No room in the garden,
so the heat pump went on the roof
An Islington N1 home with no garden space to spare. The 7kW Vaillant aroTHERM plus went up onto the flat roof instead, with the £7,500 grant taken off the price.
- Our own job, photographed on the day
- Free survey and a fixed written price
- MCS certified, NICEIC approved electrics
Accredited, and fitting the brands you know
We installed a 7kW Vaillant aroTHERM plus air source heat pump on the flat roof of a home in Islington N1, because the garden had no space for it. It now provides the house's heating and hot water, with the £7,500 grant taken off the price.
Inner London gardens are often too small for a heat pump. A flat roof is frequently the better place, provided the roof is protected and the unit can be reached for servicing.
How the job was done
Step by step, in the photographs taken on site.
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1
Why the roof
The garden was too small to give a unit the clear space it needs round it without taking over the garden. The flat roof had the space and the free air a heat pump wants.
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2No point load on the roof
The unit stands on rubber blocks over a protective mat, so its weight is spread and the roof covering is never pressed by a sharp foot. Nothing is fixed through the roof.
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3
Reachable for servicing
A heat pump is serviced every year, so the position has to be one an engineer can get to safely. That was checked at the survey before the roof was chosen.
Thinking about a heat pump?
What this job involved, applied to your own house.
Air source heat pumps
Whole-house heating with the £7,500 grant
Air source heat pumpsWhat a heat pump costs
Ten real quotations, before and after the grant
What a heat pump costsHeat pump or air conditioning?
Which one a house actually needs
Heat pump or air conditioning?Air-to-air heat pumps
Heats and cools, room by room
Air-to-air heat pumpsIslington N1: questions about this job
Can a heat pump go on a flat roof?
Often, yes. The roof has to carry the weight, the covering has to be protected, and there has to be safe access for servicing. Permitted development also has conditions for roof-mounted units, which we check first.
Is a heat pump allowed on a London terrace?
Usually, under permitted development, if the unit meets the conditions on size, position and noise. The conditions, in a table.
More of our finished work
Other jobs we have photographed. Tap one for the project.
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N22
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EN3
Enfield
Samsung monobloc air source heat pump
Set tight against the flank wall on anti-vibration feet, where it takes up none of the usable garden and the pipe run to the cylinder stays short.
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Heat pump
EN3
Enfield
Vaillant aroTHERM plus 7 kW air source heat pump
Stood on rubber anti-vibration blocks on the existing patio slabs rather than on a new base, against the rear fence and beside the drainage the house already had.
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Heat pump, solar and battery
N15
Tottenham
Air source heat pump with solar and battery storage
The whole electrical side on one wall: inverter, battery modules and every isolator in reach, with the conduit dressed in straight runs so a fault years from now can be traced without stripping the wall.
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Solar and battery
NW2
Cricklewood
Solar panels on ballasted frames, flat roof
Low-tilt frames standing on the pebble finish of a new-build flat roof and held down by weight, so nothing is fixed through the waterproofing, with a clear strip left along the parapet to walk and work from.
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Heat pump
NW1
Camden
Samsung monobloc air source heat pump
Levelled on packers on an existing tiled patio rather than bolted through it, so the tiling stays intact and the unit still sits dead flat.
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Heat pump
N12
North Finchley
Samsung Gen 7 12kW high temperature heat pump
On wall brackets on the side of the house, clear of the ground, which keeps the side passage usable and the coil away from leaves and splashback.
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Heat pump
EN4
Barnet
Cascade pair of air source heat pumps
Two machines in cascade on a flat roof, flow and return in insulated copper with isolating valves on each leg, so one can be shut down and worked on while the other keeps the building warm.
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Book a free heat pump survey
We measure every room, calculate the heat loss, check the radiators and the space for a cylinder, and send a written price with the grant already taken off. No cost and no obligation.
Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, Sunday closed
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