Whilst on site I had also noted what Electrical supplies would be required to supply the proposed new equipment. The 'Boiler Room' that adjoins the property was the chosen location for the indoor unit which would be the Daikin Altherma HT Integrated Cylinder and to the rear of the Boiler Room outside wall the proposed Daikin High Temperature Air Source Heat Pump would be installed. Susan had a builder that would prepare a solid base for the new Heat Pump. With regards to the heat emitters, the proposed plan would be that the existing radiators upstairs would remain in place until the builder upsized them and the downstairs radiators would be replaced once the builder began the extension with new underfloor heating. 

💡With retrofits there is so much more to be mindful of than with a new build project. For example the existing radiators and the existing pipe diameters to the radiators must be taken into consideration as to ensure the best performance from the system it may be that some or all radiators need upsizing and or the pipe diameters may need upsizing. With Susan and Philip's home I also needed to consider the U- Values of the Lounge and Snug as they were solid stone walls which would impact the Heat Loss. 

After an in depth site visit I departed Susan and Philip's and the following day carried out the Heat Loss Calculation using the data I had obtained from site. It was determined that the EPRA18DAV37 (High Temperature Heat Pump) and the ETVH16SU18EA6V would be better suited to Susan and Philip's home. 🏡 The Heat Pump has to meet 100% of the Heat Load even when the outdoor ambient is as low as -2.7 Degrees to meet MCS Standards. The software used to calculate auto adapts according to geographical location and elevation and this particular calculation adapted to a system design temperature of -3.9 Degrees C. As the Total Heat Loss was 11KW, the EPRA18 with a flow temperature or Leaving Water Temperature (LWT) of 50 degrees provides 11.57KW at -2 degrees ambient outdoors and at -7 degrees outdoors it delivers 12.4 KW. It can also deliver with a 55 degrees LWT (Leaving Water Temperature) it provides 12.11 KW at -2 and 12.47KW at -7 degrees outside ambient. The indoor unit has a 6KW Back Up Heater (BUH) built-in too! Great performance!🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 

The software produces a Full Heat Loss Report provides lots of information including but not limited to the individual rooms, the heat loss for each individual room, the required radiator size for the room and the Leaving Water Temperature at the System Design Temperature. 

The project had to be unexpectedly brought forward as the oil fired boiler that Susan and Philip had had kept breaking down and they were concerned about paying for further expensive repairs and paying for their oil tank to be refilled so it made sense for them to bring the project forward. 

The order was processed for the Daikin Goods and Materials so we were now in the hands of logistics lead time as the pandemic had caused quite a disruption of shipping, production and logistics and although like most other Manufacturers Daikin were doing their utmost to deliver on their advised lead times, even with the best will in the world some production delays were out of their control. There would ultimately be a delay with one of our units which would mean we would need to wait longer for our delivery. The Regional Representative for Daikin is a terrific, proactive guy named Doug and he along with Farr and Harris who are the Regional Daikin Sustainable Home Centre went to the ends of the earth to ensure our delivery would arrive on the advised lead time delivery date but we did experience the delay which was out of the control of all parties but had it not been for Doug and Anthony we may have experienced slightly longer delay. My concern was I did not want Susan and Philip's Oil boiler to break down again and leave them without hot water or heating. We all kept each other in the loop the best we possibly could and then thanks to joint efforts from Doug and Anthony I was informed I could expect delivery of the order! I quickly relayed this welcomed information onto Susan and we made arrangements to for someone to be home when the delivery arrived. There's nothing quite like seeing a Farr and Harris vehicle arriving with your Daikin delivery, game on!!  ✅

💡 One of the things that really impresses me with the Daikin Sustainable Home Network is that there is a sense of everyone trying to their best to deliver the same positive result for the Client. To explain further, Doug is the Daikin Technical and Sales Executive for Shropshire, his aim is to ensure the Daikin Sustainable Home Centre for Shropshire (Anthony - Farr and Harris) has everything he needs to deliver a high level of service to Installers and to Clients across the Shropshire Region and that the Showroom has all the latest models from the range on display and the latest product information. Together they are quite a dynamic team and set the bar high. This then provides a great framework and strong support network for the Installers such as myself that are Sustainable Home Installers. Ultimately leading to great service delivery for the Client. ✅

The Installation went smoothly and the system was set up and configured. Daikin, through their Sustainable Home Network concept send their own Daikin Engineer or Service Partner to fully inspect the installation to firstly ensure it is installed in accordance with the Manufacturer's Installation Manual and then they carry out a significant number of tests prior to commissioning the system. A full Daikin Commissioning Report and Certificate is provided a few days following the visit. What really impressed me on this particular visit is how meticulous the Daikin Engineer was in his testing procedure. It was discovered that the indoor unit had not received the latest software prior to despatch and so a Daikin Senior Engineer followed up with a visit a couple of days later to update the indoor unit. He then carried out a full test and inspection to ensure the system would now be flawless in operation. Again, impressive service delivery! ✅ 

Susan and Philip were eligible for the Boiler Ofgem Scheme which is the Ofgem £5,000.00 Grant towards their installation. An application if successful, the Installer then receives a BUS Voucher. Upon completion of the installation and once an MCS Certificate has been provided for the installation the Installer can then apply to redeem the voucher. Normally payment of the Voucher would be processed by the BUS Team in around 3 weeks however, we were subject to an Ofgem Audit as it was my very first project on the BUS Scheme so there was a delay with payment whilst the Audit was conducted. The Audit was fantastic for the Client because not only had Daikin provided 2 site visits but now Ofgem too would scrutinise the system to ensure all was to MCS Standards, that the system had been set up to operate efficiently and that the Client had been shown a good demonstration of how to use the controls. There was a thorough evaluation not only of the installation but of the Handover Pack that I had provided for Susan and Philip to ensure all my Documentation was in order which it was. As the BUS Scheme was still relatively new at the time procedures took quite a while, even by Ofgem's own admission they were still finding their feet. Following the delay the BUS Audit Team had said all was approved following a successful Audit and the  Voucher was redeemed a few days later. ✅

Like many projects there were some minor teething problems with the slight delay with lead time, the short wait to receive the latest update for the indoor unit and the Ofgem Audit but looking at things from a positive perspective, the lead time delivery eventually came and the oil boiler lasted until the new system could be installed. The delay also meant that Susan and Philip did not waste all of the oil they had in the tank and did manage to use more of it. The Daikin inspection discovered the latest software was required and in just a couple of days they had installed the latest software. Ultimately 2 Daikin Engineers had thoroughly inspected the system. The Audit also provided further confirmation that the new system was not only specified and installed correctly and to MCS Standards but the Handover Pack was all in order and that the system had been set up to run at an economically efficient setting. I personally think this is confidence inspiring and a good demonstration of efficient service delivery. 

I am very grateful for the opportunity to carry out the Daikin project for Susan and Philip and I thank them for their valued custom. I will be looking forward to carrying out their first Service and to see how their new extension turned out. 

 I am very proud that Daikin UK have chosen a project of mine for a Case Study and as an inspiration for potential Clients thinking about upgrading to an Air Source Heat Pump 🏡🌿🍃

Susan and Philip's Case Study can be found here on the Daikin UK website - Enjoy!