A luxury development in an exclusive Dublin location is rewriting the standard for greener residential heating.
Drumnigh Manor is a low-density residential development on a superb site in Portmarnock, Co Dublin, consisting of 300 large A2 rated three-, four- and five-bedroom houses of superior quality and design.
Built to exceptional standards
Scheduled for completion in 2023, the Drumnigh Manor development is being built to exceptional standards by leading Irish developer Shannon Homes (Construction) Ltd.
Shannon Homes Group has committed to offering energy-efficient properties of the very highest level. To ensure these new homes exceeded all regulations and expectations, the specification brief had sustainability at its heart.
Having worked with the Shannon Homes Group for more than 30 years, Dublin-based contractors M&P Mechanical knew that choosing the right heating system was a central part of delivering a reduced carbon footprint and lower bills for residents.
Renewable air-to-water heat pump
It opted for a renewable air-to-water heat pump from the world's largest heat pump manufacturer Daikin.
Mark O’Rourke, managing director at M&P Mechanical, explains: “The heating specification at Drumnigh Manor was very much a whole-system approach from the outset.
"We picked highly efficient QRL low-temperature radiators and the Daikin Altherma 3 Integrated Heat Pump because they pair so well together.
"Getting the best out of any renewable heat source means matching it with an emitter that’s designed to deliver high outputs at lower-flow temperatures.”
Founded in Osaka, Japan in 1924, Daikin first developed its reputation as a manufacturer of air conditioning systems.
The company launched its first Altherma air-to-water heat pump more than a decade ago, and more than 400,000 systems have since been installed in homes and offices across the globe, making it a world leader in heating and cooling solutions.
Daikin’s Altherma 3 Air-to-Water Heat Pump boasts an A+++ efficiency label for space heating, and an A+ rating for hot water production.
Heat pumps work by utilising the energy within the outdoor air itself, in temperatures as low as -25C.
Exchanges energy to integrated water tank and space heating system
The outdoor unit harnesses the energy in the air and transfers it to the R-32 refrigerant gas flowing between the outdoor and indoor units.
The indoor unit then exchanges this energy to an integrated water tank and space heating system, in this case low-temperature radiators.
Daikin’s Altherma 3 heat pump was the first heat pump on the market running on R32 refrigerant gas, which has one of the lowest global warming potential of any refrigerant gas on the market, making the Altherma range one of the most efficient and greenest domestic heating systems on the planet.
The Altherma 3 system ranges from 4-16kWs of heating output, with integrated or free-standing storage hot water tanks up to 300 litres and space-saving wall-mounted systems, making it a great fit for all homes.
Popularity growing rapidly
Heat pumps were once rare in Irish homes, but their popularity is now growing rapidly. As a renewable energy technology, they give developers and designers an advantage in complying with Part L of the building regulations compared to fossil fuel boilers achieving compliance with the NZEB standard.
In 2018, an estimated 50 per cent of new Irish homes employed a heat pump as its main heating system according to data from SEAI’s national BER research tool.
For further information, please contact Daikin Ireland at: info@daikin.ie or call 01-6423430.