Ecodan provides sustainable heating to elderly resident

(22/12/2009)

Ecodan is a modern air source heat pump which harvests renewable energy from the outdoor air and upgrades it to provide a constant supply of hot water and heating. It can deliver at least 3.5kW of heating energy for every 1kW of electricity it consumes.

A bungalow in Stoke, home to three elderly residents, is benefiting from the latest sustainable heating after an Ecodan® air source heat pump was installed to provide all the hot water and heating needed.

“The three residents are all over 60 years old and need a constant and reliable source of heating,” explained June Redfern, Senior Support Worker with Care UK and part of the team which manages the site. “The new system sits outside the property so the occupants don’t even notice it working away.”

The installation into the supported housing in Cheddleton, Stoke, was arranged by the Riverside Group who needed to replace the ancient oil-fired boiler at the home. The home is not on the gas network so Riverside was faced with the need to renew the boiler, the oil tank and all the pipework. After considering a variety of alternatives, the Ecodan unit was chosen as it caused minimum disruption for the occupants and promised high efficiency with much lower running costs.

“We have already heard of these units being installed in a number of new build properties as part of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes and we wanted to see how easy it was to fit into existing houses,” explained Phil Davison, Property Services Manager for Riverside.

The Association has a considerable housing stock and a great effort is being made to reduce fuel poverty by increasing the energy efficiency of the properties. Riverside has had a programme of improving the insulation of properties and fitting high efficiency condensing boilers for a number of years and has always been keen to try new technologies and methods of construction. The installation was funded by Riverside’s programmed works budget and the occupants of the scheme will benefit directly from the reduced running costs.

“We took the opportunity to review the insulation in the property and made improvements to the loft and cavity wall insulation as well as fitting the Ecodan,” explained Mr Davison. “The system was fitted by JPR Engineering Services, who are based in Stoke and are an approved installer for Ecodan and a regular contractor for Riverside.

“We are closely monitoring the energy usage and have details of the expenditure before the unit was fitted, so we will be able to see the savings achieved with Ecodan,” explained Mr Davison. “The other very important aspect for us though is that the unit needs very little maintenance other than a quick visual check every few months to make sure the vents are clear of garden debris.”

Every year Riverside needs to carry out safety checks to its gas and oil appliances and undertakes repairs when heating systems breakdown, requiring regular access for service engineers. “You can also imagine the inconvenience it causes to occupants if a system breaks down especially if parts have to be ordered,” added Mr Davison. “In the unlikely event that the Ecodan stops working, the whole unit could be replaced with little effort.”

Related categories:  Energy Conservation   Heat pumps   Residential applications