After waiting a decade to gain planning permission to build their new home in a location steeped in British Naval history, a Devon couple were determined to optimise not just the views available, but also the technical specifications: choosing an OMNIE ground source heat pump to deliver the high hot water demand underfloor heating requirements throughout the spacious four bedroom property.
The Modern Movement inspired, four-level structure stands in the grounds of Mount Stone House, close to Plymouth’s famous Royal William Yard, with a striking seascape visible from an upper vantage point in the terraced gardens. The owners have worked with architect, Miles Lynch and the main contractor, to optimise the spaces created, while Cornwall based Sadler and Bourne is the building services and renewables specialist which recommended installing the OMNIE SWCV 92HI ground source heat pump.
It meets DHW demands for the four en-suite bathrooms, kitchen, utility and cloakroom. Offering an output of up to 8.6kW, the high efficiency heat pump harvests free energy from three 50m deep boreholes, drilled into the solid bedrock and reaching down below sea level.
A glycol mixture is pumped around the ground loops to the heat pump located in the home’s ground floor plant room for the SWCV 92HI’s compressor to boost the bedrock temperature in a process with a coefficient of performance (COP) of 4:1. This then feeds a 400 litre storage vessel and the underfloor heating circuits at a flow temperature of 45-500 centigrade.
The Managing Director of Sadler and Bourne, Carl Sadler, commented: “We cover the whole of the South-west doing plumbing, heating and renewable installation projects for domestic and commercial customers and started using OMNIE underfloor heating systems back in 2009, before also fitting the company’s air and ground source heat pumps when they launched a couple of years later.
“We have built up a good rapport with OMNIE and its technical consultants: they have a solution for every type of bespoke challenge that we come up against. We do not need to be MCS certificated to offer clients the OMNIE heat pumps, as the company takes care of all the certification matters and carries out the final commissioning – enabling the client to apply for the RHI* payments.
“The project here in Plymouth has gone very well and we are currently working on a couple more bespoke projects down in Cornwall where we are using the underfloor heating and heat recovery ventilation systems.”
The OMNIE CWCV flexible GSHP range is available in three sizes with a maximum output of 13.5kW and can be suitable for small commercial as well as residential developments. They are compact and neatly packaged, while they are also supplied with peripheral equipment such as the necessary expansion vessels and manifold for connection to bore holes or shallow ground arrays.
*The Renewable Heat Incentive offers owners payments for the heat their air or ground source heat pumps generate.