Two ground source heat pumps installed at two different properties in Bardwell, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk

Overview

Two ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) installed at two different properties (two metres apart), based in Bardwell, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, with both systems planned and supplied by Nu-heat.

The main residence is a detached, four bedroom cottage with two residents. Originally built in 1825 with nine inch solid brick walls but has since seen significant additions over the last 40 years. Major breathable insulation upgrades were made in association with the GSHP installation, but the existing radiator system was kept with larger radiators.

The Grade II listed holiday let, two metres from the cottage is a detached former chapel, built in 1824 with 16 inch solid brick walls. It has three bedrooms and the potential for six guests when let. The whole building was extensively renovated and converted, with insulation works and under-floor heating installation – also designed by Nu-Heat.

Challenges

The cottage was relatively straightforward keeping the existing radiator system with some relatively small costs for a few new bigger radiators. Whilst some original ones were moved to smaller rooms to help keep costs down as much as possible. The cottage was reasonably well insulated but was still upgraded when the GSHP was installed. The principal heating system prior to the installation was a wood-burning boiler running a radiator system, and the wood was readily available.

The cottage’s electricity supply was on a variable rate tariff which was expensive. Moving to a GSHP reduced unit consumption to 4370 units per year utilising the domestic renewable heating incentive (DRHI).

The chapel on the other hand was part of a major refurbishment and under floor heating (UFH) was installed throughout as part of the overall project. The Chapel operated on a system utilising LPG radiant wall heaters with no insulation. The chapel utilises the Non-Domestic RHI using 3277 units per year

‍The Cottage

The Chapel

Customer feedback

“When we were having a ground source heat pump installed at our home, we realised it made sense to introduce renewable technology in our holiday let too. We’re pleased to have made the move to heat pumps and have noticed how it emits a softer heat than a standard boiler.”