Underfloor Hydronic Heating Put To The Test!

Weather Extremes for Sugarloaf at Flock Hill

Weather extremes in Canterbury made getting year-round temperature control for a high-end, high country restaurant an exercise in innovative hot water and air-conditioning expertise.

For most of us, the intricacies of temperature control are the last thing on our minds when we take our seats at a high-end restaurant for a special occasion. Yet it’s something that can make or break the perfect evening. No one understands this better than the team at Flockhill, the luxury accommodation lodge in Canterbury’s Craigieburn Valley. So, when it came to needing a world class climate-control solution for the station’s alpine restaurant, Sugarloaf at Flockhill, they turned to the expertise of Gavin Lowe Energy.

With its floor to ceiling uncovered windows there was a lot of potential heat loss in the winter months. On top of the environmental challenges, the system had to be robust enough to operate constantly to provide consistent climate control.

What we designed into our solution was two Mitsubishi Electric Zubadan Hot Water Heat Pump systems supplying underfloor heating across the 500sqm space, rated to perform down to -25°C. We also integrated fresh air ventilation and three ducted air conditioning units, delivering year-round comfort through a centralised control system.

Beyond comfort, efficiency was a major priority. The hot water heat pump technology incorporated into the design can deliver energy savings of up to 65% compared to traditional systems.

Check out our article on our Flock Hill installation in Metropol here; https://metropol.co.nz/mastering-climate-control-gavin-lowe-energy/

How Gavin Lowe Energy Can Help

We have designed and completed many projects using underfloor hydronic hot water heating solutions. These systems are perfect for homes, apartments and commercial sites like offices, schools, hotels and aged-care facilities. Proper sizing and setup ensure the system delivers consistent, energy-efficient hot water throughout the year. The key is good design and installation by experts in this field: correct sizing, buffer storage and control setup are all crucial for consistent year-round results.

Come and visit us. We have a working example of this technology on display in our refurbished showroom at 48 Battersea Street in Sydenham, Christchurch.

There is an operational hydronic hot water heat pump system in the showroom at 48 Battersea Street, Sydenham