Greenact oak house

Experts in Renewable Energy, Design & Installation

Case study - Oak House

Barn-style new home uses hybrid heating system for minimal running costs Project Overview Alan & Alison Lamb wanted to create a new home on the site of an old barn. The project would give them large open living areas, with spectacular views of the countryside, where they worked.

Client

Alan and Alison Lamb

Location

Lutterworth, Leicestershire

Sector

Domestic new build

Project Details

The new dwelling is in a rural area and initially the local planning authority was reluctant to grant permission.

However, exemplary use of renewable technologies and sustainability convinced them that this would have a minimal impact, and planning permission was granted.

GreenACT was retained in support of the planning application, to quantify the low impact on the environment and which green technologies could be adopted within the specification of the property.

Following on from the successful application, GreenACT was commissioned to design and install the systems, running through to MCS Certification.

The project was selected as “Finalist” in 3 national awards in 2013 – Heat Pump Association; Energy Efficiency Awards; Heating and Ventilation Association.

Waverley House, 70 Binswood Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV32 5RY

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Feasibility Assessment

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Energy & Sustainability Statement / Planning Application Ground Source Heat Pump Air Source Heat Pump

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Solar Thermal - hot water Solar PV - electricity

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Underfloor Heating / Room Heating

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Grant / Incentive Scheme Support

08455 33 32 31

hello@GreenACT.co.uk

Customer requirements

Room heating is provided by a Viessmann 200-G ground-source heat pump, with heat collected from a pair of vertical boreholes. This constant source of heat enables the heart pump to reach the highest levels of efficiency.

Initially, Alan & Alison were novices in their understanding of renewable technologies and essentially viewed them as a means to an end – a way of securing planning permission.

However, as we explained the benefits and the ways these technologies could easily be adopted, they greatly warmed to the idea.

The heat pump is sized to provide all of the heat for most of the year. On the coldest days, the Vitodens 200-W gas boiler is brought on-line to provide a top-up to the heating system, ensuring that comfort levels are maintained.

They wanted to have a warm home, hot water and minimal running costs.

The prospect of financial assistance, from the Renewable Heat Premium Payment and ultimately the Renewable Heat Incentive, convinced them that the outline scheme would not only provide the comfort levels they wanted but would also be a sound financial investment.

What we did The heating system was one of the first of its kind in the UK, bringing in a approach used more widely in mainland Europe.

The hybrid heat system uses three heat sources to provide room heating and hot water; seamlessly linked to use the lowest cost source at any given time.

Crucial to this system is the separation of room heating from the production of hot water.

On sunny days, water is heated by a Vitosol 200-T solar thermal system on the main roof. A small gas boiler provides back-up and fast recovery times, if required. This maintains a tank of hot water at 60C, which a heat pump would not reach economically.

Reducing the size of the heat pump and its collector effectively ‘paid for’ the gas boiler.

This neat arrangement optimised heating and hot water production without any increase in capital expenditure.

The open-plan living areas and bedrooms are heated by underfloor heating. On the ground-floor, this is set into screed, whereas the first floor rooms use a novel ‘overlay’ system which is installed above the structural wooden floor, with either ceramic tiles or engineered wood floor coverings laid directly on top.

Each room is maintained as a separate ‘zone’, allowing its temperature to be controlled independently of all the others.

Both heat pump and solar thermal systems have been credited with RHPP payments.

Furthermore, they are eligible for RHI payments estimated at £3,600 pa for 7 years, when that scheme goes live in due course.

“Rarely is there one technology which provides all the benefits.

Hybrid Heating offers an attractive way of combining the best features of several technologies in a single system” Peter Leith - GreenACT Ltd

GreenACT Ltd Waverley House, 70 Binswood Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV32 5RY Company registered in England 6867210

For more information please contact us:

Tel: 08455 33 32 31 or Email: hello@GreenACT.co.uk

Please visit: www.greenact.co.uk