The D’Amery Family worked closely with Mark Group to achieve a great Energy Efficient solution

The D’Amery Family

August 2009

The D’Amery family live in a Victorian School house near Northampton, built in 1876 with a large two storey extension added in 2007.

The Challenge

The property was in need of some renovation as well as the addition of the extension, so the D’Amery family were after a solution to aid a poorly insulated house, heated via oil. After consultation with the Mark Group on available insulation products, it became clear that an inclusive approach would be needed and further cost and CO2 reductions could be achieved by looking at renewable technologies.

Mr and Mrs D’Amery challenged the Mark Group to fnd the solutions to make the family home as environmentally friendly and energy effcient as possible and become less reliant on oil and its fuctuating 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 effcient ‘Whole House’ approach.

The Solution

After surveying the property, loft and cavity wall insulation products were recommended to the family as a starting point to save money and energy in the home, along with low energy lighting and energy effcient appliances to maximise the ‘Whole House’ approach.
An Air Source Heat Pump was suggested as the most appropriate renewable technology as a great low carbon alternative to a traditional boiler, which can reduce CO2 by up to 50%.* Mark Group suggested the Mitsubishi 8.5kW Ecodan Air Source Heat Pump would be the ideal solution.

The Air Source Heat Pump system was scoped to run a combination of new underfoor heating and existing radiators, which were checked for size. The domestic hot water system was sized to provide plenty of hot water for the growing family as well as additional capacity for visiting extended family.

The external Ecodan unit was originally installed in front of the house on a temporary basis in December 2007. This was to enable their builder to de-commission their old oil boiler and begin on their extension project, whilst enabling the family to remain in the house. Once the ex-tension was in its fnal phase, the Mark Group returned to relocate to its current position in the back garden and re-commission the system. The Air Source Heat Pump system took 3 days to install and was completed with minimum disruption to the family. The Mark Group installation team worked with the builder to ensure this.

Before leaving the D’Amery’s home, the technicians ensured that the family were fully trained in operating the system and were satisfed with the installation.

Funding Information

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

Customer Benefts

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

The Savings so far…

The family have overcome their reliance on oil and saved around £1,600 in oil bills a year. They have had an increase in their electricity bills from £90 to about £145 per month. This equates to an overall aggregated saving of around £940 per year, despite nearly doubling the footprint of their home.

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