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David Tappin lives in Glasgow in a semi-detached, four-bedroom house built in the 1860s. The building is a solid stone construction typical of the period and, although attractive, has proven difficult and expensive to heat with traditional gas central heating.
David describes himself as an eco-warrior. He wanted to upgrade his heating system to address his excessive consumption of fossil fuels and hopefully save money. As David explains, “at some point we must all stop burning [fuel] to stay warm.” He also planned to tackle the draughts and reduce the heat loss in the period property.
Journey to heat pump installation
David was interested in installing a heat pump to replace his gas central heating and thoroughly researched his options online to find out if it would be suitable for his home. He also sought guidance from an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessor from nextGenergy, who also provided independent energy advice. David’s choice of installer, Source Energy Heat Pumps Scotland from Perth, was also recommended to him by nextGenergy.
David understood that to get the best out of a heat pump system in a draughty period property, he would need to insulate his property as much as possible. He upgraded his front-facing windows to double-glazing with draught exclusion and using Landvac replacement glass in the original wooden frames. He insulated the hot water tank and he added 300mm of sheep’s wool insulation to the loft space too.
David’s new heating system comprises two 12kW Vaillant air-to-water heat pumps running via underfloor pipes, a solution to his perennial cold feet on the ground floor. He fitted the underfloor pipes himself, but the system was connected to the heat pump by the installer. The Fastflo heating pipes were fixed to suspended timber floorboards with clippaplates from Nuheat, and 150mm of sheep’s wool was added for insulation.
Costs and funding
The installation came within budget, costing £18,000 plus a further £3,000 for the underfloor system, but there were significant delays because of a shortage of heat pumps available at the time. There were further complications around simultaneously fitting the underfloor heating system and underfloor insulation.
Once the system was set up David says there was a problem with one of the Vaillant valves, but they came out the next day to replace it.
Source Energy Heat Pumps Scotland had advised David there was Scottish Government funding available. He applied for an interest-free loan through Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan to help cover the cost of installing the heat pump. He received a £10,000 loan, of which £2,500 was a cashback grant.
Enjoying a cosier home
David’s home now maintains a comfortable 19oC. He finds the ground floor much warmer, and the thermal comfort has improved in other areas too.
David removed the gas meter in May 2023, marking a significant milestone in his shift towards an all-electric household. On the advice of NextGenergy, he also switched to the Agile Octopus tariff to take advantage of electricity at its cheapest and greenest, and to charge his electric cars.
His total electricity consumption was 10,304kWh during the 8 months between January and August 2024, which included 6,293kWh for his heat pumps. The heat pumps delivered 13,486kWh of heat during this time, resulting in a coefficient of performance (CoP) of around 2.14.
David’s quest for sustainable living doesn’t stop here, however. Next, he is looking to replace the rest of his original windows with double glazing, and he is researching solar PV and battery storage technologies. Although David’s house is not within a conservation area, he is keen to find a solution that does not drastically alter the appearance or damage the fabric of his period home.
Advice for others
If you’re considering installing insulation in the roof, David emphasises how important it is to adequately ventilate the roof space when converting a warm loft area with little insulation into a cold loft space. His experience taught him that he needed to add 20 new vents in his old slate roof to combat the much higher levels of condensation. David has linked up one of the roof ventilators to an Orcon ventilation fan which removes excess moisture from the bathroom and shower room to further reduce condensation build up in the attic space.
Feeling inspired?
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