Simon Bamford, who lives just outside Lisburn in Northern Ireland, approached Danfoss two years ago, as he was carrying out a major refurbishment of his dormer bungalow, including adding a one bedroom extension. This would mean the house had a lower carbon footprint and he hoped would make it more affordable to run.
Danfoss referred him onto Daly Renewables, the company's approved installer based in Northern Ireland, to advise on the feasibility of a heat pump for his four bedroom home, which was built in the late 1980s.
Mr Bamford had considered a biomass boiler and air source heat pumps to replace his oil fired boiler, but Daly Renewables advised him that a ground source heat pump would be the best option when taking into account the size of property. He also had land available for ground loops to be laid in trenches outside his home.
Daly Renewables carried out an in-depth survey of the building and sized and specified a 10kW system.
Simon Bamford said: "We would never go back to oil now we have a heat pump. The comfort level is so much better than with an oil fired system, when you are constantly having to turn it off and on during the day to try and keep your energy bills down. We now have the heating on all the time for less than half the price!"
The installation itself took just a couple of days, as Simon Bamford explained: "We were really pleased with Daly Renewables' knowledge of how the system works, as well as their first class installation, which they completed really quickly. They worked really well with the other trades on site and delivered exactly what they set out to do."
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Mr Bamford had planned to back up whatever heating system he chose with a woodburning stove in his living area.
Ryan at Daly Renewables advised that this would be great as a room feature but wouldn’t be necessary to supplement the heat, as the heat pump would provide enough heating for the whole house to 21o. He also recommended that Mr Bamford had underfloor heating fitted, as this would make the heat pump more efficient.
Simon Bamford continued: "We find the heat pumps really easy to use. Daly Renewables showed us how to operate the heat curve and explained in simple terms how the system worked. Once we had found a comfortable temperature, we have never had to adjust the controls since."
Daly Renewables laid the 600m ground loop, which supplies the heat pump, in a horizontal configuration in 1.2m deep trenches. The Danfoss DHP-L Opti is ideal for use in low ceilings, due to its compact design.
Danfoss' Opti technology incorporates an intelligent control system that via speed controlled circulation pumps ensures that the performance is always adjusted to the prevailing requirements and conditions of the heating system. This makes the heat pump always work under the most ideal conditions available, meaning the homeowner gains maximum efficiency with the minimum of energy consumption.
Mr Bamford also chose to fit an air source heat pump cylinder and Kingspan Evacuated Tube Solar System to further optimise energy efficiency in his home.
Mr Bamford benefited from £1,250 of grant funding which helped towards the cost of a heat pump installation. Grants of £3,500 are now available through the Government's Renewable Heating Premium Payment. He also hopes to be able to take advantage of the Government-backed Renewable Heating Incentive payments which are planned to be introduced in Spring 2014.
Chris Dale, Director of Danfoss Ltd, said: "When homeowners are thinking of carrying out renovations these days, heat pumps are becoming an increasingly popular choice. Heat pumps really do make sense for so many people and it is fantastic to hear how Mr Bamford is saving so much money on his heating bills."
In September 2013, Danfoss is celebrating 80 years since the company was founded in Denmark. Since then, the business has grown from a solo enterprise into one of the world's leading suppliers of energy-efficient and innovative solutions, employing a staff of 23,000 and with sales in more than 100 countries.
For more information about Daly Renewables visit their website at www.dalyrenewables.com or telephone 028 9266 7745.
