AS we head towards the end of 2019 and the start of a new decade, we reflect on what the past 12 months has brought us and look towards the future. In the world of construction and especially the building services sector, the ramifications of the Grenfell Tower disaster have brought changes to building regulations with even more to come reflecting the concern about climate change. Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion have both had a worldwide effect in highlighting the need for change.
Our government has also realised that we cannot go on burning fossil fuels so, from 2025, no new homes will be allowed to have gas connected to them. There is much discussion about what will provide the heating and hot water in our houses but one technology that is already proven, and Griffiths have been installing for more than a decade, is heat pumps.
It’s not rocket science and the principle behind the operation of a heat pump has been around for a long time. Heat pumps work in the same way as the fridge in your kitchen, collecting heat from one place (the air or ground) and moving it somewhere else (into your home heating and domestic water systems).
Griffiths were the first Northamptonshire installers to gain MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) status for heat pumps back in 2008. Since then, several hundred have been installed, with most also being regularly maintained by Griffiths.
Another recent change affecting both heat pumps and air conditioning is the use of R32 refrigerant gas that is much less harmful to the environment if it should leak than its predecessors. It also has superior energy efficiency.
At this time of year, the engineers at Griffiths are very busy keeping people warm with a wide range of heating products including air and ground source heat pumps, and air to air heat pumps (conventional air conditioning).
In addition, the Griffiths Service Team are making sure regular maintenance is carried out to heating, cooling and ventilation equipment throughout Northamptonshire, an essential part of keeping it at peak condition and spotting possible problems at an early stage. Service plans or one-off servicing is also available for equipment that has not been installed by Griffiths.
You can contact Griffiths by telephone on 01536 420666, via their website at www.griffithsaircon.co.uk or by visiting their Energy Efficiency Centre showroom at 111 High Street in Burton Latimer between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.