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Low-Carbon Heating Comes To Castrads Flagship London Store
Our air source heat pump powers eight Castrads radiators and one antique Crane radiator from our reclaimed collection.
It’s lowered our winter energy bill and helped us give better support to customers who are also moving away from gas central heating.
Energy Savings
Switching Castrads Fulham Road from a traditional gas boiler to a NIBE air source heat pump has brought our energy bill down by 11% overall. With our gas usage at zero since September 2024, our electricity costs have only increased by 54%.
Our system was designed by a heat pump specialist accredited by Heat Geek, the UK’s leading authority on low-energy heating. Heat Geek guarantees the work of their elite installers. We can’t stress enough how important it is to have a professional installer carry out a site-specific system design and spec the correct equipment for your home.
We realise that moving away from gas is a big decision so we’re eager for our installation to help demystify the process. In this case study you’ll see the equipment we installed and the small changes we made to the building.
Expert Installation By Elite Heat Geek Wesley Hort
On installation day Adam Chapman from Heat Geek sat down with Wesley Hort from West Hampstead Heating to discuss his system design for Castrads Fulham Road, running cast iron radiators on renewable energy and his goal to get us to the Top of the SCOPS!
At Castrads, we are committed to helping homeowners and businesses transition to energy-efficient and environmentally friendly heating solutions.
Heat Geek delivers the UK’s most efficient heat pump installations, with performance guaranteed to be at least as good as their design calculations. Better yet, buy your Castrads radiators through your installer as part of a heat pump package and you’ll pay no VAT.
Five Reasons To Choose Cast Iron Radiators for Your Heat Pump System
Your heat pump will love our radiators! As Wesley mentions in the video, cast iron radiators are ideal for low-temperature heating because of their superior heat retention and large surface area. But there’s more to this match:
- Large Internal Volume: Radiators with a larger volume let you drop the temperature but keep to reasonable overall dimensions.
- Bespoke Sizing: We build your radiators to perfectly match the output you need.
- Built To Last: Our cast iron radiators are designed to last for generations, reducing waste and long-term costs.
- Embrace Reclaimed: Even our 100-year-old reclaimed radiators are ideal for heat pumps (pictured: Crane Pall Mall from our antique reclaimed collection.)
- Sustainable Period Charm: Keep the classic aesthetic of cast iron radiators while upgrading to modern, efficient heating.
See It For Yourself
Book a visit to our Fulham Road showroom and let us show you our full heat pump setup. We can help calculate the heat output requirements for your home and discuss which lower temperature options could work for you.
Using H2X software we can also simulate how your favourite Castrads radiators could integrate into a low-energy heating system like ours.
Installing Our NIBE ASHP System.
The expert team from West Hampstead Heating handled the installation seamlessly, ensuring minimal disruption to our store’s daily operations. Although it took three guys to move the large hot water cylinder, it tucks away neatly into a cupboard at the back of the store.
An Air Source Heat Pump extracts heat energy from the surrounding air. Wesley fixed our NIBE F2050 external unit to brackets at the very top of the wall to optimize air flow.
Shown here alongside our 1800mm tall Florence 2 Column steel radiator, you can see the NIBE VVM S320 indoor water cylinder is a sizeable bit of kit. It earns it’s keep though – inside is a water heater, electric additional heat, self-regulating circulation pump and weather compensation technology that ensures no energy is wasted.
The smart controls are easy to navigate via a panel on the unit and from a mobile app. Our system efficiency is also openly monitored so anyone can check in on our live SCOP figure. We’re delighted to say Wesley’s system has achieved a SCOP of 4.1 over the winter months.
See Live Efficiency Data From Our ASHP
Average SCOP of 4.1 with no major building work.
The secondary glazing at Castrads Fulham Road was installed to limit traffic noise, but it also helped to bring down our heat loss. At the back of the store there is a large skylight and single-glazed sash window which are as yet unchanged.
With no major changes to the fabric of the building, Wesley’s heat pump design and install has averaged a SCOP of 4.1 over the winter.
SCOP stands for Seasonal Coefficient Of Performance and measures the overall efficiency of a system. The top-performing systems in the UK range between 3.8 and 5. Our SCOP of 4.1 means that for the 1633KWh of electricity our heat pump has used to date, it has generated 6742KWh of heat!
Pledge To Decarbonise Our Heating
The Air Source Heat Pump at Fulham Road is the first step in our pledge to decarbonise heating in all Castrads UK locations. Our HQ and factory in Stockport is due to upgrade by the end of the year.
If you’re considering switching to a heat pump yourself, visit a showroom or call us to start discussing your project.
We’ll help with your heat loss calculations and sizing your radiators for lower temperature heating systems.
