In 2012, Emma and Richard Meaden bought a remote 400-year-old farmhouse near Peterborough, with plans to build a sustainable home. The ambition was for the finished house to cost as little as possible to run to minimise their monthly outgoings; therefore, several energy-saving measures were put in place, including rainwater harvesting and the use of SIPS panels for the new extension.
When it came to heating the house, Emma and Richard wanted an efficient system. As the property is in an off-gas area and has 1.5 acres of land, a ground source heat pump was suggested as an ideal solution.
A Vaillant geoTHERM exclusive 8kW was installed, with a built-in 175 litre tank for domestic hot water, along with a Vaillant 300 litre buffer tank.
The actual install took place over several months in early 2013. The two ground loops (each 225m in length) were dug into the paddock adjacent to the house using a trenching machine to minimise disruption and churn to the earth. The loops were buried 1m apart and 1.5m down, while the pump itself was installed into the utility room.
The installation of underfloor heating throughout the house is perfectly suited to a ground source heat pump due to the low flow temperature, and efficiency of the system is maximised through the use of a weather compensation control.
