Linden Homes opted for NIBE F470 exhaust air heat pump (EAHP) systems for each of the development’s 23 single-level apartments. The remaining 16 split-level duplexes and one mews house were each fitted with an air source heat pump (ASHP) package system made up of an 8kW NIBE F2040 ASHP and a NIBE VVM320 combined water storage and controls unit. With a strong focus on sustainability at the heart of the whole development, performance, efficiency and reliability were top priorities for us when it came to choosing the right heating systems for Parkside Place. Not only do the homes boast high levels of airtightness, they are also fitted with water-based underfloor heating throughout – making them ideally suited for heat pumps (which operate at similarly low flow temperatures). NIBE’s F470 EAHPs were just right for the smaller, single-level apartments, particularly as they offer the added benefit of keeping the homes properly ventilated – which is crucial given how well-insulated they are. Summary 2: A South Wales developer has fitting eight properties with NIBE R290 exhaust air heat pump systems at its flagship house-building project. The systems were specified to provide cost-effective and reliable home heating and ventilation for the Great House Farm development on the outskirts of Cardiff. The new development’s one-, two- and three-bedroom properties boast some of the most advanced sustainability measures of any UK housing project. As well as eight NIBE F470 EAHPs, the homes have been fitted with rainwater harvesting, green roofs, electric car charging points, extensive insulation and thermally treated windows throughout – achieving a Code for Sustainable Homes Level Four for building fabric alone. When embarking on the project, developer LivEco was tasked with ensuring any improvements to the Grade-II listed farm buildings remained as sympathetic as possible to the original style – whilst also incorporating new features that would provide residents with optimum efficiency and comfort all year round. Having worked with NIBE products before, local architect Gillard Associates specified the F470 EAHPs to provide hot water and space heating, as well as an effective ventilation solution, given the development’s high levels of air tightness. The benefits of more sustainable house-building – both for residents and for the wider local community – are undeniable. Great House Farm was built to provide lower impact living and reduced bills at an attractive price bracket, and the NIBE EAHPs are an important part of this.
CASE STUDY 3.4.5: EUROPEAN PROJECT DEVELOPS GREEN HEAT PUMP 37 Summary: The EU-funded (FP7) GreenHP project investigated a new highly efficient heating system based on high-capacity air/water heat pumps for residential and commercial applications. Between 2012 and 2016, nine partners of the GreenHP project gathered their efforts to develop an innovative heat pump system. The prototype to be presented at the end of the project lifetime was supposed to be more energy efficient and green than the state-of-the-art heat pumps on the market in 2012. The 30 kW lab-scale air/water HP prototype uses R290 as refrigerant and presents a better coefficient of performance (COP) - 3 vs 2.5. Although in terms of indirect emissions R290 and other low-GWP HFCs present similar figures, R290 was chosen considering the possible limitations on the use of chemical refrigerants as well as its very low GWP. The result in terms 37
GreenHP (2016). Final project report. Last retrieved 04/09/18 at http://www.greenhp.eu/deliverables/publicdeliverables/?eID=dam_frontend_push&docID=3055
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