Efficient Home Heating: A Complete Guide for Homeowners

When it comes to heating your home, choosing heating technologies that can work together effectively is important for maximising energy efficiency, reducing costs and minimising your environmental impact. Renowned for its dynamic approach towards forward thinking and innovative heating solutions, Grant continues to be at the forefront of highly efficient, reliable home heating solutions. Akin to its core focus of innovation, reliability, and efficiency, Grant heating technologies have been designed to work together as part of an integrated heating system to provide an efficient and streamlined way to manage warmth and comfort to your home.

Typically, a Grant integrated package includes a main heat source, hot water storage, heat emitters and smart heating controls. The technologies included in each package work together to optimise energy use and provide reliable heating throughout the year.

Air source heat pumps

Naturally, at the heart of any integrated heating package and home is a main heat source, which serves as the foundation for delivering warmth throughout the home. The main heat source commonly used in new build properties is the award-winning Grant Aerona R290 air source heat pump.

Designed in Ireland, for the Irish climate; the A+++ rated Grant Aerona R290 is a highly efficient heating technology which provides exceptional performance with ultra-quiet operation. Its use of natural refrigerant R290 also makes it an environmentally kinder way to heat your home.

Whilst heat pumps are largely suited to new build properties as they have been built to meet the highest criteria of insulation standards, a heat pump can also be installed into an existing home provided it is ‘heat pump ready’. This is usually carried out as part of a deep retrofit and includes upgrading the insulation within the property along with upgrading doors and windows to help prevent heat loss.

HVO biofuel compatible boilers

For older homes, with aged insulation, the cost of a deep retrofit to make the home ‘heat pump ready’ can be costly. Considering this, it may be a better option to upgrade the main heat source to a highly efficient HVO biofuel compatible boiler, like the Grant Vortex condensing oil and HVO biofuel-ready condensing boiler. HVO biofuel is a low carbon liquid fuel that could play a significant role in sustainable home heating and reducing the carbon footprint of existing homes throughout Ireland.

All new Grant condensing boilers have been manufactured to use 100% HVO, through making a minor modification. Older Grant condensing boilers can also be easily adapted to use HVO, through a small adjustment that can be carried out by a heating engineer.

Supporting technologies

Once the main heat source for the home is selected, homeowners can choose their hot water storage option from Grant’s range of pre-plumbed / pre-wired hot water cylinders, including the Grant Integrated Unit, which are ideal for quick and easy installs. Grant’s range of hot water cylinders are ideal for quick and easy installs. Whilst designed to heat water exceptionally quickly and efficiently, Grant hot water cylinders are ideal partners for sustainable heating sources, like the Aerona R290 or HVO biofuel compatible Vortex boilers.

Heat emitters to heat each room within the home are the next technologies to be included in the package solution and this may include Grant Afinia aluminium radiators, or Grant Uflex underfloor heating.

Ideal for newbuilds and extensions, Grant Uflex underfloor heating is embedded into the floor during construction. With an exceptionally fast drying time of up to thirty days, Grant Uflex underfloor heating is placed using flow screed, opposed to solid screen systems. Designed to evenly distribute heat across, Uflex underfloor heating can reduce the overall demands on the main heat source, to guarantee effective and consistent warmth and comfort.

Grant Afinia aluminium radiators are designed to work with both high and low temperature heating systems; as such, making them easy to pair with the Aerona R290 or Vortex range. These modern radiators are excellent heat emitters which distribute heat evenly and consistently within the room.

Combining aestheticism with effectiveness, the Grant Afinia radiators are an excellent choice, with choice and flexibility in mind; they are available in 6-20 panels, and vertical and horizontal combinations.

Smart heating controls

Grant’s core focus is to provide innovative, reliable and cost-effective heating solutions to help combat the problem of rising energy costs and carbon emissions; as such, their selection of smart heating controls have been designed to work seamlessly with technologies featured within the heating package. Grant smart heating controls can be configured to set different heating and temperature schedules, and can operate as stand-alone thermostats, or as part of an app-controlled system, that allows remote access.

Where the Aerona R290 heat pump is the main heat source, the Aerona Smart Controller is used to make the heat pump incredibly easy to manage and control by enabling users to set heating schedules, domestic hot water timings, and adjust room temperatures. Installers can also remotely access and manage the heat pump should assistance be required at any time.

Integrated heating package design

For new build and deep retrofit properties installing a heat pump, Grant offers a free of charge design service. This involves using house plans to correctly size and specify the best suited heating technologies for the home and its occupants. By correctly sizing and specifying these heating technologies, this helps to maximise efficiencies and long-term cost and carbon savings for the homeowner.

To avail of Grant’s professional home heating design service, simply send house plans to heatpump@grant.ie

Visit www.grant.ie for more information on Grant’s range of innovative and sustainable heating solutions. Follow Grant on Facebook and X @GrantIRL, Instagram @grant_irl and LinkedIn @GrantEngineeringULC. You can also follow Grant on YouTube @GrantEngineeringIE.