DOMESTIC SERVICES

Domestic Services

Survey and Advice
System Design
Equipment Supply
Alterations and Installations
Commissioning and Training
Servicing and Maintenance

Gas and Oil Boilers

Our team of engineers pride themselves on providing service of the highest quality when it comes to repairing or fitting a new gas or oil boiler. From condensing, combination and system boilers - external or internal - we install them all. We also provide regular servicing to ensure maximum safety and efficiency of your boiler. And for peace of mind, all of our work is fully guaranteed. If space is a constraint we can also offer full containerised plant rooms to meet your onsite requirements.

Heat Pumps

There are two types of heat pumps - Air Source and Ground Source.

Air Source - These pumps absorb heat from the outside air, which is then used to heat your water, radiators, warm air convectors and underfloor. They can absorb heat even in temperatures as low as -15° C. No fuel deliveries are necessary and your home will have lower carbon emissions. Minimal maintenance is required and they’re easy to install.
Ground Source - Extracting heat from the ground, these pumps take the form of pipes buried in the soil. They can heat your house’s water, radiators, and underfloor. Ground source heat pumps work by circulating water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe buried in the garden from which heat is absorbed. As temperatures underground remain fairly constant, these pumps can be used throughout the year. And if they’re used to replace electric heating, your fuel bills will be significantly lower. These pumps require minimal maintenance and no fuel deliveries are needed.

Biomass Boilers

There are two types of heat pumps - Air Source and Ground Source.

Biomass boilers are more commonly know as wood-fuelled heating systems or log burners. These may be fitted with a back boiler and apart from heating rooms, they can also heat your home’s water. They burn wooden pellets, logs, or log chips. A wood-fuelled biomass boiler can provide significant savings when compared to electric heating. The cost of wooden pellets depends mainly on how much you can store and the method of delivery. It is much cheaper if you’re able to store several tonnes of pellets, which are delivered in bulk by tanker.

Biomass boilers are highly efficient and most are self-cleaning, automatically collecting ash from the heat exchanger tubes and the combustion grate. Where there’s no built-in ash cleaning process, the boiler has to be shut down from time to time and cleaned out by hand.

Solar Panels

Also known as solar photovoltaics (PV), solar panels generate electricity by capturing the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells. These cells are responsible for converting sunlight into electricity and provide the necessary power for household appliances and even household lighting. Even in cloudy conditions, solar panels are able to harness energy.

Photovoltaic cells are made up of a series of layers of semi-conducting silicon. When light from the sun shines on these layers an electric field is produced, and the stronger the light, the more energy, or electricity, is produced. To best harness the sunlight, large panels of PV cells are normally fitted in panels on the roof and sometimes even on the ground.

Solar electricity helps reduce your overall electricity costs. You can even sell any extra electricity you generate back to the grid using the government’s Feed-in Tariff Scheme. Solar energy is green and renewable and doesn’t release harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

A photovoltaic cell’s ability to produce power is measured in kilowatts peak (kWp). A 4kWp system will generate approximately 3,800 kilowatt hours of electricity per annum in the sunniest regions of the UK. Solar panels can produce enough electricity to power one household, while saving as much as two tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Solar Thermal

Solar thermal systems, also known as solar water heating systems, are the perfect way to heat your home’s water for free. The heat from the sun warms the water, which can then be made hotter by using a boiler or an immersion heater.

Using a solar water heating system means cheap hot water twelve months of the year. Of course, there’s the intial cost for the installation of the panels but once this is paid, your hot water costs will be minimal and your carbon footprint substantially lower. Solar panels called collectors are fitted to the roof of your home and capture or collect heat from the sun and use this to warm the water stored in your hot water cylinder. Thereafter, an immersion heater or a boiler can be used to increase the temperature of the water.

There are two types of solar water heating panels, Evacuated Tubes and Flat Plate

Collectors, and these can be fitted either onto your roof tiles or incorporated into the overall roof structure.For a solar heating system to work efficiently you need at least five square metres of roof space, facing East to West and favouring South. The roof should not be shaded by trees or other buildings and should receive direct sunlight for a substantial portion of the day. If panels cannot be fixed to your roof they can be fitted to a frame on the ground or they can hang from a wall.

You’ll need to replace your existing water cylinder with a dedicated solar cylinder with a solar heating coil. Check to see if your current boiler is compatible with solar water heating - most are. However, if you have a combination boiler and there’s no hot water tank, a solar hot water system may not be compatible.

The good news is that Aston Cord will, free of charge, meet with you in your home to assess and recommend the best solar water heating system for your needs.

Maintenance Costs

As most solar water heating systems come with a warranty of five or ten years, maintenance costs are very low, and if your system is maintained by professionals like us, your pump should not need replacing for ten years or more.