Four-property estate sees the benefit of air-source heat pumps
A low-carbon housing development in Buckinghamshire is proclaiming the benefits for smaller estates of having an air source heat-pump only heating regime.
Hedsor Billinghurst in Taplow is a rental-focused new-build development designed to meet the upcoming Future Homes Standard, delivered by Copas Brothers Construction.
The two four-bedroom and two five-bedroom properties have their heating and hot water provided by four Baxi air source heat pumps.
Copas Brothers Construction, part of the family-run rural estate Copas Farms, now specifies heat pumps for all its new-build development homes, which Baxi notes will future-proof the properties ahead of incoming low-carbon regulations under the Future Homes Standard.
Unlike many housebuilders, Copas retains its properties as rental homes, making long-term reliability and ease of maintenance key considerations when selecting a heating solution.
Baxi notes that its experts made frequent site visits to understand the project requirements and early design support, including heat-loss calculations and Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) inputs, enabling Copas make informed specification decisions from the outset.
Copas Brothers Construction’s in-house plumber also attended a Baxi Heat Pump Installer course to gain in-depth knowledge and practical skills on air source heat pump design principles, installation and application requirements and commissioning.
The course includes a supervised day on site with Baxi’s specialist heat pump engineers for the first commission. This ensures the systems are set up in line with the design and requirements of the homes while instilling installer confidence and competence to commission future heat pump installations.
At Hedsor Billinghurst, the scheme consists of two Baxi HP50 7kW ASHPs, paired with two Baxi ASHP 250L cylinders, and two Baxi HP50 11kW ASHPs, paired with two Baxi ASHP 300L cylinders
Ian Mason, project manager at Copas, said:
This was our first project with Baxi, and from system sizing to technical support, we always knew there was someone we could pick up the phone to for advice. Heat pumps are more complex than gas boilers, and, like many developers, they are still comparatively new territory to us. This is why having a direct route to the manufacturer, alongside expert training, is incredibly valuable.”
- Baxi is exhibiting at elementalLONDON on 25-26 November. For registration details see below.
