Solar thermal packages have been installed on 12 new affordable homes in Bishop Stortford, allowing the buildings to be given Code 3 sustainability status.
The new homes have been built by Jarvis Construction for South Anglia Housing and all feature two Oventrop OKF CK 22 Solar flat plate collectors of 2.02m² integrated into their roofs. Jarvis’s contracts manager, Gideon Saph, said that the residents of the two and three-storey homes will be provided with easy control of the systems, much of which will already be controlled by pre-installed switching schemes.
“The emphasis on this project was to provide energy efficient homes for the occupiers,” he explained. “The inclusion of a solar panel solution was a requirement of the design package in order to achieve a Code 3 status.”
The solar systems were installed by local firm Burgate Plumbing & Heating, which has particular expertise in the installation of sustainable plumbing systems.
Each system also consists of a 250L twin coil solar cylinder at ground level and stainless steel pre insulated pipework. The installation required individual systematic drawing and full system settings showing flow rates, as the pipes that run from the collectors on the roofs to the cylinders are very long.
Burgate’s director, Jim Pooley, added, “The Oventrop solution was chosen because it was easy to install and provided a quality product at a competitive price.”