Client Brief
The owner of a plot near Ascot wanted a fully renewable heating and cooling solution across two separate buildings – a large main house and a self-contained gatehouse. No gas, no oil. The systems needed to be independent per building, with the main house also requiring pool heating, summer cooling, and fresh air ventilation throughout.
Our Solution
Better Planet used the estate’s existing lake as the heat source, laying pipework across the lake bed to feed water source heat pumps in both buildings. The two systems are completely independent – each building has its own heat pump, hot water cylinder, and controls – but share the same lake loop, keeping groundworks to a minimum.
The main house runs two heat pumps working in tandem to deliver 80kW of output. Better Planet installed underfloor heating throughout, passive cooling for summer comfort, and a pool heating interface, all powered by the same system. A whole-house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery ensures a constant supply of fresh filtered air with minimal heat loss.
The gatehouse runs from the same lake on a single compact unit – fitted neatly inside a cupboard – with its own underfloor heating and hot water.
Project Success
A fully renewable, all-electric estate across two buildings of completely different scales. No boiler, no gas, no oil. Both properties benefit from underfloor heating, instant hot water, and fresh air year-round. The main house stays cool in summer without air conditioning, and the solar PV array on the flat roof offsets a significant proportion of running costs – making this one of the most complete renewable energy installations Better Planet has delivered.
