The traumas of lockdown have prompted a boom in the popularity of rural living, though the reality is that most ‘chocolate box’ country cottages lack contemporary comforts. However, this will not be a worry to the purchasers of two new-build homes in the Cotswolds idyll of Long Compton: thanks to their highly insulated construction and a truly sustainable building services package supplied by sector specialist, OMNIE.
Now known as Gold Stone, the pair of four-bedroom detached houses have been developed by local builder, DG Carpenter Ltd. on land adjoining an existing bungalow, fully reflecting the architectural heritage of the area through the use of coursed, reclaimed Cotswold limestone rather than reconstituted masonry. The stylish appearance continues throughout the homes’ living spaces where, as well as supplying plentiful hot water to the multiple bathrooms, high efficiency LG air source heat pumps will feed underfloor heating circuits to maintain temperatures during the area’s notoriously cold winters. The plumber from nearby Moreton-in-Marsh, a past user of OMNIE products, carried out all of the installation work for the heating and hot water services.
He explains: “I work right across Gloucestershire and the neighbouring counties, while I’ve had past experience of installing OMNIE underfloor heating: including on a large domestic build at Lower Swell, near Stow-on-the-Wold. “
“For DG Carpenter on the Gold Stone houses, they sourced the complete package through Jewson at Chipping Norton and I undertook the installation of the heat pumps, the underfloor heating and the controls, while Simon and Andy Carpenter fitted the Zehnder heat MVHR systems which will provide the ventilation in what are very airtight builds. Downstairs we installed the pipework over 100mm of Celotex insulation using the Staple system, which is very quick. Then upstairs we switched to OMNIIE’s LowBoard panels which are just so easy to fit and look really neat when they’re done. While OMNIE provides all the layout drawings electronically as well as in printed format, I normally print them out at A3 and laminate them, to keep them clean and dry on site. It took approximately two days per floor to do the install on each house before a flooring specialist laid all the limestone and engineered oak.”
Because they run so quietly, the outdoor units could be located close to each home’s back wall, where they will continue to harvest latest heat from the atmosphere even in sub-zero temperatures. The Cylinder and components have been fitted in ground floor plantrooms. As well as leaving the room interiors free of radiators, the OMNIE underfloor heating has the added benefit of keeping the heat pumps running efficiently over extended periods, which reduces component wear. Together with the MVHR, this will also ensure the occupants of the Gold Stone properties will enjoy low energy bills while the heat pumps themselves carry 7-year warranty cover.
“OMNIE was absolutely fine about it and the background heat did the job while once they’re occupied, the OMNIE room thermostats, as well as floor sensors in the bathrooms, will keep the system in perfect balance for the owners.”
