A two-bedroom Victorian home in Norfolk has been completely renovated, significantly improving the energy efficiency of the property and upgrading the heating system with the installation of an Aerona³ air source heat pump and Grant QR hot water cylinder. The renovation was completed by G1 Installers Jax Plumbing and Heating, whose Directors own the property and was hands on with the renovation project from start to finish.
The Project
Property: Victorian terraced home
Heat source: air source heat pump
Products installed: 6kW Aerona³ Air Source Heat Pump, 210L Quick Recovery Slimline Cylinder, 30L External Volumiser
At the beginning of 2024, George Buchan and Jack French, Directors at Jax Plumbing and Heating, purchased a Victorian terraced property in Gorleston-On-Sea, Norfolk. Together, they renovated the property with fabric upgrades fitted, furnishings replaced and walls redecorated, and designing and installing a new central heating system. The team completed the renovation in late November with the property now enjoying a new lease of life and benefiting from a sustainable source of heating with an air source heat pump from Grant UK.
Upgrading the property’s energy efficiency
It is estimated that this terraced home was built in the early twentieth century, sometime between 1900-1930. Totaling over 1,119 square feet, the property comprises of two bedrooms, one bathroom, one cloakroom, a living area and kitchen. After getting the keys, George and Jack commenced the renovation project with their first priority being to upgrade the energy efficiency of the building.
“The property was incredibly draughty,” explains George. “It had single skinned walls and was in desperate need of being brought up to modern standards with its levels of insulation throughout. We therefore got to work by creating a wall cavity and installing insulation-backed plasterboard, upgrading all the windows and doors in the property and installing loft insulation. We knew we were going to install a heat pump so we decided to design the house around the heat pump, making every improvement we could to ensure the property was ready for a low temperature, low carbon heating system. On reflection, fitting the heat pump didn’t change much to the works we were planning to do anyway, however, planning for low temperature heating from the start meant that we could make slight tweaks to the insulation products used to make sure out heat losses were appropriate.”
Installing the heat pump
At the centre of this renovation was making the property as sustainable as it could be so when selecting the choice of heating system, it had to be a heat pump. “We wanted it to be a green installation,” continues George. “Not only did we want the property to be as efficient as possible, with its fabric upgrades and reduced heat losses, but we also wanted to choose a heating system which was eco-friendly and efficient as well. Here at Jax Plumbing and Heating, we have been fitting heat pumps for a long time and following conversations with our local Grant UK Sales Representative, we turned to the Grant Aerona air source heat pump range for this property.”
George worked with Grant UK’s in-house Design Team to design the heating system, selecting an Aerona³ 6kW air source heat pump with an external volumiser and a Quick Recovery Single Coil 210L cylinder. New radiators were also sized and specified. “The Aerona³ heat pump is a really good product in terms of efficiencies. It is also a compact model which was important for this installation as space was limited. We find the Aerona³ simple to install and the commissioning of the unit is a lot easier compared to other heat pumps that I have installed.”
The Aerona³ heat pump is MCS certified and with Jax Plumbing and Heating also being MCS accredited heat pump installers, they were able to claim through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to receive a £7,500 grant for swapping out the old boiler from this Victorian property and replacing it with an air source heat pump.
The option of the 30L External Volumiser that Grant UK supply was hugely beneficial for this installation. “Space inside the property was tight so having the option to locate the volumiser, for additional system volume, outside and neatly positioned directly behind the Aerona³ unit was really important on this project. Thanks to this external volumiser, we were able to contain the plant set-up within a larder cupboard which takes up minimal space inside the property.”
Installer support from Grant UK
Throughout the heat pump installation process, Grant UK were on hand to help George and the team at Jax Plumbing and Heating, from the design phase through to technical support. “The back-up support and service is one the best things we like about Grant UK and their products,” continues George. “With our first Grant heat pump installs, their technical teams were available on the phone to help with some of our initial queries and this help was really useful. The design support is also great – we complete the request for a heat loss and Grant UK’s Design Team supply us with a full heat loss calculation which saves us a lot of time as a business. We also like the versatility of Grant heat pumps with their supporting installation packs which suit different types of installations and systems.”
The renovation project was completed in November with the property ready for the rental market. The heat pump is operating incredibly well with Jax Plumbing and Heating setting up the system to achieve 400% efficiency. This Victorian home therefore has not only been transformed with its design and fabric efficiency, but it is being kept warm and up to temperature with a highly efficient Grant air source heat pump heating system.
Click here to view before and after photos of this renovation project.
For further information about Grant UK’s heat pumps and renewable products, please visit www.grantuk.com/products.