Case Study

Case study – GSHP solution for 300-year-old farmhouse

In this study, the featured property is a rural farmhouse in the heart of Northamptonshire, which is now truly warm for the first time in its 300-year history thanks to the installation of a GSHP renewable energy system.

Manor Farm is occupied by the Raby family and has provided their livelihood for three generations. Situated in a small hamlet, the three-storey property has solid stonewalls and single glazed metal windows.  

Orangehouse Renewables Ltd was asked to provide a solution and recommended ground source heat pumps as the best option for Manor Farm.  

Summary  

  • Property type: Residential  
  • Technologies installed: Heat pump  
  • Collector type: Ground loops 
  • Size (kW): 17kW 
  • New/retrofit: Retrofit  
  • Brand: Nibe  

Challenges  

Due to being off the gas grid electric storage heaters had been used to heat the home but these were very expensive to run and did not provide enough warmth for the farmhouse.  

The recommended solution  

Orangehouse Renewables Ltd of Stamford recommended two Nibe F1145 (17kW) ground source heat pumps, a 300 litre UKV Buffer tank and Jaga fan assisted radiators to optimise the heat emission at the efficient heat pump flow temperature of 45°C.  

Key features:  

17kW Nibe F1145 ground source heat pump  

300L UKV buffer tank  

Jaga fan assisted radiators 

Outcome:  

This 17th-century farmhouse now has a 21st century heating system proving that old and new can work together seamlessly. Most retro-fit installations pose unique challenges but Orangehouse Renewables drew on their expertise to ensure that it was a smooth and seamless installation.  

The landlords of the property agreed that this was a wise investment to make, and the house is now maintained at comfortable temperatures across all rooms, thereby removing the previous electric heater ‘hot spots’.  

This is an impressive example of how old properties can benefit from renewable energy systems. The Raby family now have one of the most sophisticated renewable energy systems available; a warm home and radically reduced heating bills thus demonstrating how old properties can benefit from the latest technology.