Give us an introduction to your business.

I started self-employment in 2009 after working for four years for a local contractor. With my company, Lewis Gould Plumbing & Heating, we initially focused on oil and gas work as well as undertaking bathroom installations. 

We are OFTEC-registered and based in Aberhonddu, Powys,  working in the local surrounds of this town. I have known John Morris, Grant UK’s Regional Sales Manager for the West, for quite a few years. With oil work being a major part of our business, we have worked closely with Grant boilers, installing many of their Vortex models over the years.

When did you decide to make the move into renewables?

John actually introduced me to Grant’s first air source heat pump back in 2010 and I completed their product training course straightaway. With the changes in the market and consumer demand for renewable heating growing over the past few years, we were very interested in finding out more about heat pumps so in June 2022, myself and one of my colleagues returned to Grant UK’s Training Academy in Wiltshire to attend their latest Grant Aerona³ Air Source Heat Pump product training course. 

How did you find the training course on air source heat pumps? 

We found the two-day course very informative and there was a lot of hands-on activities, giving us plenty of opportunities to work on the Aerona³ unit and really get to know it. The course tutor was very knowledgeable and helped us with all of our questions so we came away feeling confident to start installing and working with these air source heat pumps. 

What was your first heat pump installation like?

The property was a barn conversion in Brecon that required a complete heating system to be specified and installed. 

My local Area Sales Manager from Grant UK, Stuart Thompson, came to site at the beginning of the project to carry out a site survey. The results of this, combined with the plans for the barn, were sent to the Design Team at Grant UK who then specified the system and supplied me with the list of products needed for this project. 

We installed an Aerona³ 10kW air source heat pump alongside one of Grant’s Quick Recovery 250l pre-plumbed hot water cylinders, as well as their Combined Low Loss Header/Volumiser. All the wiring and plumbing diagrams had been sent to us from Stuart in advance of the installation and we found the schematics supplied very simple to follow. The pre-plumbed cylinder was easy to fit as well. 

The low loss header was a great addition to the system, being straightforward to install and assisting with the hydraulic separation of the system. 

From start to finish, we had great support from Stuart. We also opted for the heat pump setup service; something that was free following our product training course. 
Jess York, one of Grant UK’s Field Service Engineers, came to site to assist with the set up and commissioning, a service which gave us real peace of mind with our first heat pump installation. Jess shared his extensive knowledge with us, which we will definitely apply on future installations. 

What’s next for your business and heat pumps?

Air source heat pumps are now part of our product offering. We are advertising our heat pump installation services locally and we are very pleased to be G1-approved installers for Aerona³ air source heat pumps, being listed on the Find an Installer search on Grant UK’s website.