Energy efficiency : Brick tower conversion to use underfloor heating

When architect Andy Critchlow bought a derelict Victorian water tower in an auction for £100,000 without looking inside, he couldn’t have foreseen the challenges he would face along the way. He did however have the vision to see the possibilities for a stylish, 5-bedroomed, four-storey family home for him and girlfriend Ana Ferguson, with a top-floor sun room which would offer stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

The conversion and refurbishment of the historic building in Congleton, was featured on Channel 4′s Restoration Man in January. Over an 18-month period, viewers followed the restoration of the former water tower, which had lain dormant for a decade.

Andy, who is a Director at Manchester-based AEW Architects, used the project to demonstrate how a solid-brick, Victorian building could be restored and refurbished to become an elegant, energy-efficient, modern home.

“There are thousands of solid brick buildings in the UK and as a nation, we have to find ways of improving their energy efficiency to help lower people’s fuel bills and tackle the country’s carbon emissions,” he says. “I wanted to demonstrate how this can readily be achieved and how even historic buildings can be adapted to suit modern living.”

Built in 1881, the 15 metre high water tower is Grade II listed and was fully functioning until 2001 when it was decommissioned.

One of the first things Andy did during the conversion was make sure the energy efficiency of the structure was maximised by adding in layers of insulation within a new inner stud wall.

Given the huge capacity for thermal mass in the existing masonry (600-700mm solid brickwork walls) and the unusual shape, Andy designed the project to use underfloor heating.

The energy to run this and also supply the building’s hot water supply is provided by two Ecodan® air source heat pumps from Mitsubishi Electric. A 14kW and a 5kW Ecodan are discretely sited on the rooftop and connect to the water cylinder in a special plant room on the top floor.

“I always planned to use an air source heat pump and it is easy to see why Ecodan has become the market leader,” says Andy. “We moved in during November and the building has been warm and comfortable throughout the winter.

“Although heat pump systems work in a slightly different way to traditional heating, it is very easy to control and because it gets about two-thirds of its heat energy from the outdoor air, it is incredibly efficient.”

One of the main challenges with refurbishing old properties is that modern regulations require buildings to be much more air tight and this can lead to problems with condensation and mould. Andy solved this issue by using a DC Lossnay heat recovery ventilation unit, also from Mitsubishi Electric, which mechanically extracts stale indoor air and replaces it with fresh, outdoor air
that has been pre-heated.

“When we looked at turning this remarkable piece of heritage into our dream home, I knew we would need some form of heat recovery ventilation to keep the building free of condensation,” explains Andy. “I liked the fact that the Lossnay will offer free cooling when we get to the summer.”

Fresh air is piped to each room in the house and where the Lossnay scores over others is that it recovers about 75 per cent of the heat from the outgoing air so that the incoming air needs less energy to bring it up to the room temperature. At only 35dB, the whisper-quiet Lossnay also has a unique paper core which transfers both latent and sensible heat making the house feel much more comfortable.

Completing the whole house solution from Mitsubishi Electric are 20 PV-TD185MF5 Photovoltaic (PV) solar power generating panels, which Andy has installed on the South East facing roof of the new triple-garage block he constructed below the tower.

The garage has its own distribution board which is ducted back to the main tower and the 3.64 KWp system is estimated to yield more than 3,000kW hours of electricity a year, generating an income from the Government’s Feed in Tariff.

“The pitch and size of the south facing garage roof made it ideal for a PV array,” explains Andy. “We wanted the property to be as self-sufficient as possible and have been delighted with the returns from the PV even over the winter.

“We worked closely with the installers World Heat Limited and Mitsubishi Electric during the refurbishment and getting all three systems from one manufacturer has helped ensure that they work well together,” adds Andy. “The performance of the whole system is now being closely monitored as this is one of the first Victorian buildings to combine all three in this way.”

As a Director at AEW Architects, Andy advises clients on energy matters, acting as Eco home assessors, dealing with the Code for Sustainable Homes, BREAME, SAP and providing advice for a number of bespoke large domestic projects.

In the case of Congleton Water Tower, Andy has taken an historic, local landmark and produced a stunning £400,000, 21st Century eco-home, using the most advanced heating, ventilation and power generating equipment currently available.

To find out more about the range of advice and services available from AEW, visit the website, www.aewarchitects.com or telephone 0161 214 4370.

For further information on Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan range, PV systems, and Lossnay heat recovery ventilation, visit http://domesticheating.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/

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Article source: http://www.plumbingpark.co.uk/plumbing_hvac_article15509.html