Featuring EnviroBead
CHALLENGE: MODERNISING A “FREEZING” HOUSE
When former professional boxer Eric Donovan and his wife Laura bought their home in the picturesque village of Tullyallen, in the heart of the historic Boyne Valley ‘Camino’ just outside Drogheda, they had a fair idea what they were getting into.
“The first thing we noticed was how cold the house was,” laughs Eric. “It was absolutely freezing!”
With two small children to keep warm, replacing the old oil boiler and modernising the central heating was just one of the renovation projects on the agenda. Built in the 1960s, the 3-bedroom detached house also needed to be completely re-wired and re-piped before the family could move in.
Eric had heard about the SEAI home energy grants and contacted Envirobead, a One Stop Shop based in Cork but operating nationwide. Together, they decided to go for a complete home energy upgrade or ‘deep retrofit’ involving a full package of energy-saving measures including a Daikin Altherma 3 air to water heat pump.
SOLUTION: DEEP RETROFIT INCLUDING HEAT PUMP, SOLAR PV
“I have to say, working with the One Stop Shop made everything simple and straightforward,” says Eric, a former Irish and European boxing champion who is now head coach at Drogheda Boxing Club, represents the Drogheda Rural constituency as a local councillor and is also a qualified psychotherapist.
“Envirobead walked us through the entire process, so we understood all the steps involved, they also took care of the grant applications and all the other paperwork which took all the hassle out of it really,” he says. “We were fully consulted and involved throughout, so for example choosing our own colours and being in control of the design aspects.”
The full package of works included new external doors and windows, external wall insulation, solar PV, plus a Daikin Altherma 3 air to water heat pump system which slotted neatly into a former shower room; now called the plant room.
By the time the Donovans moved into their new home, the installation work was complete and the house was “completely transformed” including jumping from a BER level E up to an A2 rating.
RESULTS: “STEADY, RELIABLE COMFORT, EVEN ON THE COLDEST DAYS”
The first thing the family noticed was the level of comfort in their new home. When Envirobead conducted a full handover of the new system, including showing how to remote-control the settings via the Onecta mobile app, the heat pump had been set to deliver consistent heat.
“For us having grown up with immersions, it was amazing that the house just stayed at a steady, comfortable temperature, with no turning the system on and off or hitting boost, even on the coldest days,” says Eric. “The heat pump just works away quietly, while we also have a constant supply of hot water whenever we need it.”
Since installing the heat pump, particularly in tandem with solar panels, the Donovans have also noticed a welcome change with their energy bills.
“First of all, we only get a single bill now instead of two, so that has simplified the process and made it easier to understand how much energy we are consuming,” says Eric. “And in the two or three bills we’ve received since getting the new system, I’ve noticed a significant decrease in what we’re paying.
“We definitely wouldn’t look back, we're very happy and excited for the future in our new BER A2 rated home.”
Click on the image to browse a Daikin heat pump similar to the system installed in the project above
“HEAT PUMP A BRILLIANT PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY”
“The Daikin heat pump is a brilliant piece of technology that has simplified our lives and our energy bills. The house is warm and comfortable all the time, with plenty of hot water and none of the inconvenience that comes with traditional boiler systems. The heat pump is so easy to operate, there’s no maintenance involved, it just does its own thing which is great. It’s also good to know we’re on a sustainable pathway in terms of our energy consumption.”
– Eric Donovan