Case Study 3

ACS Renewables – Case Study 3

A retired engineer living in rural Oxfordshire was so concerned about the difficulties his wife was experiencing with oil deliveries for their existing oil fired heating system combined with the ever inflating costs of supplies that he ask ACS Renewable Solutions Ltd to design a modern replacement system using reliable air source heat pump technology.

Living in a remote location his only energy sources are oil and electricity and over the last few years with his oil fired boiler approaching its end of life he listed the various reasons why he should replace this with the latest technology to heat his home:

• Increasing and unknown escalation of oil costs
• To improve the reliability of heating energy supplies
• The need to monitor oil tank levels and co-ordinating oil orders and deliveries
• His desire to rid himself of the messy oil tank from his garden
• His decision to remove combustible materials from his home
• Need to replace the boiler and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from his ageing system
• To find a way to reduce his heating costs
• Desire to become more eco friendly

As ACS were the last of three companies he asked to price this project he had already obtained two competitors quotations which he showed our engineer and after a survey it became evident that both were oversized specifying 12kW systems.

This suggested that both had been sized by simply matching his existing boiler’s capacity which was also oversized and that our competitors had not taken the trouble to properly survey the property. To confirm the over sizing our engineer suggested the customer ran his boiler on half capacity and he soon found that his heating levels were maintained.

The ACS engineer then undertook a complete survey of the premises confirming that a Mitsubishi of 5kW was more than adequate for his needs.

The ACS quotation was therefore immediately saving him some £3,000 on his installation costs if he had accepted our competitor’s designs.

The heat pump was installed at the rear of the house in a location chosen by the customer. (pic)

The projected fuel savings will exceed £350 per annum with maintenance costs lower than his existing boiler service contract.

So among the benefits this system provided are:

• Removal of dependency on escalating oil costs and the possibility of unreliable supply.
• No need to monitor supplies or order and pay for his energy ‘up front’
• No need to worry about oil theft from his garden tank
• Removal of his ‘messy oil tank’ from the garden and the boiler inside his home
• For every unit of electricity used to power the pump, 3-4 units of heat can be produced.
• Removal of combustible fuels piped inside his home
• No risk from his heating system for Carbon Monoxide poisoning
• And the knowledge he is using a government recognised ‘renewable energy’ heating system to heat his home.