A stunning contemporary design self-build house in the historic village of Wargrave is enjoying the benefits of renewable heating thanks to Solaris Energy. 

Located in Wargrave, near Reading, the bespoke riverside detached property is the vision of owners Charlotte and Tony Narula. Their design wish, put into action by John Pardey Architects, was for a large ‘linear’ house built up on two metre stilts because of the flood risk, with all rooms facing the river, replacing a large, uninspiring chalet bungalow.

The Nurula’s wanted to incorporate renewable energy solutions where possible, with Ground Source Heat Pump technology being chosen in the early stages of design to provide heating and cooling for the house, along with hot and chilled water.

At this point, Clive Hicks their Project Manager, began approaching suppliers to see who would offer the best solution for their brief. As Solaris Energy are smaller in comparison to some other renewable heating companies, Clive did have his reservations about using them despite meeting the client brief. 

He said: “Any fears proved to be unfounded, as the level of service and response was extremely good and the design and installation phase went very smoothly. Industry leading products by NIBE were selected for the Ground Source Heat Pumps and what was particularly impressive was the offsite build by Solaris so that the main components of the system were brought to site pre-assembled.”

The system incorporates four boreholes which harvest free energy from the ground and two Ground Source Heat Pumps linked in cascade, along with hot and chilled water storage. Remote monitoring has been added so that Solaris are able to provide remote technical support in the event of the system requiring adjustment or maintenance.

Having had the heat pump installed in 2019, Charlotte and Tony have enjoyed a home that is comfortable temperature for each of the four seasons and are also benefitting from quarterly Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments. This government scheme provides payments to homeowners who generate their own heat, therefor reducing carbon emissions, for seven years.

Clive Hicks added: “The experience of working with Dan Large at Solaris has been very positive and I would have no hesitation in recommending Solaris to anyone considering a simple or complex heat pump installation."