View from the road

Our customer already has a ‘Hot Water & Central Heating’ installed oil fired cooker range (see our Heritage cooker page above), and was building an outside barn further down the garden.

The central heating boiler was an old oil fired unit, which was located in the hallway and could be heard throughout the property.

Our customer wanted a new boiler and also wished to convert the water system to a new unvented type.

Hot Water & Central Heating suggested that a Grant 3646 outdoor module was fitted, this is an outdoor boiler incorporating a weatherproof housing, designed to operate outside in all weathers. 

Grant Vortex condensing high efficiency outdoor boiler module

This freed up the cupboard in the hall, previously home to an oil boiler and a small vented hot water cylinder on braces above.  We removed these units and replaced them with a Range Tribune Slimline 210 litre unvented cylinder.  This upgraded the hot and cold water to mains pressure at all outlets, and removed the need for a loft mounted storage tank.

Range Tribune unvented installation in cupboard

In common with all unvented systems (and other forms of direct fed hot and cold water systems, like combination boilers and heatstores) the performance is greatly improved with a good water flow rate.  We ran a new 32mm water pipe to the road outside, for minimum hydraulic resistance.   The local water supply company were engaged to provide a new larger connection to the mains.

New water connection being excavated by Sutton & East Surrey Water

The new oak barn was home to a sun room, together with a utility room and shower room.  Hot Water & Central Heating installed underground pipe ducts to the main house to give hot and cold services, and also to feed the new underfloor heating.

New oak barn

Underfloor heating manifolds are quite large units, and it is prudent to site them where inspection and maintenance is easily carried out after the building works are complete.  This ruled out fitting the manifold under the sink or behind washing machines.  Instead, we installed a 7 zone L&K manifold in the ceiling void area above the utility room, hiding the pipework in a stud wall comprising part of the new shower enclosure.

Underfloor installation waiting for screed

The L&K system used nearly 500 metres of pipe, all laid on Building Regs compliant Quinn  insulation board.  The Underfloor Heating was laid in a day, and the concrete screeding completed the day after.  The flooring will be finished in tiling once the screed has properly dried out.

Another view of the underfloor pipework

Heating manifold hidden in ceiling area

Screed laid, all pipework buried. This area will be tiled soon.

Separate zone controls were fitted for the underfloor area, which were linked by armoured cable buried in a duct to the existing house.  Control of the separate heating zones is by Honeywell CM series programmable room thermostats.

Underfloor heating is an invisible but highly effective system*, and uses less energy to heat a space than conventional radiators.  This is because the human body feels warm at lower air temperatures when using underfloor heating. 

The new boiler works at around 92% efficiency, saving fuel but increasing comfort and reliability.  In common with all our Grant boiler installations, our customer received a 3 year on site warranty on the boiler.

*The only type of underfloor heating to be avoided is the electric type, because electricity costs around 12p per Kwh, compared to around 4.5p for gas fired heating and 6p for oil fired (this was written in June 2009). 

Don’t be fooled by sales literature claiming electric heating is 100% efficient and green, these are half truths.  Electrical heating uses energy generated by (usually) coal or gas in the UK.  From the power station to your house meter box, around 55% of the energy in the gas or coal burnt at the power station is lost in generating and transmission losses. 

So before even fitting underfloor heating, electricity is only 45% efficient.   And that generating efficiency partially accounts for the frightening price.  So a sales person could say electric heating is 100% efficient, but it would be a half truth.  If they said it was cheaper than gas or oil fired heating, it would be a lie.  The only electric heating that is efficient in comparison is using a heat pump, but that is addressed elsewhere on this web site.

Our customer

The old oil boiler at the rear of the kitchen had developed a catastrophic leak, so a new unit was urgently required.

We suggested locating the new boiler on the rear patio, thus freeing up valuable space in the kitchen.

A new Grant Vortex Eco outdoor oil boiler module was fitted.  All the radiator system was dosed with anti freeze inhibitor and the outside pipework was insulated with external Armaflex.

Outside Grant oil boiler being installed by HWCH

Our special extended Grant 3 year parts and labour warranty was given to our customer, they were very happy with the job.

Our customer in Tadworth - not the dog!

The spacious house had a fully equipped annexe with its own hot water provision.

We specifified two DualStream accumulator fed systems, which would replace the old noisy shower pumps and provide a silent, fast flow fresh water service to all outlets.

In the main house we relocated the hot and cold water services into an attic room, to liberate more room downstairs for a bedroom enlargement.

DualStream No 1 in attic room

The other DualStream was sited in the annexe.

DualStream unvented No2 in annexe

The whole system was powered by a new Grant 36-46Kw Vortex condensing oil boiler (with a 3yr warranty) located in the garage.

Grant Vortex condensing oil boiler in the garage

We then converted every radiator to Hometronic using the HR80 valve; 

Hometronic radiator valve - remote control your heating!

this, combined with the Hometronic Manager controller, gave our customer the ability to control the heating in the house in 16 completely addressable zones.

Dean commissioning the new Hometronic system

In addition, they can also control the hot water storage cylinders independently, all from the Hometronic Manager (see picture above). 

Dean has given them ‘lifestyle buttons’ programmed to allow for guests, the entire heating map and hot water provision can be changed to accommodate any scenario with one simple button press.

Every room in the house is now thermostatically controlled, and the boiler only fires when necessary.  You won’t read about this system under ‘energy saving’  in Good Housekeeping;  we are years ahead of the game in energy conservation.

Outwood, Surrey

Our customer, in Outwood, Surrey, owns a large house that has recently been comprehensively extended.

In 2006 HWCH fitted a DualStream accumulator boosted unvented hot and cold water system, to make all the baths and showers deliver a hotel-type performance.  At the same time we fitted the latest Grant Vortex 46Kw oil fired condensing boiler plant in the cellar.

In 2008, following the building extension works,  we were invited back to upgrade the installation with our Hometronic domestic heating controls.  This innovative product allows our customer to divide his property into 16 separate zones of heating, each individually monitored and controlled by radio links.

The Hometronic controller was fitted in a utility room, out of the way. 

Hometronic Controller Outwood 2008

From this unit the customer has full control of all 16 areas, plus hot water timings.  As there are usually only three occupants to the house (which now includes a granny annexe), the heating levels can be phased during the day to follow the occupants, rather than heating the house in its’ entirety.

Radiators adapted to Hometronic - Rear Hallway

In fact, up to 1600 different temperature set points can be programmed in for a week.  No customer has yet managed to schedule that many changes!

All radiators are adapted to take the Hometronic hardware, even the towel rails, which can now be scheduled to warm up in the summer!  On their own!  No pipework or flooring adaptations are usually needed.

A towel rail being adapted for Hometronic, warm towels in the summer!

At the same time we made a few alterations while the system was being converted.  Here is a radiator being added to a previously unheated WC.

While we were there, we added a radiator in one of the WCs. Much more comfortable.

Finally, the system HWCH installed in the cellar back in 2006 was updated by our in house electrical specialist, and the system was filled with Fernox inhibitor and tested.

Dualstream OSO 500/300 litre and Grant Vortex condensing oil boiler

Our customer will now have warmer rooms when and where he wants them, whilst saving energy everywhere else in the property.  We believe Hometronic is the future for heating larger houses….