A Wiltshire farmhouse has updated its heating system, replacing its original heat pump with a Grant Aerona³ air source heat pump which has been installed alongside a QR hot water cylinder. The new heat pump and cylinder were integrated alongside an existing solar thermal system, giving the property’s renewable heating system an upgrade.
The Project
Property: domestic farmhouse
Heat source: air source heat pump
Products installed: Aerona³ 10kW air source heat pump and QR 250ltr Twin Coil cylinder
The owners of a three-bedroom farmhouse, situated in the sixteenth century rural village of Steeple Ashton in Wiltshire, chose a new Grant heat pump to be installed at their property in March this year. The farm has no access to mains gas so when they built the property in 2007, the owners opted straight for a renewable solution for their heating and hot water requirements which comprised of an air source heat pump as well as a Grant solar thermal system and solar PV system.
Direct heat pump replacement
At the beginning of this year, their original heat pump stopped working so the homeowners started researching a heat pump which would directly replace their existing unit. “The previous heat pump had given us years of comfort, but after sixteen years the compressor ceased working, so we decided to upgrade to a newer, more efficient unit,” explains the homeowner. “We know people in our village with Grant heat pumps, so the decision to upgrade to an Aerona³ heat pump was an easy one for us.”
10kW air source heat pump
The homeowner and their installer turned to Grant UK for guidance on specifying the new heat pump system. Stuart McWhinnie from Grant UK initially visited the property to carry out a full room-by-room heat loss calculation and the Design Team then produced a detailed specification list of the products required to fulfill the requirements of this two person occupied home. An Aerona³ 10kW air source heat pump was selected as the appropriately sized heat pump for the farmhouse, a single fan, compact heat pump unit.
In addition to being highly efficient, the Aerona³ 10kW heat pump model is Connect and Notified approved which allowed the unit to be installed without the installer having to seek prior approval from the DNO (Distribution Network Operators) before installation. Instead, the heat pump could be installed quickly and once commissioned, the DNO was then notified. Being Connect and Notified approved is just one of the reasons why the Aerona³ 10kW unit is a popular choice for so many installers and their customers.
Easy integration with existing solar systems
A key part of this installation was integrating the new heat pump with the existing solar thermal system which was already installed at the property as well as the solar PV system which provides renewable energy. When it was first built, the farmhouse had a two collector Grant Solar Sahara In-roof System fitted as well as a solar PV system which was also supplied by Grant UK at the time. “Our Grant Solar Thermal and PV systems have been great for reducing our energy bills,” explains the homeowner. It was therefore crucial that the new air source heat pump and hot water cylinder could be easily fitted to work alongside the existing systems. If you are interested in finding out more about how our solar thermal system can be combined with renewable technologies and help you reduce your energy bills, read our FAQs to learn more!
Grant Aerona³ heat pump features
All the Aerona³ heat pumps have simplified electrics and are designed to be installed with a common S-plan system, reducing the need to make alterations to existing pipework. Meanwhile, the Quick Recovery 250ltr Twin Coil cylinder which was specified and installed for this installation has facilitated the combining of the existing solar thermal system with the new Aerona³ heat pump. Featuring separate flow and return connections for the solar and heat pump, the QR Twin Coil cylinder incorporates two stainless steel coils which efficiently transfer heat from both systems into the water contents within the cylinder.
The completed installation has left the homeowner very satisfied, and they write, “the support Grant UK has provided so far has been excellent.” Their previous renewable heating system has been upgraded, utilising their existing solar thermal and PV systems while adding a new air source heat pump, cylinder, underfloor heating system and radiators, resulting in the overall efficiency of their system being improved.
Installer’s perspective
The heat pump and cylinder upgrade installation was completed by Rebecca Thursby and Ethan Newbery from Erigo Solar Ltd, G1 installers based in Devizes. This partnership comprises of Rebecca who is a qualified electrician and has a Masters in Engineering and Ethan who is a qualified plumber and a carpenter. “We’ve been installing renewables, such as solar PV and heat pumps, for a few years now but this was the first Grant heat pump we have fitted,” comments Rebecca.
Prior to commencing this installation project, Rebecca completed the two day air source heat pump product training course at Grant UK’s Training Academy in Swindon. “I completed the training so that I could better understand the product and how to fit it,” continues Rebecca. “Following the course, I then joined the G1 installer Scheme so I could offer the longer guarantee of seven years on the Aerona³ heat pumps, something which will give my homeowners peace of mind.”
Reviewing their first Grant heat pump installation, which took four days to complete, both Rebecca and Ethan found working with the Aerona³ unit a positive installation experience. “Both Ethan and I were impressed with the Aerona³ - it is a really compact unit and the technical support we received from the Grant Team during the installation was great,” concludes Rebecca.
Please click here for further information about the Aerona³ air source heat pump range.
