A new-build home in
Leicestershire is demonstrating how anyone can achieve a highly
efficient property that provides a warm, comfortable environment,
using existing technologies and readily available building
techniques.
The spacious 3-bedroom,
detached home has been built by Keyplan Developments Ltd to exceed
current UK building standards, paying particular attention to high
levels of insulation and air tightness.
With the space heating
energy requirement being lower than the hot water energy requirement,
any heating system installed has to be able to cope with hot water
production as the dominant load.
This is where the new
Ecodan QUHZ 4kW air source heat pump is playing such an important
role as it has been specifically designed with new-build standards of
insulation and lower heating loads in mind.
Mechanical heat
recovery ventilation and PV systems are also installed, giving this
180m2property a peak heat loss of just 3.8kW. The family sized home
has 2 bathrooms and an en-suite meaning the hot water demand on
certain occasions can be high.
“One aspect of using
the techniques employed in this house is that it needs far less
heating than a traditional British home and this places a different
requirement on the heating system,” explains Jon and Maureen Fox,
the homeowners.
“When we were
approached by Mitsubishi Electric to trial their innovative Ecodan
QUHZ, we were delighted to work with them to deliver a system which
achieves exceptional energy efficiency”, adds Jon Fox. “We time
clock the hot water to come on at intervals to meet our needs. The
heat pump runs at night and we are very impressed with how quiet it
is”.
The Ecodan QUHZ unit is
MCS-Approved and straightforward to install, delivering water at 70°C
to a packaged 200 litre thermal store. From this thermal store,
mains water is heated directly up to 65°C via Mitsubishi Electric’s
plate heat exchanger, meaning the Fox family receives hot water
whenever they need it.
The system uses CO2 as
a refrigerant and ensures a large delta T between the flow and return
temperatures to and from the outdoor unit.
This delivers the high
levels of efficiency that enable the Ecodan QUHZ to meet the high hot
water, low heating requirements of the property.
The heating system was
designed and fitted by TSG Building Services, who are an accredited
Ecodan installer. Mr and Mrs Fox also asked TSG to install an MVHR
air circulation system and solar PV panels to help maximise the
eco-house’s heating efficiency and minimise running costs.
Under floor heating
throughout the ground floor gives a comfortable, gentle background
heat. Traditional radiators provide heating to the bedrooms.
The Ecodan QUHZ heat
pump connects directly to the heating circuit and targets the
appropriate flow temperature for the ambient condition. This
operation maximises system efficiency whilst still providing a
comfortable environment.
“The ground floor is
lovely and warm when get up in the morning and we’ve hardly needed
the heating on upstairs as the eco-house retains such a lot of heat”,
explains Mrs Fox.
The QUHZ model also
offers exceptional noise levels with a whisper-quiet 41.2 dB(A) at
1.5 metres from neighbouring properties, making it ideal for almost
any new-build scenario.
The renewable heating
includes automatic in-built in energy monitoring, using Mitsubishi
Electric’s MELCloud, internet-based system, which allows for full
control and monitoring from anywhere in the world.
