Kevin McCloud revisits Vaillant heat pump installs one year on
Vaillant has joined forces with architecture expert and TV presenter Kevin McCloud once again. A year ago, it launched its Heat Pump Possible, calling on homeowners and installers to share their heat pump installs to help showcase their potential . Now Kevin has caught up with two installers involved in the original challenge to explore their views on how the heat pump market has changed.
Henrik Hansen, managing director of Vaillant Group, UK and Ireland, says: “Our aim was to uncover the truth behind installing heat pumps across a wide variety of homes around the UK, answering common queries about the practicalities of installing and living [with] heat pumps, and to prove how heat pumps can be easier to install and run than many installers and homeowners may have previously believed.”
Luke Sheppard and his business partner from Optimus Heating, Simon Murray, were well placed to share their experience and how it had progressed one year on. As owners of Vaillant aroTHERM plus heat pumps in their own homes, they say the cost savings have been very noticeable.
Luke says: “My bills have dropped [by 40%] from when we had our gas boiler. So far this year, we’ve spent £370 on our energy to run the air source heat pump that heats our three-bed semi-detached house and gives us hot water all year round.”
Simon saw an 82% drop in his monthly energy bill after replacing an older heat pump with a Vaillant aroTHERM plus. He said: “I went from an older heat pump paired with a boiler that was costing me £500 a month to run, to an aroTHERM plus costing about £90 a month, which I am delighted with.”
As installers, they are well placed to share their experience of fitting heat pumps into a host of property types with Kevin, including Simon’s 18th century cottage and Luke’s semi-detached home built in the 1960s.
Offering his top tip for other installers looking to help customers integrate a heat pump into their home, Luke says: “A real basic design tip is to look for volume in your system.”
Simon adds that it’s crucial to keep things simple. “The fewer things on that system, the better. Go back to basics. The right pipework, and the right emitters – that’s all you need, and the heat pump will do its job.”
