Mr Alan Kesterton owns a small farmhouse just outside Ledbury, off the gas grid like much of rural Herefordshire, and had been heating the property with an oil-fired boiler and an outdoor storage tank for as long as he could remember. What finally prompted the call to Cotswold Heating Solutions wasn’t one single breakdown, but the accumulation of small frustrations: guessing weeks ahead how much oil he’d need, watching the tank run low during a cold snap and waiting on a delivery slot, and the steadily rising cost of each top-up. The boiler itself was also due for another service, and the tank was showing its age and likely to be condemned very soon.
We visited for a free survey, assessing insulation across a mix of exposed stone walls and more recently updated sections of the farmhouse, and measured each room to work out the right radTherm® radiators for the space. As Alan was also keen to move on from the old hot water cylinder, we proposed a Sunamp Thermino heat battery to suit the household’s hot water demand. We talked through the RadTherm® App, the available finishes, and what removing the boiler, radiators and pipework entirely would involve.
On the day of the install, the old oil boiler was disconnected and removed, and the outdoor tank was safely emptied and taken away by a third party licensed contractor, freeing up a corner of the garden that had been out of use for years. radTherm® radiators were fitted room by room, wiring was updated where needed, and the Sunamp Thermino was installed in place of the old cylinder. We balanced the system to suit the household – 20°C in the living room, a slightly cooler 18°C in the kitchen, and 17°C in the bedrooms.
Following up a few weeks later, Mr Kesterton’s main comment was one we hear often from former oil customers: he no longer has to think about it. No more phoning around for delivery quotes, no more checking the dip stick before a cold snap, and no more finding space for oil deliveries down a farm track in the depths of winter.
If you’re off the gas grid and tired of managing oil deliveries around Ledbury or elsewhere in Herefordshire, Cotswold Heating Solutions offers free surveys to talk through whether radTherm® and Sunamp could work for your property.