Coastguard’s cottage keeping warm thanks to air source heat pump

A former coastguard’s cottage on the North Norfolk coast is benefitting from clean, green heating thanks to an air source heat pump installed by Finn Geotherm.

The 300 year old property near Brancaster had previously been heated by an oil boiler, but the owner decided to switch to an air source heat pump during renovation work.

Mrs R explains:

“We were used to a heat pump as we’d had one installed in another home and had always been pleased with the heat it provided. The remote location of our cottage meant that we were unable to look at green energy measures such as solar panels, but a heat pump was ideal.”

Initially, ground source was considered for the project but, having assessed the space available for a collector loop and the challenges of drilling boreholes so close to the North Sea, Finn Geotherm recommended an air source heat pump would be the most effective system. Finn Geotherm worked alongside the building contractor undertaking the renovations to plan the heat pump installation, including allocating space inside for a small plant room.

Twin Panasonic 9KW T-CAP air source heat pumps were installed along with a 500 litre domestic hot water cylinder and 100 litre buffer tank to provide all heating and hot water. The units were also Blygold coated to protect them from the corrosive sea air.

Mrs R said:

“We are delighted with the installation and how well our air source heat pump has been working since. By working in partnership with my builder, Finn Geotherm ensured the installation went extremely smoothly and the system was fully integrated as part of the renovation work. We are very happy with the air source heat pump and are especially pleased that we no longer have to burn fossil fuel to heat our home.”

The installation was completed in Spring 2021, enabling the homeowner to qualify for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to help fund the project. The RHI scheme has since closed and been replaced by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).