“Lewington’s were excellent; dates were set and stuck to, any niggles were addressed quickly, and reply times were very good to all email queries.”
Project Brief
Mr & Mrs Williams couldn’t believe how quite an Air Source Heat Pump is! They were eager to change to renewable energy across their home.
Their 4-bedroom detached 1970s property already had solar panels on the roof to generate and store energy, and they also run an electric car.
The oil boiler was only 8 years old, but they decided to change to an Air Source Heat Pump to run more economically. They also wanted to be able to track everything and tie it all together.
Project details
Installation
An online search showed that Lewington’s are Which? recommended which they felt was a positive. They’d seen our vans about, specifically wanted to use a local company within a 20-mile radius, and really liked that we take on apprentices. From speaking to other villagers, they all recommended Lewington’s too, so they decided to get us in to quote.
They advised Lewington’s didn’t provide the cheapest quote out of the three they had, but they found “Darren had all the answers”. On his recommendation, Lewington’s installed the following:
- Mitsubishi 11kW Air Source Heat Pump
- Mitsubishi 210ltr indirect un-vented pressurised Hot Water Cylinder
They also decided to apply for the Government’s ‘Renewable Heat Incentive’, which was available at the time.
The Result
- The Air Source Heat Pump is a much more compact option and was installed neatly at the back of the house. The large oil tank was removed, which not only made a lot more space, but they had previously avoided that area of the garden because of the smell.
- The boiler was removed from the hallway and has now been made into an extra cupboard.
- The existing Hot Water Cylinder was removed from a cupboard upstairs, which freed up space for a new shower as part of the bathroom conversion that Lewington’s quoted for separately. The new hot water cylinder has been installed tidily into a back corner of the garage.
The Benefits
- “It’s so quiet! We’ve tied a ribbon to the front of the Air Source Heat Pump to visually see that it’s working. We were conscious of the impact any noise might have on our neighbours because of the positioning, but we actually hear next door’s output more”!
- “We like the type of heat that the Air Source Heat Pump throws out. It’s much steadier than the fluctuating heat from oil that needs the radiators adjusting if it feels too hot or too cold”.
- “Combined with the solar panels, we’re basically heating the house for free (most of the year), and we know how much power we’re generating over the summer and winter”.
Considerations
- “Its new technology, therefore, it’s going to be a bit complicated to start with. You expect some things to go wrong, but it’s how it’s dealt with afterwards. It was nice to have a set contact in Darren, rather than being told “we have an engineer in the area” like with other companies. That’s why we wanted to use a local company. We even sent him a video via WhatsApp, and he got someone round in an hour to resolve it”.
- “We were a little worried beforehand about the landing floor being taken up, and we fully expected that we’d need to replace it. However, once replaced it was sufficient, which was really good”.
“We’re thrilled with the Air Source Heat Pump, its running really efficiently. Our electric bills are hovering around the £100/month level through November / December 2021, and January 2022, and that includes everything; cooking, lights, fridge-freezer, background tech stuff, power showers and some electric vehicle charging too, most days it’s consuming much less than 20kwh of energy per day, we are really impressed. Lewington’s were excellent; dates were set and stuck to, any niggles were addressed quickly, and reply times were very good to all email queries. Jack is ‘on it’ in the office. We liked Darren’s knowledge of what would and wouldn’t work in the initial appointment – he made suggestions and alterations that we right. The guys were friendly, polite, careful, and tidy – even the dog took to them.
We’d rate Lewington’s 11 out of 10!”
(Mr & Mrs Williams)
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