House in woods

David and Gill ticked something big off the bucket list in 2018 when they built their own home. They purchased the perfect plot for the home they had always dreamed of: an architecturally designed, eco-friendly property with low running costs and a low carbon footprint. They set a target to achieve a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A92.

The couple’s desire to build an exceptionally efficient home drove their decision to install a NIBE air source heat pump for year-round heating and hot water generation, complemented by an MHVR system and underfloor heating in all areas of the home. NIBE VIP Installers, installed the NIBE F2040-12 ASHP alongside a 200-litre Megacoil hot water cylinder and a UKV 40 Buffer Vessel and a NIBE SMO control module combined with the NIBE Uplink service. The installers also incorporated a bespoke solar PV system onto the seam flat roof to allow for onsite energy generation to power the heat pump and provide free hot water.

Amendments were made to the construction throughout the process to ensure that the project was in line with the couple’s target EPC rating. With the assistance of the NIBE heat pump and solar PV system, the final EPC rating exceeded expectations at A97 rather than A92. This secured David and Gill a preferential rate ‘Green Mortgage’ and supported the couple’s goal to live in a low cost, low carbon home.

The annual heat demand for the property was initially projected at 19,544 kWh but the team surpassed this, delivering a home with an estimated demand of 7,845 kWh for heating and 2,308 kWh for hot water, as indicated by the as-built EPC – the calculation taken once the building work was complete. The heat pump itself has a Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) of 3.67, meaning the couple now benefit from renewable heat incentive (RHI) payments equating to £725 per year.

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