Pedn Billy Boathouse

The final stretch of the journey towards Pedn Billy Boathouse takes you through picturesque woodlands, with the azure tides of the Helford River glistening in the space between the ancient oaks. The breath-taking Pedn Billy Boathouse with its traditional thatched roof stands on its own private golden shoreline, offering holiday makers a real taste of the idyllic natural landscapes of Cornwall.

The only thing less than perfect about this scene was the direct electric heating system keeping its guests warm. The owners of this magnificent property is environmentally minded and wanted a more energy efficient heating system for the property. Already a heat pump advocate, owning several systems in other properties, the owners asked Abode Heat to help them transform the boathouse’s heating system.

To upgrade the property’s heating system with a modern and renewable option, Abode Heat installed a Vaillant aroTHERM Plus air source heat pump to work alongside a new wet radiator system. As part of the project, Abode Heat replaced an ageing LPG boiler and old radiators, with a second Vaillant aroTHERM Plus and new radiators for Swallow Cottage, an annex to the main house.

Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge

Interest in heat pumps is growing in the UK, driven by recent government incentives like the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, however recent research commissioned by Vaillant, revealed that installers and homeowners still have many questions surrounding this heating technology.

Vaillant have teamed up with Kevin McCloud, to uncover the truth about having a heat pump installed in a range of properties across the UK, and to help answer the common questions about installing and living with this type of low-carbon heating technology.

Alongside this partnership, Vaillant introduced the Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge, which looked for installers to help showcase how and when heat pumps work at their best. The Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge asked installers to submit the most interesting and challenging residential heat pump installations they have been involved in. The winning projects would feature in a film with British property expert and presenter, Kevin McCloud.

Abode Heat entered Pedn Billy Boathouse’s heat pump installation into the Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge and were picked as one of the winners. Here is the final video Vaillant produced showing off the installation, featuring interviews between Kevin McCloud, the Abode Heat team, and the owners.

Abode Heat are delighted to be one of the winners involved in The Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge. We had a great time filming with Kevin McCloud and the Vaillant team. Here are some behind the scenes shots from the day.

Abode Heat are delighted to be one of the winners involved in The Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge. We had a great time filming with Kevin McCloud and the Vaillant team. Here are some behind the scenes shots from the day.

What were the challenges of this installation?

The Vaillant Heat Pump Challenge is about showcasing challenging heat pump installations. Here are some of the challenges Abode Heat faced during the installation for this project:

Coastal Location: As the property is only meters away from the beach, we needed a quality system that would reliably handle the coastal location and salt air.

The Vaillant aroTHERM Plus Bluefin coated evaporator, makes it suitable for installations less than 150m away from the sea with salt resistant construction C5 class.

Noise: The paying guests have come to this property to enjoy some well-earned rest by the Cornish coast, so we needed a quiet system that didn’t disturb the guests or the peaceful surroundings.

With its quality insulation, vibration dampeners and a highly efficient compressor, the Vaillant aroTHERM plus is ultra-quiet during operation. Our customer says he is very impressed at how amazingly quiet the units are.

Remote Location: There was a logistical challenge with this installation. To get to Pedn Billy Boathouse, there is a private road to the main house, where we offloaded all our equipment, materials, and tools, before been transported down a single-track lane to the boathouse on the beach.

Radiator system: The property’s existing direct electric heating system was removed, and we installed a new radiator system and pipework into the property, designing the system to operate at most efficient and lowest flow temperature as was practical.

Installation Timing: With the property being a popular holiday cottage, we had to work around it’s busy calendar, ensuring that the installation caused as minimal disruption as possible.