Folkestone, Kent, is home to Tony and Nikki Lambert, who have lived in their semi-detached 1960s property for over 30 years. Alongside a history of green home improvements, their heating system had been upgraded several times, but by 2025 it was proving inefficient and cumbersome. With a traditional warm air system and an old gas boiler handling hot water, energy bills were high and heating distribution uneven. It was time for the Lamberts to make a generational change.
Tackling an outdated heating setup
Tony and Nikki Lambert have never been conventional when it comes to their heating and energy solution, as Tony explains: “We’ve had warm air boilers for decades. The last one we installed about 20 years ago still handled our hot water. It was inefficient, and a lot of heat was wasted.” Nikki adds: “We wanted a neat, all-in-one solution that would handle heating, hot water, and cooling as a bonus, without ripping out walls or going through a full wet central heating overhaul.”
The existing system combined ducted warm air from a Johnson & Starley system with a separate Potterton gas boiler for hot water. Both were inefficient and outdated. Tony states: “It was putting more heat into the garden than the house.” With ongoing concerns about energy usage and comfort, the couple began exploring alternatives, which led them to Daikin’s door.
Finding the right solution
Research led Tony and Nikki to the Daikin Multi+ system, which offered them heating, cooling, and hot water in a single, compact setup. “We watched videos of people using air-to-air heat pumps for primary heating,” Tony says. “The Daikin system looked like it met all our requirements. It ticked all our boxes.”
The couple were put in touch with Cloverleaf Plumbing, Heating, and Renewables based in Sidcup. Owner and installer Dean Dawe surveyed the property, taking into account the existing PV system on the roof and the layout of the house. “The attached garage was ideal for the larger 230L hot water cylinder,” Dean explains. “Plus removing the old water tank from the airing cupboard inside opened up more storage space for the Lamberts too.”
Installation without disruption
The property’s semi-detached 1960s build presented some challenges for installation, but the team managed to fit the Multi+ system without major disruption. Dean describes the process: “Indoor units were positioned on outside walls with trunking to minimise visible pipework. The cylinder was installed in the garage, connected to one indoor unit, while the other four units served the lounge and three bedrooms. The warm air system vents remained, but the old system that supplied them was removed.”
The full installation took just days, with careful attention to avoiding joins in the high-pressure refrigerant pipework. Tony adds: “There was only one day without hot water, but the mains cold water was available, so it wasn’t a problem.”