Mark Group

The D’Amery Family

August 2009

The Customer

The D’Amerys live in a charming Victorian school house near Northampton. The original property dates backed to 1876 but was undergoing renovation and extension work to cater for the needs of the growing family.

The Challenge

Heated by oil and with poor insulation levels throughout, the D’Amerys property was costing them far more than it needed to in energy bills. So, Mr and Mrs D’Amery challenged Mark Group to find a solution to make the family home as environmentally friendly and energy efficient as possible, and reduce their reliance on oil.

Mr and Mrs D’Amery challenged the Mark Group to find the solutions to make the family home as environmentally friendly and energy efficient as possible and become less reliant on oil and its fluctuating price.

The new insulation, heating and hot water system not only had to have the potential to reduce the family’s carbon footprint but also dramatically reduce the running costs of the property. The challenge was to provide an energy efficient ‘Whole House’ approach.

The Solution

After surveying the property, Mark Group first of all recommended loft insulation followed by low energy lighting and energy efficient appliances. With these in place, the next step was to install an Air Source Heat Pump, to help the D’Amerys achieve ‘whole house’ energy efficiency. Mark Group recommended Mitsubishi‘s 8.5kW Ecodan Air Source Heat Pump and designed its installation to run with a newly installed underfloor heating system and existing radiators. The domestic hot water system was sized to provide plenty of hot water for the growing family, as well as having additional capacity for overnight guests.

The Ecodan unit was temporarily installed in front of the house to enable the D’Amery’s builder to decommission their old oil boiler and begin on their extension. When the extension was in its final phase, Mark Group returned to relocate the Heat Pump to a permanent position in the back garden and recommission the system.

The Air Source Heat Pump system took three days to install and was completed with minimum disruption to the family. And before leaving the D ’Amery’s home, the technicians ensured the family understood how to operate the system and were completely satisfied with the installation.

Funding Information

The D’Amerys received a £900 grant from the Low Carbon Building Programme (Phase 1) which went towards the cost of the Air Source Heat Pump. Mark Group guided the family through the application process for this grant.

The Benefits

The D’Amery household has doubled the footprint of their home with the new extension, but with the help of the Mark Group, they have reduced their running costs and CO₂ emissions. An additional benefit has been a far more convenient system, with no more refilling of the old oil tank.

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