Heating installation

Abstract

A heating installation (2, figure 1) comprises a hot water tank 34 disposed within a thermally insulated housing 20, and a pipe 35 that passes through a floor, wall 22,23 or roof of the housing. The installation is disposed externally of a building to be heated, i.e. outdoors, and the pipe provides fluid communication between the hot water tank and pipework within the building to be heated, e.g. radiators of a central heating system. The installation may be placed in contact with the building whereby an external wall of the building comprises part of the housing. Alternatively, the installation may be spaced from the building and trunking used to contain the pipe. The housing may include doors (26, figure 3) or a lid 24 for access and an electrical supply point (e.g. socket) to power an air-source heat pump 32 to heat water in the tank. The heating installation liberates space in the building (e.g. airing cupboard) for other purposes and can simplify servicing and replacement of the tank and / or heat pump. A method of fitting an installation, which may comprise the tank being fitted with or after the housing, is also claimed.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a heating installation. Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heating installation and a method of fitting such a heating installation. Background Domestic buildings are often heated by a boiler in conjunction with a hot water tank. The boiler heats water from a water supply and stores the heated water in the hot water tank. Hot water is then provided from the tank to radiators positioned within the building. The boiler, hot water tank, and associated electrical parts and plumbing are typically provided within an airing cupboard within the building. Removing old boilers and hot water tanks from airing cupboards can be awkward, as can installing replacement boilers and hot water tanks in the airing cupboard. Access to airing cupboards may be through a door which may not be well positioned to provide good access. The new boiler and hot water tank may be differently shaped, sized or configured than the old ones, and the shape, size and configuration of the airing cupboard may not be well suited for the new boiler and hot water tank. This leads to significant, sometimes messy; work being carried out within the domestic building. Additionally, there has been a trend over the past few decades of homeowners replacing traditional boiler and hot water tank setups with a combination boiler which does not require a hot water tank. When carrying out this replacement, the airing cupboard has frequently been removed, or reduced in size, to increase the size of surrounding rooms within the building. Recently, air source heat pumps have become popular. Unlike a combination boiler, these do require a hot water tank. Unfortunately, where an airing cupboard has been removed from a building (for example upon installation of a combi boiler), installation of an air source heat pump with its associated hot water tank becomes problematic, because there is no airing cupboard available in which to site the hot water tank. Embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome, or at least ameliorate, the above problems. Summary of the Invention According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating installation, comprising: a housing, disposed externally of a building to be heated; a hot water tank, disposed within the housing; and a pipe, passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing and into the building, providing fluid communication between the hot water tank, and pipework within the building to be heated; wherein the housing is thermally insulated. Since the heating installation is provided externally of the building, space is not required within the building, freeing up the space (which might have been an airing cupboard) for other purposes. Moreover, replacement of, or work on the heating installation may be carried out externally of the building, with the result that servicing can be carried out without the homeowner being present, and any mess caused occurs outside the building. In addition, the housing may be provided with openings which offer much better access to the hot water tank (and other components) that would typically be possible through a single door into an airing cupboard. The housing may be disposed immediately adjacent, and in contact with the building. In this case, one wall of the housing may be defined by an external wall of the building. Alternatively, the housing may be disposed away from, and not in contact with, the building. In this case, trunking may be provided, which contains the pipe (and potentially an electrical cable), and which extends between the housing and the building. This trunking provides protection for the pipe, and may be thermally insulated to reduce heat loss. Alternatively, the pipe between the housing and the building may be buried underground, for example in a thermally insulated conduit. Preferably, the housing is substantially weatherproof, and in particular is resistant to water ingress resulting from precipitation. The housing is preferably less than approximately 2 metres in height, preferably less than 1.8 metres in height, more preferably between 1 metre and 1.5 metres in height and still more preferably between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres in height. The housing preferably has a footprint of between approximately 0.5 m2 and 1,5m2, preferably between approximately 0.75m2 and 1.25m2, and still more preferably approximately 1m2. The housing preferably comprises one or more doors and / or lids for providing access to the interior of the housing. The ease of access provided in this way may make maintenance and replacement of the hot water tank and related components much easier than with a conventional installation in an airing cupboard. In some implementations the openable door(s) and / or openable roof expose substantially one entire side or the entire top of the housing, providing exceptional access for servicing and installation. Preferably, the heating installation comprises a boiler, heat pump or other heat source, preferably disposed outside of the housing, and fluidly coupled to the hot water tank. In alternative implementations, the heat source may be disposed within the housing, but this will not generally be appropriate for an air source heat pump. Preferably, the heating installation comprises an electrical cable, connected to the boiler or heat pump and / or associated electrical components, and passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing and to an electrical supply point. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of fitting a heating installation, comprising: positioning a thermally insulated housing externally of a building to be heated; disposing a hot water tank within the housing; and connecting a pipe, passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing to pipework within the building to be heated. The hot water tank may be fitted into the housing off-site, and the housing positioned with the hot water tank already fitted. In this case, the method may also comprise pre-plumbing associated pipework in the housing in advance of the step of positioning the housing. Alternatively, the hot water tank may be fitted into the housing once the housing has been positioned. Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings where like parts are provided with corresponding reference numerals and in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates a building with an externally located heating installation; Figure 2 schematically illustrates the heating installation, including a housing and air source heat pump; Figure 3 schematically illustrates the front doors of the housing of the heating installation; and Figure 4 schematically illustrates a thermally insulated panel suitable for use as a wall, roof or floor of the housing. Detailed Description Referring to Figure 1, a building 1, in this case a residential dwelling, is shown. The dwelling has conventional internal heating components (not shown) for a central heating system, including radiators and / or underfloor heating and pipes to carry hot water around the building 1 to the radiators. A hot water tank and (air source) heat pump provide the hot water to be conveyed around the house and to the radiators. However, unlike conventional arrangements the building 1 does not have the hot water tank disposed internally, but instead this is provided externally of the building 1, by way of an external heating installation 2. The heating installation 2 comprises a housing for a hot water tank, which does not form an integral part of the building 1, but is an external structure disposed outside of the external (e.g. cavity) walls of the building 1. In Figure 1 the housing is adjacent to and in contact with the building 1, but in alternative embodiments the housing may be separated from and not in contact with the building 1. In the case of a housing which is adjacent to the building 1, one (or more) sides of the housing may be effectively open, instead being defined by an exterior wall of the building 1. In the case of a housing which is not adjacent to the building 1, the housing may be self-supporting and fully enclosed (that is, with no sides missing). In this case the pipework (and / or electrical supply cables) may extend from the housing to the building 1, for example underground, or in trunking. In either case, the housing is not within the external walls of the building 1. Although it could be partially formed of brickwork to match the appearance of the building 1, more preferably it will be formed of wood, plastic or metal. In some implementations the housing may be built on site proximate the building 1, but in other implementations the housing may be prefabricated and delivered to the site of the building 1 substantially pre-formed. Referring to Figure 2, an example housing 20 can be seen to comprise left and right walls 22, a rear wall 23, and a roof or lid 24. In some implementations the housing 20 may have a floor, whereas in other embodiments the floor of the housing 20 may simply be the ground. Within the housing 20, a hot water tank 34 is provided. This is connected to an externally provided air source heat pump 32 by pipework 33. A pipe 35 carries hot water from the hot water tank 34 to and into the building 1, to heat the building and to supply hot water thereto. A further pipe (not shown) may receive cold water from a water supply. The further pipe may connect into the building 1 (to join a cold water supply within the building 1), or may connect to a water supply pipe externally of the building 1. The heat pump 32 is electrically connected to an electrical supply 36. In Figure 2 the electrical supply 36 is an electrical socket provided within the housing 20, and to which the heat pump 32 is connected. The electrical socket 36 may be mounted to the interior of a wall of the housing 20 (which may be the exterior wall of the building 1 if the housing 20 is disposed adjacent and in contact with the building 1). Alternatively, an electrical cable may run, potentially alongside the pipe 35, towards and into the building 1, for connection to the electrical supply of the building 1. Referring to Figure 3, one wall (the front wall) of the housing 20 may be provided with one or more doors 26. These may be opened (preferably outwardly) to provide access to the inside of the housing 20, and in particular access to the hot water tank 34, and any associated electronics (such as a control panel) and pipework. In an alternative implementation, the roof / lid 24 may lift to provide access from the top. It will of course be appreciated that both doors and an opening lid could be provided together, providing even greater access to the interior of the housing 20. It will be appreciated that each wall of the housing 20 (except, in some embodiments, a wall defined by the building 1), and also the roof, may be a panel. The floor of the housing 20 may also be a panel in some implementations. Referring to Figure 4, an example of a panel 40 is shown. The panel comprises a frame 42, and an insulated interior 44. The insulation of the panel 40 may be a solid self-supporting structure mounted within the frame, or may be an insulative material surrounded by the frame, the external wall of the housing 20, and by an inner sheet (facing internally of the housing 20). In other embodiments the insulation of the housing 20 may be achieved in alternative ways. For example, an insulative inner lining may be provided within an outer shell of the housing 20. Generally, the housing 20 should be constructed such as to minimise heat loss through the walls, and to minimise gaps to the outside, for example between the panels or through the doors. The skilled person will be aware of other ways to thermally insulate the housing 20. This is important to ensure that energy is not wasted by heat loss, which would result in a reduction in efficiency of the heating installation. In some implementations, the housing 20 may be (or be based on) an off-the-shelf outdoors storage unit. These are typically formed of plastic, with front doors which open outwards, along with a roof that lifts. These units may provide adequate weatherproofing (for example against water ingress), but may not be suitable in their default condition because they provide poor thermal insulation. In this case, the storage unit may be retrofitted with suitable thermal insulation, and any gaps sealed (for example, a windproof rubber seal may be fitted to the doors and roof). The housing 20 is sized to be appropriate for storing the hot water tank, and any other related electrics and pipework. It is not required to be, nor desirable to be, significantly larger than this. The housing may for example be less than approximately 2 metres in height, preferably less than 1.8 metres in height, more preferably between 1 metre and 1.5 metres in height and still more preferably between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres in height. The housing 20 is not intended to be an outbuilding usable as a room, and as such does not require sufficient headroom for a typical adult. The housing may have a footprint of between approximately 0.5 m2 and 1.5m2, preferably between approximately 0.75m2 and 1.25m2, and still more preferably approximately 1m2. This is large enough to house the necessary components, without wasting space. The combination of the above height and footprint results in an external heating installation which is compact and unobtrusive. It also has a minimum viable surface area, reducing heat losses. There are a variety of benefits to the present technique. Firstly, there is no need to waste internal space of the building 1 on storage of a heating insulation. In an existing property, this means the airing cupboard may be used for other purposes -such as storage or a walk-in-wardrobe, or even an additional en-suite bathroom. Secondly, replacement of a boiler / heat pump and / or hot water tank is much simpler, and may be carried out without creating mess and disruption in the building. Installation is straightforward, and simply requires positioning the thermally insulated housing externally of the building to be heated, disposing the hot water tank (and other components) within the housing, and connecting the pipe, passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing, to pipework within the building to be heated. The hot water tank (and other components, such as electrical parts and pipework) may fitted into the housing off-site, and the housing is positioned with the hot water tank already fitted. In other words, pre-plumbing of associated pipework in the housing may be carried out in advance of the positioning of the housing with respect to the building. It can then simply be connected to the pipework of the building, and connected to an electricity supply. Replacement may in this case may simply involve disconnecting the pipework and electrical supply, removing the entire unit, and replacing it with a new unit. Alternatively, the hot water tank (and associated components) may be fitted into the housing 20 once the housing 20 has been positioned with respect to the building.

Claims

1. A heating installation, comprising:a housing, disposed externally of a building to be heated;a hot water tank, disposed within the housing; anda pipe, passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing and into the building, providing fluid communication between the hot water tank, and pipework within the building to be heated;wherein the housing is thermally insulated.

2. The heating installation of claim 1, wherein the housing is disposed immediately adjacent, and in contact with the building.

3. The heating installation of claim 2, wherein one wall of the housing is defined by an external wall of the building.

4. The heating installation of claim 1, wherein the housing is disposed away from, and not in contact with, the building.

5. The heating installation of claim 4, comprising trunking which contains the pipe and extends between the housing and the building.

6. The heating installation of any preceding claim, wherein the housing is substantially weatherproof.

7. The heating installation of any preceding claim, wherein the housing is less than approximately 2 metres in height, preferably less than 1.8 metres in height, more preferably between 1 metre and 1.5 metres in height and still more preferably between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres in height.

8. The heating installation of any preceding claim, wherein the housing has a footprint of between approximately 0.5 m2 and 1,5m2, preferably between approximately 0.75m2 and 1.25m2, and still more preferably approximately 1m2.

9. The heating installation of any preceding claim, wherein the housing comprises one or more doors or lids for providing access to the interior of the housing.

10. The heating installation of any preceding claim, comprising a heat pump, disposed externally of the housing.

11. The heating installation of any preceding claim, comprising an electrical cable, connected to the boiler and / or associated electrical components, and passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing and to an electrical supply point.

12. A method of fitting a heating installation, comprising: positioning a thermally insulated housing externally of a building to be heated; disposing a hot water tank within the housing; and connecting a pipe, passing through a floor, wall or roof of the housing to pipework within the building to be heated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the hot water tank is fitted into the housing off-site, and the housing is positioned with the hot water tank already fitted.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising pre-plumbing associated pipework in the housing in advance of the step of positioning the housing.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the hot water tank is fitted into the housing once the housing has been positioned.

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