Heat Pumps Today

27 Sustainable living the modular way As the drive to provide low carbon housing intensifies, housebuilders are not only seeking sustainable products, but increasingly, focus is turning towards adopting new and more sustainable construction practices too. One such project which has combined low carbon heating through the installation of air source heat pumps and o -site modular construction, is Civic Living at Houlton. Based in Rugby, the 38-plot development has been delivered by modular housing specialist, TopHat for Urban&Civic, a UK developer. Situated on the larger 6,200 home Houlton development that will be developed over the next 15 or so years to include new schools, local centres, health provisions and supporting infrastructure for the growing town. Houlton is already home to a brand new secondary school, primary school, nursery, local convenience store, and an award winning eatery – The Tuning Fork. Urban&Civic built a road to connect Houlton to Rugby town as part of a £35m partnership with Homes England. With a clear focus on sustainability, TopHat needed a heating solution that would mirror the sustainable objectives of the project, providing future residents with a solution that would exceed the current environmental legislation and performance requirements, but would also be compliant with 2030 Net Zero targets. Specified Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus, an air-to-water heat pump, was specified to meet the heating and hot water demands for each of the 38 properties. As the project was modular, some of the construction of the homes was carried out at TopHat’s manufacturing site in Derby. This meant that at the design and planning stages, upmost precision was needed to ensure everything was manufactured to the exact specification needed and delivered to site to ensure construction schedules were met. I N S T A L L A T I O N S Info www.vaillant.co.uk/specifiers www.acrjournal.uk/heat-pumps Adhering to British Standard EN12831, the heat loss calculations provided by Vaillant were then used to determine the size of the heat pump required for each property. And to further deliver optimal comfort for the future residents, the heat loss calculations were also used to ascertain the size of the radiators needed in each room. A sustainable system By working closely with the project’s designers, Vaillant’s aroTHERM plus heat pump was selected in conjunction with a Vaillant uniTOWER, an indoor unit, containing an integrated hot water cylinder and hydraulic components, to meet the domestic hot water and heating needs for each property on site. Using the natural refrigerant R290, the heat pump has a global warming potential of just 3, while its ErP rating of A+++, making it a great solution for each of the properties on Civic Living development. The use of R290 also means residents can achieve greater comfort levels, as it enables the heat pump to run at a higher flow temperature of up to 75°C, which means that domestic hot water is stored at a useable temperature and legionella cycles can take place without the need for a backup heater. In addition to the heat pumps, Vaillant’s wireless controls were also specified, to ensure residents could further maximise the energy e¤ciency of their heating system. Featuring weather compensating functionality, the controls will automatically adjust the flow temperature within the heating system using the outside air temperature as a reference point to ensure the optimal e¤ciency and warmth. Aesthetic appeal Yet while TopHat’s primary focus for Civic Living project was to deliver sustainable living, it was also important that this didn’t come at the cost of aesthetic appeal for the residents. One of the main considerations to overcome here was the location of the heat pump itself, which needed to carefully balance the clearances required as part of the current building regulations, but also make sure the heat pump was located in a position that was aesthetically pleasing to the building around it. To overcome this challenge, TopHat specified the installation of a pre-insulated underground duct which o ered increased flexibility in the positioning of the Heat Pump. This meant each unit was able to be positioned in the rear of the property, minimising its impact on useable garden space wherever possible. On-site support Following the specification of the heating system, the team worked closely alongside the project’s installer, Sub Modular Ltd, to provide support throughout the project, which included in-depth product training for the installation team. To complement the modular construction of the project, a Vaillant uniTOWER was installed within each property during the manufacturing process, with the final connection with the Heat Pump was made on site. By Steve Cipriano, Commercial Director, Vaillant Steve Cipriano