Heating and Cooling Strategy for a Large New-Build Home

Project: 690m² new-build home
Service: Independent heating and energy consultancy

The challenge

The client was planning a substantial new home with underfloor heating, heat pumps, a woodburning boiler stove, plus cooling. They needed a coordinated approach that would deliver year-round comfort, efficiency and reliable operation.

What we did

Firepower carried out detailed room-by-room heat loss calculations and developed an integrated heating, cooling and hot water strategy. This included heat pump sizing, underfloor heating requirements, wood boiler integration, thermal storage, controls and plant room planning.

Crucially we identified a significant risk of summer overheating from extensive West-facing, South-facing and roof glazing. We recommended incorporating external shading into the architectural design, rather than relying on only mechanical cooling to deal with the resulting heat gains.

The potential savings

Addressing solar gain at the design stage will avoid substantial expenditure on additional cooling equipment, reduce future electricity bills, prevent costly remedial building work, and make for a far more comfortable building to live in.

Our advice also helped establish appropriate heating system specifications and identify potential design conflicts before construction.

The value of early advice: A relatively modest consultancy investment can save many times its cost, while delivering a more comfortable, efficient home.