Introduction
A 1960s three-bedroom semi-detached house in Lincolnshire was renovated by replacing the old heating system with infrared panels. That left homeowner Georges looking for a separate way to provide hot water: one that would take up less space than the old cylinder and keep stored heat available for longer, whenever the household needed it.
Georges, who heads the infrared heating specialists Heissen Heating, chose a Sunamp Thermino heat battery. More than four years on, he talks about how it has worked in his home.
The challenge – hot water for a home heated by infrared panels
The house originally had a back boiler placed behind a cast fire, a hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard and a header tank in the attic. The hot water cylinder had an insulation jacket, but Georges found that the water cooled quickly, annoying if the family went away for a few days. The old arrangement also took up a lot of space, which he wanted to reclaim during the renovation.
Georges’ new infrared panels provided space heating, but he needed a separate hot water system. Keeping the two systems independent was important to him: a problem with one system shouldn’t affect the other.
“I chose Thermino because our house is heated by infrared heating, so I needed a solution for the hot water,” said Georges.
The futureproof solution – a compact, low-loss, solar-PV-ready Thermino heat battery
Georges installed a Thermino 210 ePlus, the solar PV-ready model available when he upgraded his home. His heat battery runs on grid electricity, making the most of off-peak tariff, independently of the infrared panels. Georges does not currently have solar panels; however, the appliance gives him an option to use solar PV for hot water if he adds the PV system in future.
Unlike his old cylinder, Thermino stores most of its energy as heat in phase change material rather than in a large volume of hot water. Incoming mains water is heated as it passes through the unit. For him, the difference made sense: he could store heat to produce hot water when he needed it without keeping a full cylinder warm between uses.
Removing the old cylinder and header tank also freed up space in the house. The Thermino heat battery sits in the former airing cupboard, with room above it for bedding and towels.
As Georges jokes, “Don’t get your hopes up about the excess heat from the old cylinder that used to dry your airing cupboard.” Thermino’s vacuum insulation keeps more of the stored heat inside, so the cupboard no longer warms up in the same way.
The benefits
Low heat loss
Georges’ work and travel mean the household does not always use hot water on a fixed schedule. The family can go away for a week and still have hot water when they return. For Georges, the appeal is that Thermino stores heat in a PCM rather than keeping a cylinder of water warm while the house is empty. The vacuum-packed insulation helps retain the heat stored inside it until hot water is needed.
Hot water costs through the energy crisis
The household has lived through the energy-cost crisis since installing Thermino. Georges says they have hardly noticed its running costs and estimates a considerable saving compared with their previous hot water arrangement. He also likes the option of scheduling charging during cheaper electricity hours paired to an off-peak tariff. The Thermino heat battery does not need to charge every day in his home; it generally charges a couple of times a week, depending on the household demand.
Silent operation and no maintenance
After more than four years, he has not needed a plumber to inspect, maintain or repair the Thermino. He also enjoys the silent operation, and has not noticed any noise from it, thanks to no moving parts.
For a family finishing the renovation of an older home, the space freed up and the reliability of the hot water system have been the clearest daily gains.
Reflecting on over four years of use, Georges said: “This upgrade has taken our water heating into the 21st century.”
Learn more about the Thermino ePlus range
Watch Georges explain why he chose a Thermino heat battery and how it has delivered compact, reliable hot water in his Lincolnshire home for more than four years.
Considering Thermino for your home?
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