Newbury, Berkshire, Howard Porter founded Polgate Ltd some 35 years ago. Formerly a Chartered Surveyor, he saw the opportunity to start his own company and has never looked back, developing mainly new build residential and commercial properties within around 25 miles of Newbury. Here we speak to Howard to gain his point of view on the Grant Aerona³ heat pump.
“After working as a surveyor, I realised I could manage the whole process of development,” explains Howard. “I have been very lucky, especially when the recession of 1989 struck. We have seen many changes in the years we have been operating, particularly on legislation and the requirements around sustainability.”
Howard is currently managing a development of four homes - two four bedroom cottages, which are complete, a stunning new barn, which is a month or so away from completion, and a large Georgian farmhouse, soon to be started. All the properties are finished to an extremely high standard, which Polgate strives to maintain.
“It took around five years to get the current planning resolved, but you look at the site now and it makes perfect sense,” explains Howard. “The courtyard setting of the cottages is very private, and the whole site will soon be landscaped and the boundary soft screened with natural hedging, Holme Oak and many other specimen trees.”
Howard’s other projects include the conversion of a Listed, recently working, smithy in St Mary Bourne, Hampshire. It was designed to successfully combine the history of the village, along with a contemporary feel. This included a Grant oil fired heating system, complimented with Grant solar thermal panels for the Smithy conversion, with air source heat pumps utilised on the new builds.
Sustainability has been central to the build in Whittonditch, with renewable energy chosen for the properties’ central heating coupled with high levels of insulation well above Building Regulation Standards.
Aerona³ inverter driven air source heat pumps along with Grant’s Monowave high performance cylinders, specifically designed to complement the heat pump to increase the system’s overall efficiency, have been specified for the site. Downstairs, the properties have by design underfloor heating with radiators installed upstairs.
“Grant really helped us with the heating system’s design and we had extra peace of mind thanks to their willingness to work in partnership with us,” explains Howard. “That included Grant providing a customer handover for the heat pump, which explains how it all works and how to use it.”
The Aerona³, is available in single phase models from 6kW to 16kW. It incorporates a number of clever features which enable it to be extremely efficient, even when the external temperatures drop to -20°C. MCS approved, these heat pumps not only deliver greener home heating for householders, but they are also user-friendly for engineers to install and maintain.
Uncomplicated to install, the Aerona³ incorporates a common S-plan which minimises the number of alterations the installing engineer needs to make to the existing pipework. The simplified electrics, consisting of a 3-core cable for the wiring centre and a 2-core flex for the controller, also make for a straightforward installation. Furthermore, the Aerona³ incorporates an integrated HE pump which saves time and space. By not having to add an external pump, the plumber saves time on the pipework and the electrician saves time because there is no need to wire in an external pump.
“We ran the heat pumps for a couple of weeks in the cottages before the customer moved in to make sure the system was working well, and there have been no problems at all,” says Howard. “For the farmhouse I am considering, with Grant, the VortexAir Hybrid for the heating system.”
The Grant VortexAir Hybrid combines the innovative VortexBlue oil-fired boiler with an Aerona³ inverter driven air source heat pump. It has been designed to maximise overall system efficiency, with the use of advanced control systems. These automatically monitor the system temperatures and the unit will seamlessly switch to the most cost effective heating mode. This means that the owners are never without heat and are futureproofed against unknown energy costs.
We leave Howard as he manages the build on the barn. With his attention to detail we are sure this beautiful property will not be on the market for long!
To read a step-by-step about one of these heat pump installations, please click here.