Altecnic Ltd & Amber Heating – Copper Beech Development, St Issey, Cornwall

Background

Amber Heating is a family-run business based in the Southwest of England and has a strong focus on renewable energy solutions, including heat pumps. Having worked with Altecnic for several projects, their collaboration on the Copper Beech development in St Issey, Cornwall, reflects their ongoing commitment to delivering efficient, sustainable and cost-effective heating solutions.

For the Copper Beech development, which consists of 6 high-end holiday homes now up for sale, Amber Heating was tasked with providing efficient heating solutions. The project focused on achieving net-zero emissions and operates under the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a government scheme that rewards businesses for using renewable heat technologies.

The Challenge

The Copper Beech project presented Amber Heating with several technical and spatial challenges that needed innovative solutions to meet the development's sustainability and design requirements:

1. Operating at Lower Temperatures: As the site was designed to operate under the RHI scheme, a renewable heating solution was essential. Ground source heat pumps were selected as the primary heat source due to their efficiency and environmental benefits. However, unlike traditional boilers, heat pumps work most efficiently at lower flow temperatures, typically around 50°C. This necessitated a heat distribution system capable of delivering reliable hot water and heating performance at lower temperatures, without compromising user comfort.
2. System Compatibility: The chosen Heat Interface Unit needed to be specifically engineered for low-temperature heat networks to maintain system efficiency. Many conventional HIUs struggle to perform effectively at reduced primary flow temperatures, leading to inefficiencies and poor hot water response. Amber Heating required a unit that could overcome these challenges and integrate seamlessly with a low-temperature heat pump system.
3. Space Constraints: The physical layout of the development posed further limitations. The central plant room was compact and could not accommodate large-scale hot water cylinders or bulky heat distribution equipment. Each holiday home also needed to maximise usable living space, meaning decentralised, compact, and high-performance heating solutions were critical.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Amber Heating turned to Altecnic, a trusted partner with extensive experience in heating system design. Altecnic acted decisively to resolve the project's issues by providing tailored solutions that maximised space, efficiency, and performance.

• SATK22 Direct Heat Interface Unit:

Altecnic recommended and supplied SATK22307 Direct HIUs (Heat Interface Units) for each apartment/home, which were compact yet highly efficient in transferring heat. The SATK22 is specifically designed for low-temperature heating networks and optimised for use with renewable sources such as heat pumps. It delivers excellent domestic hot water performance even at flow temperatures as low as 50°C, thanks to its highly efficient, responsive plate heat exchanger and innovative control logic. This made it the ideal choice for the Copper Beech development.

Its compact design allowed it to be installed within each individual property, eliminating the need for large hot water storage and freeing up space both centrally and locally. The SATK22 also helped ensure a high return on investment by enabling the system to operate efficiently at low running costs, aligning perfectly with the project's goal of delivering net-zero ready, sustainable homes.

• Dirtmag Mini™:

To enhance the system’s overall efficiency, Altecnic supplied Dirtmag Mini™’s - a compact dirt separator and strainer designed to protect the system from debris and improve long-term performance. This addition helped ensure that the system maintained its efficiency and longevity by preventing blockages and reducing maintenance needs.

By incorporating the Dirtmag Mini™ into the system design, Altecnic was able to offer an extended warranty on the HIUs. This provided Amber Heating and the property developer with additional peace of mind, ensuring long-term system protection, reduced maintenance requirements, and confidence in the investment.

The Results

By following the recommendations and installing the SATK22307 Direct HIUs and Dirtmag Mini™ filters, Amber Heating were able to install a system that met the project's requirements and exceeded expectations in terms of both performance and space efficiency.

The heat pump now operates at a COP (Coefficient of Performance) of 3.7-3.8, meaning that for every unit of electricity used, nearly four units of heat are generated. This is significantly higher than the seasonal average COP of 2.5–2.8 seen in most typical systems, particularly in the UK climate. As well as this, the energy efficiency improvement is notably greater compared to traditional heating systems. With this, the district heating network delivers heat at 50°C minimising heat losses and ensuring that energy is used as efficiently as possible.

In its first year, the system reduced operational heating costs by over £9,200 compared to a gas equivalent, while cutting CO₂ emissions by more than 64% (from 53,060 kg to just 19,121 kg). Over a 20-year lifecycle, the installation is projected to save nearly £250,000 and avoid close to 700,000 kg of carbon emissions. Energy consumption was also significantly reduced, dropping from 286,810 kWh to 60,381 kWh. These performance outcomes not only validated the decision to implement a decentralised, low-temperature heating solution, but also supported the homes in achieving A-rated energy efficiency. The efficiency gains achieved through the installation of Altecnic’s solutions, particularly with the support of the RHI scheme, played a key role in maximising the financial returns from the project.

Moreover, the community billing scheme implemented as part of the project made heating more affordable for homeowners, making the system financially attractive as well as environmentally responsible.

Client Feedback: Bob Roddy, Managing Director at Amber Heating, shared his satisfaction with the collaboration:

"At Amber Heating, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, efficient heating solutions, and working with Altecnic on the Copper Beech project was a seamless experience. Their expertise in system design and product selection helped us implement a compact, energy-efficient heating solution that maximised space and performance.

The HIUs have provided homeowners with reliable, cost-effective heating while ensuring the entire system runs smoothly. With the added financial benefits from the RHI scheme, this project has been a great success both from a sustainability and investment standpoint."

Conclusion

The Copper Beech development in St Issey, Cornwall, highlights how the strategic use of Altecnic’s innovative solutions helped solve significant challenges related to space and heating efficiency. By providing compact, high-performance products, Altecnic enabled Amber Heating to deliver an energy-efficient, cost-effective heating system that met the project's sustainability goals and financial targets. This successful collaboration underscores the value of long-standing partnerships in achieving exceptional results.

 

 

 

Want more?

You can watch our Heat Networks Manager, Josh Collins, run through the Copper Beech Project, covering the key challenges, technical requirements and solutions in the webinar below:

Copper Beech Project Webinar