Installer Spotlight : GoEcoRenewables
GoEcoRenewables Case Study 1 : Ground Source Heating added to solar-powered North Yorkshire home
In the picturesque North Yorkshire village of Aldwark one of GoEcoRenewables ’ customers increased his green credentials . So pleased with the performance of the solar panels installed in December 2015 the homeowner felt that his heating system should also make use of the renewable technology available so he contacted the company again to provide a solution .
GoEcoRenewables carried out a full detailed survey and calculated the property ’ s heat loss requirement , took measurements of the surrounding garden and made its recommendations . While the property is enormously well insulated and has top of the range A rated windows , the house is large enough that the 18.8kW heating demand was too much for a single ground source heat pump . The company have dealt with a situation like this many times in the past and were able to design a highly efficient solution using two heat pumps in a cascade system . This means that one of the heat pumps is programmed to be the primary source of heating for the property . If and when the outside temperature becomes too low for that heat pump to cope by itself the other unit fires up to give the heating system
work together with the customer to find out what it is they want to achieve .” When asked to describe the company ’ s most challenging installation to date , he replies : “ Hall House was an 11kw and 8kw Vaillant FlexoTHERM GSHP install in a cascade system with 400m of bore holes , accompanied by Nu-Heat underfloor heating . This was a renovation , which presented challenges bringing new technology into an old house . Access for the drillers to install the bores was challenging , as was retrofitting two heat pumps , a hot water cylinder and buffer into a utility room . “ The underfloor heating was a challenge to ensure the floor was properly prepared for the Nu-Heat liquid screed system . It all worked out in the end .” the boost it needs . This is a highly efficient way of running a heat pump system for a high demand property as it means that the system is always only using as much energy as it really needs . The System Heating : 1 x 11kW & 1 x 8kW Vaillant GeoTherm Ground Source Heat Pump with 500 litre buffer cylinder . Hot Water : 300 Litre Joule heat pump compatible cylinder
The property is a village which is not connected to the gas grid so our customer was switching from an oil
Future vision Looking forward to 2017 , Chris describes the company focus : “ We still see us working in the retrofit market but we are establishing good links with developers and architects to install renewable technology to new-build properties . “ These properties are ideal for renewable technology , especially heat pumps with the good insulation levels and underfloor heating . 2017 will also see us develop more of our light commercial projects , such as office blocks , schools and public buildings .” The future aim is to grow the business to install 60-plus installations – double this year ’ s tally – while maintaining a constant emphasis on quality and the customer . Chris also speaks of the ambition to keep working with likeminded architects
central heating system to a system which does not require fuel level monitoring , is no longer subject to the vast , unpredictable fluctuations in price or the potential pitfalls of fuel delivery . The Project The homeowner was lucky enough to have vast open space behind his home which meant installing the ground loops was very straight forward . The ground source heat pump system required 5 x 250m lopped trenches to be dug and with the help of colleague Will
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and developers who place renewable technology at the heart of their ethos .
The energy storage answer Both Chris and John remain unsure about the advantages of providing energy storage systems because they don ’ t yet believe they represent value for money . Chris explains : “ We prefer to direct customers towards something called a solar I-boost , which in essence is an immersion diverter . It directs any excess solar PV gain through the immersion in the hot water cylinder and provides free hot water . It depends on the usage of hot water and on spare PV gain , but typically it can do your hot water from April through to September and saves between £ 100- and £ 150 per annum for a cost of £ 450 .”
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