IBD installs renewable energy for a large new house in Devon
Renewable energy from air-source heat pumps and solar-thermal panels plays a key role in the energy efficiency of a prestigious residential development at Crowcombe Heathfield near Taunton in Devon. Heatherdale House has five bedrooms, mainly ensuite, and is a timber-frame structure with high-performance insulation panels.
Having looked at the plans and made the SAP calculations to see the thermal properties of the building, IBD Distribution recommended an air-source heat-pump installation, rather than ground source. The choice was largely dictated by the return on investment and disruption of groundworks that a ground-source heat pump would have caused.
IBD’s system comprises two 16 kW air-source heat pumps and six solar-thermal panels. There is underfloor heating throughout and two cylinders for domestic hot water. The heat pump does not need to be in hot-water mode when the Sun is shining.
This house has very low air leakage, so IBD installed heat-recovery ventilation to extract air from the kitchen and wet rooms and supply tempered fresh air to other rooms.
Darren Johnson, technical director with IBD, comments, ‘In an airtight building like Heatherdale, renewable energy is the ideal approach. It provides the best value to the client, getting the right balance between capital expenditure and the return on investment.’
