Green Lane Farm, Norwich
A stunning new build family home, constructed on the site of a former property, has scooped a top industry award after becoming the first home in the UK to have a triple ground source heat pump system installed to facilitate its heating and hot water requirements. Tonicha Stanbridge, owner of Green Lane Farm, a four bedroom 640 sq metre property in rural Norfolk, was constructed with the aim of being a fully sustainable property and one which would have a renewable heat system Due to it size and interior specification, each of the four main bedrooms have ensuites and a guest annexe boasts a further bathroom, it quickly became evident that this off grid property would need a unique solution. The rendered and brick built property is heated with three NIBE F1245 10kW Ground Source Heat Pumps in a system designd by NIBE VIP Installers R A Brown Heating Services to cope with the unprecedented requirements of the home.
The team at R A Brown worked incredibly closely with the homeowner during the planning, specification and construction of the property to ensure that any changes to the building were filtered through to the heating system design to ensure maximum benefits were delivered. It was the homeowner’s specification to harness the heat from the large amount of land surrounding the property ruling out the option of Air Source Heat Pumps entirely. To further support the renewable and sustainable aspect of the property high quality double glazing was installed, a Mechanincal Ventilation Heat Recovery Unit and Underfloor heating throughout.
The Solution
“Our clients at Green Lane Farm were specific in their desire for a renewable heat system and we worked with them to ensure each of their requirements such as sustainable, easy to operate and maintain, were achieved,” said Richard Brown, R A Brown Heating Services. “An initial site survey showed us that we would be unable to install the system with horizontal collector loops and we therefore specified four boreholes, each 120m deep. These were installed very early in the build stage to ensure access was easy and the main construction work was ready when installation began. The triple heat pump system is configured to work with a master heat pump and two slaves. The main heat pump heats water in the cylinder which is then pumped through the 4200m of pipework for the Underfloor heating system. The heat pump system has been programmed so that one of the three pumps is the master and this works on a rotational basis ensuring even usage of the compressors to ensure equal longevity. The heat pump system has also been linked to a Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) system which provides a high grade of filtration for the air quality in the property. Running at 93% efficiency it also benefits from a Summer by-pass option which provides constant ventilation and ensures warm and humid air does not enter the property therby compromising the quality of the air. It will also reduce CO2 emissions by a firther 16.5% on the heating system emissions.
“The long term benefits to the customer gives them ultimate control over their energy costs for the life span of the system. They will not be subject to fluctuating oil prices and in comparison to an oil fired boiler have been able to reuce their CO2 emissions by over 50% each year,” concluded Richard.
Results
Installation formed part of the new build and was therefore a straightforward process with the R A Brown team making necessary adjustments to the heating system as the build evolved and the client made changes to the original layout. The first NIBE triple heat pump system works seamlessly and delivers ample heating and hot water to the considerably sized property. Coupled with the heat recovery system a healthier environment is delivered eliminating condensation and assisting in lowering the carbon footprint of the property.
CO2 emissions are less than half – an oil fire boiler would emit 95,569kg Co2 whilst this ground source heat pump system emits just 46, 135 kg CO2 over the same seven year period. Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payment were estimated and have been confirmed at £51,108 over seven years.
Testimonial
Tonicha Stanbridge, homeowner commented; “It was very important to us to have our new home benefit from a renewable energy system and a heat recovery system to ensure we kept our carbon footprint as low as practically possible. Our new home is simply stunning and the heating system is so easy to control and maintain thanks to the NIBE Uplink system which allows us to make adjustments to the system whilst we are off site. One benefit is that the heating can be set to take into account of the outside temperature and we can control this remotely. We have ample heat and hot water to cope with all our demands and it really suits our lifestyle.
“We are thrilled with the CO2 savings and RHI payments that will be delivered over the 7 year period. With over 20% of householders in East Anglia reliant on fuel other than mains gas to provide their heating and hot water this type of renewable heating system provides a solution with tangible benefits both economically and environmentally. For us, it was the only way to heat our wonderful new home. I would highly recommend the NIBE systems and R A Brown for their dedication and commitment to designing bespoke systems suited to individual properties and their clients requirements.”
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