Exhaust Air Heat Pumps for 15 Flats in Shenfield

• 15 x Nibe F70 exhaust air heat pumps with integrated hot water cylinders
• Underfloor heating throughout

We were approached by a developer who was building 15 smart new flats on the site of an old pub.

The flats were high-spec and high-tech, and they wanted the latest in green heating technology.

Being one- or two-bedroom flats and very well insulated they had a low heat loss and were therefore ideally suited to an Exhaust Air Heat Pump (EAHP).

The heat pumps take warm, stale air from the property and, before expelling it, extract the energy, and use it to heat the hot water and run the underfloor heating. At the same time, it draws in fresh air to keep the house well ventilated.

We used the Nibe F730 exhaust air heat pumps which come in a slim box similar in size to a fridge-freezer. Inside the box is a small heat pump sitting atop a hot water cylinder. They are in fact just another “white good” and slotted in seamlessly next to the washing machines and tumble dryers - see pic.

Before fitting the units, we fitted the ductwork they rely on to draw in fresh air and to expel the stale air. The ductwork is hidden in the ceiling and draws the warm, moist air from kitchens and bathrooms into the heat pump where the heat is recovered and turned into useful energy to heat the hot water cylinder and run the underfloor heating. The resulting air is then expelled outside.

The Exhaust Air Heat Pumps, EAHPs, are extremely quiet, efficient, cheap to run and easy to run, requiring almost no maintenance.

They have simple controls for programming the heating and hot water and work seamlessly with the underfloor heating.

The flats are now rented out and the tenants couldn’t be happier with their heat pumps, feeling the benefit of fresh air, heating and plenty of hot water as well as enjoying low running costs.