TOTAL COMFORT AT LEYS FARM

The installation of a Unico System mini-duct, high performance central heating and central cooling system in a converted barn has given the owner a total comfort environment whilst conserving energy and making the most of natural resources.
When Bruno Prior was looking at heating systems to make his modern barn conversion in Berkshire complete, he wanted something that would provide advanced comfort levels but which would not make a disproportionate use of the planet’s energy resources.

Unico System proposed a heat-pump arrangement that used geothermal heat source and heat sink in the ground below the property. This system uses a fraction of the electrical energy of traditional systems, taking existing heat energy below ground when heating or from the house itself when cooling. Compared with the amount of heating or cooling energy produced, the system uses less than one half in input energy so the system pays for itself over its lifetime.

Because the Unico system uses high-velocity air ducts, heating or cooling is delivered accurately, evenly and quickly to the desired areas of the house, producing an extremely comfortable and virtually noise-free environment. An additional benefit was that the design was not hindered by the need to accommodate radiators or ducting channels – the Unico System is hidden in existing walls and floor channels.

High velocity air handling produces an immensely even temperature gradient with less than 2ºc difference between floor and ceiling. “The difference in comfort between the Unico installation and anything we have experienced in previous homes is incredible,” he says, “we hardly notice the temperature outside, whether summer or winter the house feels the same and there are no draughts or sudden changes in temperature from one room to the next,” says Bruno Prior.

Bruno elected to employ underfloor heating for additional comfort, so the Unico System is used predominantly for its cooling, or air conditioning, capability. However, on-supply warm air makes the arrangement even more flexible and any temperature changes, particularly in Spring or Autumn, can be instantly remedied.