Fan convectors are teamed up with heat pumps for home heating
Ecovector fan convectors from Smith’s Environmental Products served by heat pumps heat two large new houses near Oxford. They were chosen by renewable-heating specialist Earth Save Products in preference to underfloor heating for their energy-efficiency credentials and compatibility with renewable-heating systems. Earth Save Products supplied its own air-source heat pumps.
In total, 48 Ecovectors have been installed in the two 3-storey 5-bedroom houses. There is one unit in some rooms, and larger rooms contain several units.
Nick Hale, a director of Earth Save Products, says, ‘We have supplied Ecovectors for a lot of properties and have never had any problems.
‘Underfloor heating would have to be left running almost constantly to comply with the homes’ heating requirements in line with Part L of the Building Regulations. This would result in the rooms on the first and second floors getting too hot, and there’d be no escaping from the heat. Furthermore, an underfloor heating system would be slow to heat up and, therefore, not as responsive or instant as the Ecovectors.’
The heat exchanger of Ecovectors uses only 5% of the water required for a radiator of equivalent output, so it heats up faster and responds quickly to changing heating requirements. They also draw in air from above and distribute it at floor level, which is said to be a first for a fan convector.
