Glendale Farm

The Project

In 2021 we were asked by a local building contractor who we had previously worked with to come up with a solution to 2 new homes being constructed on a Farm near Wedmore, Somerset. The project consisted of 1 brand new timber frame of over 300m2 and 1 renovated barn being converted into a 250m2 home. The project required designs for underfloor heating, hot and cold water systems and the installation of a ground source heat pump.

As the properties were being built on a farm they benefitted from a large amount of land in which a horizontal ground loop could be installed, both had access to these fields so 2 manifolds could be installed with a main flow and return back to each properties plant room.

The Solution

As the barns were being built to a high standard with hig insulation values we were able to install each with a Vaillant Flexotherm 11kW heat pump. Each ground source machine was then connected to approximately 1000m of ground loop in the field below to allow for a large enough ground loop

Underfloor heating systems where designed and installed in both properties, with an in screed system used on the ground floor (avoiding the spiral cellar!) and a suspended floor system on the first floor. Hot and cold water pipework fed the large properties and a secondary return was installed to ensure instantaneous hot water.

The Installation

This project was completed over several months with multiple trips at different stages of the build. The underfloor heating and first fix plumbing was completed early on to allow for screeding and boarding with the ground loop and heat pumps being installed at a later date when power and water were brought into the properties.

Installing nearly 1000m of ground loop was no mean feat as the sloping ground of the site made fighting a coil of 40mm tube difficult. The systems were tested and handed over to the new homeowners who are able to control each zone of the underfloor heating and adjust hot water requirements through the Vaillant SensoApp.

The Results

The result has produced 2 stunning eco home in Somerset, with low running costs and a constant, comfortable living environment. We were able to save the main contractor a great deal in investment due to the lack of mains gas on site and the prohibitive cost of bringing mains gas to the site and disruption it would have caused on the local roads.