EP #41 – Heat Pumps Are About To Get Way Easier To Install w/ Luke Hodgkinson
Overview
Heat pumps have long been seen as expensive, complex, and impractical for older homes, but what if AI and smart tech could change that?
In this episode of The Gas Engineer Podcast, host Tulloch Priest sits down with Luke from Adia Thermal, a company reshaping how heat pumps are installed in the UK.
Highlights
The challenge heat pumps face
- (1:10) There is an energy shift, not just for net-zero but energy security too.
- (2:05) The challenge in the UK is that everything has been designed for gas boilers.
- (3:00) The biggest barrier for heat pumps is the preparation work. Doing a survey, calculating the radiators needed, etc.
What Adia Thermal is doing
- (3:37) Luke explains Adia Thermal’s solution. It’s a pre-plumbed unit that fits on the wall where the boiler used to be. It manages the heat pump’s operating environment with two modes designed for warmer and colder months.
> How does this work? By having a low flow rate and high delta temperature, more heat is distributed into the house, but the Adia unit has a separate circuit with a lower delta temperature and high flow rate that mixes with the water coming back from the radiators. This system makes retrofitting more viable in older UK homes, as it allows heat pumps to work more closely with manufacturer specs. - (8:55) Luke explains Adia’s radiator valves and how they can control the flow to different rooms independently. It helps get more efficiency out of the system by balancing it and distributing heat to where it’s needed.
How faster installations make it better for customers & installers
- (11:32) Replacing pipework and radiators is impractical for customers before they get a heat pump.
- (12:05) It is possible to install a heat pump in 2 days and cost the same to install. That is a more powerful value proposition than a regular heat pump installation, and is viable today, not in 10+ years.
- (14:15) In their first year, about 80% of homes see the same or less energy bills, taking into consideration the price of electricity and gas.
- (17:30) Now is a good time to start thinking about heat pumps. They used to mean a lot of retraining, but Adia is simplifying the process.
- (19:00) Case study of an old Victorian property: 12/13 radiators were recommended to be replaced and new pipework for a cost of £6,800+. With Adia, every room was 21-22°C with reduced energy costs.
- (21:00) It is a myth that an uninsulated house can’t have a heat pump.