Heat pump cuts carbon footprint for Willow Cottage

After moving from busy Stockport in readiness for retirement, accountant Susan and husband Philip, a Manchester University academic, replaced the oil-based heating system at  Willow Cottage with a Daikin Altherma high temperature heat pump. 

Why did you choose this property?

“I’m not sure why we ended up with a two-acre smallholding,” says Susan. “It wasn’t meant to be like this, but we made the decision to move during the early Covid days. Willow Cottage is based on a traditional Welsh long cottage – originally one room downstairs and two above.” 

How has it changed over the years?

“It was extended with a front porch, and a kitchen, scullery, shower/toilet and study/third bedroom – in a single storey addition at the rear. It was reconfigured upstairs to provide two bedrooms and a full bathroom. A studio was added at one end of the building, and a boiler room at the other.”

Why did you need to change the heating system?

When the previous owners built the extension at the rear about 20 years ago, they installed an oil-fired boiler and radiators. The old oil boiler was on its last legs when we moved in, so after it broke down at Christmas we decided it was time for change.

How did you select your heat pump?

We were planning to get an air source heat pump with the next stage of our renovation plans, but felt we could not wait that long. We contacted Paul Thorney of Air2Heat Ltd, Oswestry, who recommended the R32-based Daikin Altherma 3 H HT heat pump (10 class) for heating and hot water.

Where is the new system installed?

The Quiet Mark certified outdoor unit is positioned outside the boiler room, which now houses the indoor floor standing unit – integrated with a 180-litre hot water cylinder.  We were very lucky to have the boiler room – without it we would have struggled to fit an indoor unit and cylinder into the cottage.