Tag: air source heat pump

Exciting whole-house, fabric-first energy saving makeover! Join us in Birmingham, Saturday 9th & Friday 15th March

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
floor insulation

Join us for a small group visit to Shivaji and Magdalen’s house in Birmingham to see their whole-house, fabric-first energy saving makeover.

We are really excited that you’ll be able to see:

  • wood fibre insulation – a sustainable alternative to plastic-based insulation products, for improved moisture performance
  • the use of Hempcrete – a sustainable, hemp-based material that has lower embodied carbon than concrete to provide insulation, depth and texture
  • the use of airtightness membranes (Pro Clima)
  • lime plaster internal finish to walls, chosen because this is an older house of traditional build- an air source heat pump – new triple-glazed windows, aligned with wall insulation to achieve a continuous layer of insulation and airtightness; these are specialist sash windows to comply with the requirements of the conservation area where the house is located – a clay floor- air tightness testing.

You will be given joining instructions including the address once your booking has been accepted. Please note: It is a condition of booking that you do not reveal the address to anyone else.

There are two slots to choose from:

Saturday 9th March, 2:30-4pm or Friday 15th March, 12-2pm (and if you’d like us to invoice your organisation for this slot, please select the ‘Invoice’ ticket option).

Click here to buy tickets
Sell tickets online with Ticket Tailor

Image Credit: The brilliant team at Earthen Floors: http://jeffreythenaturalbuilder.com/blog/portfolio/earthen-floors/

Supported by:

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Birmingham Green Doors is proud to be part of:

VCSE organisations – do you qualify for a free energy saving assessment?

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
charity woman working in co-working area

 

 

If you manage a voluntary, community or social enterprise building you might qualify for a free energy saving assessment.

I am one of the expert advisors on the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, funded by central government, for organisations in the East and West Midlands.

If you qualify for the scheme you can choose me to carry out your energy assessment.

Please contact me for an initial discussion.

You can find out here if you meet the eligibility criteria here.  If you don’t qualify for a free assessment, then contact me for a bespoke quote.  

 

Helping a household with an under-performing heat pump

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
heat pump in snow

 

Energy confidence

In December 2022 I was contacted by a household in Coventry who had a heat pump installed in 2010, but it wasn’t performing as well as expected.  The house had a number of insulation measures fitted so they were a bit puzzled as to why it was struggling to heat the home.

I was out of action for a short while in December 2022 as a lorry had ran into us on the motorway (the lorry driver has since admitted responsibility), fortunately our injuries were minor. 

So it was February 2023 before I was able to go see them in Coventry.

By doing a whole-house survey with thermal imaging I was able to advise them that:

  • There were a number of issues with the design of the heat pump, mainly around hot water flow rates and temperatures
  • Some of their insulation and glazing was not performing as expected
  • Their radiators were not ideal for a low temperature heat pump
  • Their heating controls were not as good as the kind of intelligent systems that have emerged in the last decade.  

I was able to recommend a number of low and medium cost measures that could be taken, short of replacing the heat pump.  

They thought about it over the summer and then decided to replace the heat pump, which was coming up to 13 years old, and also because they were thinking of selling the house.

They got a desktop quote from a heat pump installer that had been recommended to them.  They came back to me and we agreed an additional fee for me to do some hand-holding.  

I looked at the desktop quote and was able to advise the householders on:

  • The suitability of the recommended replacement heat pump
  • The heat loss calculation that the installer had carried out
  • The proposal that the installer had made regarding new radiators, heating controls
  • My view on whether the proposed installer had the necessary skills that were needed.

I told the householders that I was happy for them to proceed with getting a full site survey and quote from the installer, and what questions to ask the installer.

I will update this blog when I have heard back from the householders.  Watch this space!

Sadly this is not the only occasion where I have been asked to help a household with an under-performing heat pump.  The good news is that if you get it right then a heat pump is a game-changer for thermal comfort, running costs and greenhouse gas emissions.  Heat pumps do work in the UK climate if you get the design parameters right.

Below you can see videos of two of my clients who are over the moon with their new heat pumps.

First of all, Ben;

Next up, Maggie and Dave (turn your sound up as the sound quality isn’t brilliant, or watch on YouTube and turn the subtitles on).

 

This week has seen good news that the grant available to homeowners and private landlords for replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump has risen to £7,500. 

If you are a householder, landlord or business thinking about major energy saving measures such as a heat pump, insulation, or solar, then please check out my energy saving advice packages.  I’m completely impartial and not tied to any installer or manufacturer.

learn more

 

£31m energy saving funding for charities announced – how will you spend yours?

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
charity energy grants

Energy confidence

 

Third Sector magazine has announced that £31 million in dormant assets will be released to charities to fund energy saving measures.

If you are a charity, I can help you decide where to start with making best use of this funding.

I give honest, practical, jargon-free advice to:

  • Charities
  • Social Enterprises
  • Cooperatives

In all building types including:

  • Offices
  • Theatres
  • Libraries
  • Swimming baths
  • Leisure Centres
  • Co-working spaces
  • Educational establishments
  • Churches, mosques, synagogues, mandirs, gurdwaras, Quaker meetings

and many more.

My recent clients include:

  • Jericho Foundation
  • Moseley Community Development Trust
  • Rep Theatre
  • Moseley Road Baths
  • Plus dozens of places of worship.

I can give you energy and environmental advice across all aspects of your operations including:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Renewable energy including solar, heat pumps
  • Water saving
  • Your “scope 3” emissions such as procurement, transport, waste
  • Monitoring your progress so you can prove your impact.

 

Working with me will give you:

  • Clarity on where to begin
  • Confidence that you are taking the right actions for your building
  • Cost-effective use of your money and resources
  • Carbon savings by implementing the right measures and monitoring their effectiveness.

 

Contact me now to discuss how I can help you show your community, your funders and donors that you are ethical and sustainable.

 

 

learn more

 

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charities-31m-release-dormant-assets/finance/article/1815422 

Innovative ways to heat a place of worship

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
thermal image of heat loss from a church

 

Energy confidence

 

Many places of worship are difficult and expensive to keep warm, especially if they are used only intermittently.  Plus heating the worship space is often the biggest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from a church, mosque, mandir, synagogue or gurdwara.

Often I give advice to places of worship who have old heating systems that are based on wet radiators; they are suitable for a home but not for a place of worship with high ceilings, because they don’t get heat where it’s needed.  So the congregation complain of being cold during the winter.  

Sometimes it’s best to consider whether the congregation can move to another space that is easier to heat.  But this isn’t always possible or desirable.

One solution is to heat the person as well as the space.

Some efficient ways of heating the person are:

  • Under-pew heating – this is like a low-temperature electric blanket that goes under fixed pews, and heats the person from below
  • Rechargeable chair cushion heaters, that heat the person where there are individual chairs instead of fixed pews (if you have access to solar panels – either onsite, or offsite, or a solar charger, then you can potentially use solar energy to charge the heaters, as cushion heaters are low-temperature and don’t need much power).  
  • Infra-red heaters.

You should continue to heat the space as well as the person.  If you heat the person, then you need less heat for the space.  If you eliminate space heating altogether, then this can lead to problems with condensation and damp, and cause damage to the building fabric.  It can also cause circulation problems in a wet central heating system if you have short bursts of on/off.

The first video below is a case study from a church that uses rechargeable heaters.

 

 

The second video below is a case study from a church that uses under-pew heating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you need impartial expert energy saving advice for your place of worship, business or home, please contact me.

Learn more

Tonight I visited Maggie and Dave ahead of the next Birmingham Green Doors event – I love how cosy they have made their home

Posted on by Phil Beardmore

 

Maggie and Dave are hosting our next Birmingham Green Doors event on 4 March 2023.

 

 

 

I have been there before to give them energy advice, but tonight was the first time I have been back since their green home makeover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many features and benefits I could list but what struck me most was that it was evenly and consistently warm and comfortable throughout.

 

There are lots of measurements, thermal images, spreadsheets that could prove the carbon impact of what they’ve done. But you need to feel the comfort with your own five senses. This is an early 20th Century Edwardian terrace. They are notoriously leaky and draughty. If you move from one room to another you notice the difference. But not in Maggie and Dave’s house. On a cold January evening, the whole house is warm as toast.

At Maggie and Dave’s open house event on 4 March you will learn about:

  • How wall insulation has not only reduced heat loss, but improved airtightness, whose role in making a house warm or cold is often overlooked
  • The heat pump installer has done their job properly – they have designed flow rates, flow temperatures, and radiator sizing to ensure a steady background heat; with heating controls that are easy to use
  • How they have dealt with heat loss from the extremities of the house, such as the bay window
  • For those who like figures, you will be able to learn how much energy and carbon has been saved
  • Why you need to add ventilation when insulating a home – and how to do it
  • How Maggie and Dave chose and supervised the right contractors for the job

 

Who should attend?
  • People who are interested in making their home more energy efficient
  • Professionals working in housing and energy who are interested in warm, green homes
  • Community workers who want to help residents save energy
  • Students, teachers and academics interested in decarbonisation.

 

BOOK NOW!  Three time slots available.  Near Erdington train station, bus routes.

 

It’s just an Energy Saving Show, on my radio

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
On Air

 

Unity FM radio were kind enough to invite me on to their Connecting Communities broadcast with Mehmooda Qureshi and Dr Peter Rooke.

This broadcast will be of interest to people who are looking for expert help with energy saving in their home or business, for two reasons:

  1. In this broadcast, I talk about how I go about an energy saving plan for a building – in this case it was a faith building, but I have a similarly strategic approach to any home, business, or community building
  2. A recent client of mine, Hitesh Kukadia, the President of Shree Ram Mandir, is also on the broadcast, in which he talks about his experience of working with me.

Please click on the widget below to listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In case you’re interested, the title of this blog is a tribute to The Selecter, who were part of the soundtrack to my youth)

 

Heat Pumps – your questions answered

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
Heat pumps - FAQs

 

Are you thinking about using a heat pump to heat your home or business?

My Pay-As-You-Feel e-book will help to answer the most frequent questions that I get asked:

  • Is it true that heat pumps use less energy than a gas or oil boiler?
  • Do I need to upgrade my electricity supply?
  • Do I need to upgrade my insulation?
  • Are heat pumps noisy?
  • How long does it take a heat pump to warm up?
  • Should a heat pump be run at a low temperature?
  • Do I need secondary heating?
  • Do I need underfloor heating, or larger radiators?
  • What is the carbon footprint of a heat pump?
  • What is the life expectancy of a heat pump?
  • Can a heat pump provide enough hot water for a bath?
  • Should I have solar electricity or solar thermal with a heat pump?
  • Should I install a heat pump now, or wait?
  • What are the lifetime running costs of a heat pump?
  • What should I look for in a heat pump installer?
  • Will a heat pump work with micro-bore pipes?
  • Should I have a ground source heat pump?
  • How heat pumps work

 

Once your order has been completed you will be taken to a download page, where you will be able to download the ebook.

 

Download now

 

Now available on Kindle!  Click here to download.

I am not a fan of Amazon, as I consider their business practices to be harmful to the environment.  However I want as many people as possible to have access to impartial energy saving advice, therefore I have decided to publish the book on Amazon.  For every £1 that Amazon take in fees, I will invest £1 in cooperatively-owned renewable energy generation.

If you have already received an energy advice package from me, and you have decided you do want a heat pump, then click here to find out how I can help you understand how it will be designed to heat your home or business comfortably, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The successor to the Green Homes Grant is here … some of you may qualify for it

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
cottage

 

The Green Homes Grant (Local Area Delivery Scheme) – also known as LADS – is here.  It provides grant funding for some measures, but how much you get and what for, varies from one local authority to another. In some local authorities it is means tested, in others it isn’t.  Also because of supply chain issues, in some areas it is behind schedule.  If you have energy saving measures through this scheme, then the scheme manager chooses the installer for you.  Unlike the previous Green Homes Grant scheme, it is operated by the local authority and the charity Act On Energy, which I think is a good move.

Act On Energy are managing the customer journey in most of the West Midlands, and you can see what is on offer in each local authority on their website – https://actonenergy.org.uk/local-authority-delivery-scheme-lads/

If you’re not in the West Midlands, then Google “Local authority delivery scheme [your local authority name]

As part of the quality assurance scheme that includes LADS, you should receive independent advice from a Retrofit Coordinator, free of charge, if you qualify for LADS.  Which means you don’t have to pay me for advice!  If however, you would still like to pay me for independent and impartial advice on saving energy in your home –  or even your business –  then I would be happy to help.  I help you to understand where to start, and how to plan for making your home or business environmentally friendly in the short, medium and long term.  

 

learn more

 

Energy confidence

 

Are you looking for the most energy efficient kitchen appliance? Things have changed post-Brexit :-(

Posted on by Phil Beardmore
washing machine

Are you looking for a kitchen appliance?  My post-Brexit advice is now to compare the amount of kiloWatt hours (kWh) of electricity the appliance is predicted to use in a year.  Not the energy rating (A-G), as you might have done previously.

Why is this?

It’s to do with Brexit and the UK’s antiquated electricity distribution system.

The electricity that comes into your house is 240 volts.  But none of the appliances in a modern house need 240 volts.  They typically run at 220 volts.

So that is quite a bit of electricity going to waste.

Since we left the European Union, that waste is now reflected on the energy label of appliances.  So something that used to be A-rated, might now only be E-rated, as I found recently when shopping for a new washing machine.  

So it’s best to compare appliances by predicted kWh use in an average year.  So fridge-freezer A might use 60 kWh, whereas fridge-freezer B might use 70 kWh.  You can compare water use on washing machines and dishwashers too.

If you’re a householder then there’s not much you can do about the fact that your electricity supply is 240 volts.  But there are still a myriad of ways you can save energy in the home.

Whereas if you’re a business, it might be worthwhile fitting a voltage optimiser.  This is a transformer that reduces the voltage from 240 volts to 220.

If you’re a householder, business or public body than needs advice on reducing your greenhouse gas emissions, then check out my expert advice packages.

Energy confidence