Gary Davies - Account Manager When it comes to needing an exact estimate for an energy efficient system, it’s the quality of the enquiry that ensures an accurate response - which is better for the customer, the installer and the supplier. Nu-Heat Trade Account Manager Gary Davies explains what information the team needs in order to get it right first time.
‘When taking an initial enquiry’ says Gary, ‘the worst scenario is receiving a set of plans and a request for ‘underfloor heating and a heat pump’. It’s like going into a BMW showroom and saying ‘I want a 2 litre car.’ If we get enough project-specific information at the start, our response will be dead on.’
Ethical sales
With renewable products in particular there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’. With enough detail, it should be possible for a supplier to ascertain reasonably quickly whether the desired system is, in fact, feasible. If it is obvious that it won’t work well – such as an enquiry for a heat pump in a badly insulated older property – an ethical supply company will explain why it is not a suitable solution.
The supplier can then offer options for the installer to suggest to the customer – such as solar thermal for domestic hot water or underfloor heating (UFH) working with a condensing boiler (where the low system water temperatures of underfloor heating enhance the efficiency of condensing boilers and give a degree of fuel savings). Even for a well-insulated property, a ground source heat pump (GSHP) might be the ideal, but the budget could indicate an air source heat pump (ASHP) as a cheaper but still effective choice.
Response times
If a fast quote is needed and the installer isn’t around to answer crucial questions, the whole estimating process will be delayed, but if detailed information and plans are available right at the start then the response time will be quicker.
The most basic information is who the enquiry is from and the site address. Very occasionally an enquiry comes in from more than one source for the same project, so duplication of the quote is prevented.
Underfloor heating
With a UFH enquiry it’s important to know the proposed fuel source and whether the project is new-build, retrofit, refurbishment or single zone. Key to any quote for retrofit is information about insulation, including glazing, wall construction, loft insulation and floor construction.
Floor construction has an impact in terms of price, the level of materials and timescales for installation. Drying times will need to be factored in for liquid screeds which joists will not require.
Future-proofing
Some customers will be working to a budget that requires work to be done in phases. For example, they might do part of the work then have the property re-valued and then remortgaged in order to move on to the next phase.
Elements like zoning and manifold location depend on what part of a project is happening at what time. If the owners of a new-build have plans to put on a conservatory at a later date, then it’s important to ensure that there are enough free ports available on the manifold, or to take pipes down to the future zone and blank them off or even to take primary pipework down to the future manifold position.
Heat pumps
With a heat pump enquiry, a basic question is whether an air source or ground source model is being considered. Information about insulation levels is, again, vital. It is also useful to know what phase electricity is to be used – single, dual single or three-phase.
For a GSHP with ground loops, it helps to know the amount of available land, soil conditions and whether the land is on any sort of slope. ‘Having this sort of information enables us to give practical advice,’ comments Gary. ‘For example, if the slope is very steep, ground loops won’t be feasible. Knowing this allows us to suggest alternatives, such as using boreholes for the pipes or changing the spec from a ground source to an air source heat pump.’
If the enquiry states that a heat pump is to be integrated with UFH on the ground floor but radiators on the first floor, advice can be offered on the type of radiators needed to work with the lower flow temperatures.
Solar
For solar enquiries, an estimate will benefit from knowing about the roof type (so the right fixing kit is specified), the roof tilt and orientation (as both have a bearing on solar gain) and the roof length with an indication of where the panels will go to ensure there is enough room.
Other useful information includes the distance to the cylinder and whether a quote should include the insulated pipework, if there’s is an issue with shading from nearby buildings or trees (and bearing in mind that trees will keep growing), whether there are power showers and how many occupants there are (taking into account any regular or weekend visitors).
Project status
‘It really helps to know if a project is only as far as outline planning, has been approved, whether the build’s been started or if the roof’s already on!’ says Gary. ‘This allows us to give the right level of quotation and suggest where our products and systems fit into the build schedule.’
Sometimes, of course, an enquiry demands an immediate response – this can usually be accommodated but it is not ideal and a much better service can be offered if there is a reasonable lead time.
Detailed plans are extremely helpful, and if these are not to scale, knowing the dimensions can make a major difference, otherwise an estimate will not be exact.
Support
With a design and supply company such as Nu-Heat support can be given from an early stage if enough information is available. This covers additional elements like cylinders, solar thermal or even towel rails and considerations such as the most suitable floor covering. ‘Basically any questions that an installer has we will endeavour to answer, however weird and wonderful!’ comments Gary.
By investing a short amount of time to provide detailed information for an initial enquiry will help ensure that the response is right first time, which is beneficial for everyone involved. It also gives added value by facilitating an open, professional dialogue between installer and supplier, opening channels for excellent advice and first rate price options to be offered.
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