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oil supply and the result is a much cleaner,
greener source of heating and hot water to serve
all of a property’s needs, however large.
To get the maximum benefit from a heat pump
Renewable Option
though it is essential to ensure the property is as
well insulated as possible to get the maximum
Sally Moore, Managing Director of ECO Heat Pumps in
Coefficiency of Performance. (CoP)
Sheffield, looks at the reasons why architects are increasingly
Many building designers, specialising in the
renovation of listed properties and design of
specifying heat pumps for more remote properties. sustainable buildings, are advocates of heat
pump technology.
omes that are off the beaten track The downside with oil fired boilers is that they are They see the heat source as one of the most vital
have always provided more of a a very expensive method of heating a home. elements of a building’s design as it is so vital to
challenge, especially when it What can make this worse is that many remote the comfort of the occupants and to the running
comes to supply of mains services. properties are listed buildings, where double costs of the building.
HMore often than not, they require glazing isn’t an option, which makes the need for Rising fuel costs mean that the cost to operate
their own energy source and this can be an effective, affordable heat source even an oil fire boiler for a stand alone country
expensive to install and more importantly, more important. residence can now be over £5,000 per year.
expensive to run. In the past, it was generally Despite these factors, country properties and Research has shown that for this type of property,
accepted that the benefits of living in an unspoiled, listed buildings are very much in demand and the payback time for a heat pump can be 4-5
rural environment, could be outweighed by the purchasing a property off the beaten track has years, which also explains why heat pumps are
high cost of having an individual energy source. never been more attractive as a way to escape the becoming so popular for this sector of the market.
Gas is largely unavailable to remote properties, oil daily grind. However, over the past five years, Heat pumps work most efficiently with
fired boilers are a common choice, otherwise the interesting developments have been taking place. underfloor heating, but can be used with radiators
alternative is coal fires, which can be inconvenient Architects and building designers have as well. Heating a home through a heat pump
to run. recognised that heat pumps offer a more involves a completely different approach to
sustainable energy source. In terms of energy heating than with a conventional gas or oil boiler.
efficiency, research has shown that heat pumps The ECO Heat Pump works by using a Weather
are typically around 400 per cent efficient Compensated computerised control system.
compared to a conventional boiler, which offers This way a stable temperature is maintained
around 90 per cent efficiency. In other words, for throughout the house, across the day.
every unit of electricity used to drive a heat pump With traditional heating systems a timer controls
system, it creates four units of heat output. when the system switches on and off, thus
When you compare this to a conventional allowing the property to cool down and then
boiler which contributes 0.9 units of warm up again. This can have a detrimental effect
heat for every one unit of energy on the fabric of the building.
used, it just shows how efficient they Many people believe heat pumps to be a
really are. radical new technology, when in fact they have
Heat pumps use the energy from the been widely used throughout Europe for over
earth’s natural heat store underneath 40 years. A heat pump works by driving a
the ground, a nearby lake or simply refrigerant around a circuit that contains an
from the air outside. There is no evaporator, compressor, condenser and
need for connections to any gas or Continued on page 37
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