OMNIE RENEWABLE HEATING SELECTED FOR STYLISH NEW SPARKWELL CHURCH HALL

Following years of fundraising and planning consultation, the congregation members of a Church near Plymouth in Devon are witnessing the construction of a stylish new hall, complete with a TorFloor underfloor heating system linked to an advanced eco-friendly heat pump, supplied by Exeter based Omnie. The project to build the oak-framed meeting and function hall alongside the stone and slate All Saints Church in Sparkwell is being led by the locally based design practice of Le Page Architects, with AD William Building Contractors carrying out the main construction work. Rod Smith Plumbing & Heating, meanwhile, is the specialist sub-contractor undertaking the installation of a LWD70A/SX Air Source Heat Pump as well as the high efficiency TorFloor pipe and carrier panels.

These are being laid within a 'sports floor' buildup, which features oak boards fixed down over 45 mm square timber battens and height adjustable Junkers New Era cradles. Celotex PIR boards provide a layer of insulation beneath the TorFloor system, ensuring the maximum amount of heat rises to create an even temperature profile throughout the occupied space. Le Page Architects Director and project leader, Simon Crosbie, commented: “We have used Omnie before on a couple of projects because the company offers a great system with very good technical back up. In the case of the All Saints Church Hall project in Plymouth it just made economic and design sense to utilize the TorFloor in combination with one of Omnie’s air source heat pumps. The green oak frame by Carpenter Oak has been up for four or five months and the underfloor heating is being installed now by Rod Smith, who we have also worked with before and things are getting on well.”

Specifying the award winning TorFloor underfloor heating system instead of conventional radiators can not only offer greater efficiency in terms of heat delivery, reducing energy bills by as much as 30%, but also improves the SAP rating required for Building Regulation compliance. TorFloor panels are suitable for use in all suspended and batten floor installations with the 22 mm thick, pre-routed flooring grade particleboard being fixed down across the timber supports in the same way as standard flooring. The unique pattern is profiled to accept the 12 mm Omnie pipe that is then connected back to the utility or plant room, normally via one or more of the manufacturer’s custom made manifolds. For the Plymouth project there is a 12-port manifold distributing low temperature water from the Omnie LWD70 heat pump. Impressively, an output of just 7kW will be enough to create a warm environment in the worst of the winter weather, still offering high COP figures and low running costs. The new All Saints Church Hall is expected to be used for wedding parties and social functions, as well as for committee meetings and by other groups, all of whom can be assured of a warm and comfortable environment for their activities.