Irish Architect, Emmet Murray, designed two stunning and unique homes on the dramatic Irish coast in Waterford for both himself and his brothers’ families. Emmet wanted the homes to be energy efficient and to take advantage of sustainable energy sources. Having specified Panasonic air source heat pumps on many other projects, he recognised their quality and capabilities. Working with builders Tom Breathnach Construction and distributors Heat Merchants, both houses are now benefitting from 16kW Panasonic Aquarea Monobloc T-Cap units to provide a highly energy efficient heating and domestic hot water system.
The projects consisted of a three and a four-bed detached home with a combined floor space of 3,800 sq ft. The homes are designed to cleverly harness natural solar gains from the sunlight through their stunning windows. However, ensuring all day and year-round comfort required a high quality and energy efficient heating system. Whilst the setting is breath-taking, being so close to the Sea on the South coast, the units also needed to deal with the harsh coastal environment.
In designing these homes for his family, the architect consulted with the builders, choosing only the best quality and most reliable products. Building contractor, Tom Breathnach, of Tom Breathnach Construction commented:
“We started using Panasonic units some time ago and have brought it forward with us ever since. When every customer, every house, and every project for which you’ve installed a product is completely happy, you stick to that product. With the Panasonic Aquarea units, we don’t get a phone call from a client with an issue, because there are no issues.”
Many factors were considered as Brian Power, Business Development Manager at Heat Merchants explains:
“With this type of project, we have to consider various factors to ensure the correct size of units is specified. Our technical service department provides a SR50 calculation to tell us which heat pump is optimum for each specific project. We get a real kick on complex design projects like this stunning home in Waterford. Thanks to Panasonic’s wide range of options, we can easily overcome most challenges. This project also specified the Panasonic Smart Cloud control for the properties, where we can monitor the unit and its functionality remotely. We receive a notification from the unit if it identifies any anomalies, meaning we can fix things before they become an issue.”
Key Account Manager at Panasonic, Walter Stephens added:
“For such a personal project, attention to detail is key. We offered help from start to finish for this project, especially considering the location, making sure the units could withstand the sea air over time and not corrode. Providing longevity is important to us, we therefore treated the units with a Bronze Glow to ensure the units are fully protected from both direct salt spray and salt from the air. Wherever you can see the sea, or feel the sea air, we make a point of making sure the unit is treated.”
The Monobloc Aquarea T-cap is a single outdoor unit that supplies water for heating and domestic hot water. This low-energy system provides ideal temperatures and hot water, keeping its total capacity even with extreme outdoor temperatures. With Constant capacity and operation range down to -20°C / 65°C water outlet temperature, there is no need for water immersion for sterilisation, the heat pump can do this from its compressor.
The Panasonic Comfort Cloud app provides a convenient centralised control and provides access for all features remotely, anytime and from anywhere. The Panasonic Service Cloud app can also provide installers with real-time status up-dates, anticipate maintenance, and monitor breakdowns in order to take quick action, saving valuable time and money for the installers and keeping the end user in comfort.
Walter Stephens concludes:
“The Panasonic units deliver a highly energy efficient and sustainable solution. The fact that Panasonic ends up in so many architects and builders’ homes is a testament to the quality and capability of the units.”
For more information on Panasonic’s wide range of AC units, please visit www.aircon.panasonic.eu. For the full Video Case study please visit https://youtu.be/B8qgAFG1BzM