Barnes Warwick Heating Services Ltd working with Darren Roche Builders carried out various eco-friendly plumbing and heating installations in Kingsbridge, South Hams.
)The client took on a huge challenge when she decided to build a new eco-friendly house in Kingsbridge. The project took under a year to complete the full works all with the aim of having every aspect of the building being totally energy efficient. As heating accounts to over half of the energy consumption of most homes we were tasked with installing all eco-friendly plumbing materials in the home.
Here are some of the main eco-friendly plumbing installations that made this an incredibly energy efficient home!
1) Air Sourced Heat Pump
A new addition to the eco-friendly plumbing world. An air sourced heat pump (ASHP) is a clever technology which absorbs heat from the outside air which is used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, or warm air convectors and hot water in your home.
The ASHP can get heat from the coldest of Devon’s Winter and can source heat when the temperature is as low as -15° C. Wow!
2) Underfloor Heating
The client opted for underfloor heating instead of traditional radiators, now this is a very eco-friendly bit of plumbing! Powered by the air sourced heat pump the underfloor heating covered the entire house using ClipTrack – Screed materials from Nu-Heat.
This heating method has become more popular over the years due to its ultimate comfort, efficiency and extended room space. There are many benefits to underfloor heating and energy efficiency is one of them, particularly when it is powered by a heat pump which is more efficient at the lower temperature which UFH systems operate.
The underfloor heating was installed using ClipTrack – Screed underfloor heating quality materials from Nu-Heat.
3) Pressurised (unvented) Cylinder
With the heat pump taking care of the heating we needed something to power the hot water. Here we installed a pressurised (unvented) cylinder which is a pressurised system that is fed directly from the cold water mains feed. This eliminates the need for a cold water tank in the loft and can be situated anywhere.
These systems are great as they offer much better flow rates as they operate out of mains pressure, this means lovely powerful showers!
We complemented the system with eco-friendly plumbing by installing a digital thermostat to help regulate the temperature of the cylinder and also insulated with pipework lagging to reduce heat wastage.
4) Hot water tap
If underfloor heating wasn’t enough luxury the client also wanted a hot water tap. Here we opted for a Quooker hot water tap which immediately dispenses boiling water straight from the kitchen tap. These are 60% more energy-efficient than other boiling water taps with an energy label A. They look like a normal tap but with a tank hidden under the sink as seen in the picture below.
Barnes Warwick Heating Services Ltd are experts in all aspects of plumbing and heating. If you are interested in having any of the above installed in your home, get in touch with us for a free no-obligation quote.
At Barnes Warwick Heating Services our aim is to provide our customers with quality workmanship at a fair price together with excellent customer service and aftercare. If you have a plumbing problem or project in mind just call 01803 500404