At the time of writing this article, we are mid-way through the 2024 Paris Olympics, and as ever athletes are producing outstanding results and achievements every single day of the games.
We, the viewing public, have the pleasure in watching records being broken, personal bests, and medal winning performances, but what is driving these athletes to be the best? what is working in the background supporting them to be the best?
Of course, we can all understand and appreciate the weeks, months and years of training, preparation and effort.
But do we appreciate the team behind these athletes, the team that help with preparation, training, effort and support when things aren’t quite going to plan?
The same could be said when specifying and choosing a system to assist with your decarbonisation plans. Athletes and air source heat pumps? Really? I’ll try and explain…
Firstly, let’s be clear, choice isn’t a problem anymore. With a myriad of manufacturers all vying for your business, you the customer are faced with task of choosing the best system for your project, the units that will give you the best efficiencies, performance and stability year on year. We understand this is not as easy as it sounds when you have multiple options available to you.
As we know, air source heat pumps offer excellent performance and energy efficiency, they can provide heating, cooling and DHW production from one unit, they perform throughout the year whatever the weather throws at it, and they get on with the task at hand if designed and installed correctly.
At Strebel, we have systems that offer low and high flow temperatures, air source heat pumps that can provide high temperatures at ultra-low ambient conditions (-20c to be precise); systems that offer outstanding SCOP (seasonal coefficient of performance) giving you the chance to not only reduce your carbon footprint but also OPEX; systems that are quiet in operation and that are designed for potential project limitations such as available space; systems that are utilising the latest technologies such as vapour injection that supports the refrigeration cycle, providing stable and efficient flow temperatures throughout the year; systems that use the latest refrigerants such as R290 with its low GWP of just 3. Systems that simply work when it matters the most. And as a manufacturer we are constantly reviewing and updating our offering to you, providing the best solutions with the ability to work at pace with new innovations and design changes.
It’s fair to say some of the above is mirrored by other manufacturers, so the choice isn’t any easier…or is it? You have to ask the question what else is available to me?
Well, it’s well worth digging a little deeper, you must look at what is available to support you in your decision. What is available to you technically, onsite, online and in person, a manufacturer that is constantly working in the background to provide you with the best possible service and ultimately results.
This is where you can start to see the differences from one manufacturer to another and as such start to assist you in your final decision making.
Let’s start with available information on products. From the outset data on systems should not be hard to find, it should not have to be constantly requested, and should not take multiple calls or emails to obtain.
This is why we publish everything you need such as data sheets detailing COP’s at different leaving water temps and ambient conditions, physical sizes of units, space requirements, noise levels etc IOM’s, CAD & BIM files, Embodied Carbon (TM65) information, accessories and much more are all available to download from our website onto your PC, Laptop, tablet or mobile within moments. We also list our systems within other data sources such as the ENA database, and with all the above at your fingertips, choosing a system has just become a lot easier.
Now you have made your choice, you now need to understand what pre and post support is available from your chosen supplier.
This is where we again offer something a little different. With Area Managers across the UK, the Strebel team are on hand wherever your project is located, so if you need technical assistance, a site visit, project discussion or system option overview at your offices, we are just a phone call away. And it doesn’t stop there, we also offer pre and post installation project support on large scale installations, commissioning and annual servicing from our own external technical team, who can also offer training to the incumbent onsite staff. And from the very start our internal technical support engineers offer advice and guidance on the projects with design challenges that are not quite as straight forward as we would all like them to be.
As an option we can also monitor your heating system, so both the end user and ourselves can check on flow and return temperatures, make adjustments remotely where necessary and importantly before the systems goes “live”, check run hours, alarms and signals. Sometimes support can’t be physically seen, but it’s there.
So, there you have it. It’s not just about the standard benefits that heat pumps can offer, it’s much more. It’s choosing a manufacturer that is there from day one, it’s choosing a team that has the experience and expertise to support you when it matters most and helps you realise your goals every time. You may not win a medal but be rest assured we are right behind you every step of the way.
