Bungalow, hosted by Alexander

Since I bought our 3 bedroom detached bungalow, the loft has been converted with an extra room+ shower room and 4 Velux windows. The bungalow has the highest possible insulation levels with recently  renewed double glazing, cavity wall insulation and roof insulation. Our heatpump has been installed behind the garage and the hot water tank and control systems inside the garage. The installation took a full five days during which 8 out of our 10 radiators were replaced. We were given several portable electric heaters to keep warm. (installation took place in early January when it was below zero outside). We did have hot water all week. Yes, of course it was disruptive having to arrange access to all the radiators and having five engineers around the house. But the crew was accomodating, friendly, worked efficiently and long hours.

It takes a little while to adjust to the new system: Instead of turning the heating ON/OFF as and when needed, you just let it run 24/7 and tweek the room temperature by 1 or 2 degrees. It takes longer to warm up because the radiators do not get as hot as with our old system. Our hot water is set to 45 degrees. This can be changed or boosted. It is more than hot enough for baths, showering and handwashing. Clever electronics adjust the pump's running efficiency depending on the weather. Finally, I expect the energy bills to be lower than when I still had gas AND electricity.