When the owners of a Jersey pub opted to make the move from gas to electric heating, they replaced both the hot water system and the oil boiler with a 6kW Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan air source heat pump.
The Pembroke is a long-standing fixture of Jersey’s pub scene, set right on the beach and serving critically acclaimed food and drinks to locals and visitors to the island alike.
When Martin and Alla took over, they wanted to breathe new life into the pub. One of their first findings was that the pub relied on an ageing oil boiler for heating and gas appliances in the kitchen. Not only were these systems unreliable and expensive to maintain, but they were also failing to keep pubgoers warm during the winter.
So, when it came to planning a kitchen upgrade, Martin and Alla decided they needed to find a modern alternative for heating too.
Martin comments: “When we came to The Pembroke, our goal was to make the pub as enjoyable and comfortable for customers as possible. Moving to a heat pump means the heating is more reliable, and the pub stays cosy when the wind starts whipping off of the coast. And on top of that, we’re glad that it will help reduce the environmental impact of the pub too.”
Jersey’s Low Carbon Heating Incentive
The project was supported by the Government of Jersey’s Low Carbon Heating Incentive, which helped to reduce the upfront cost for Martin and Alla and make the renovations more feasible.
The Ecodan system provided the perfect solution for Jersey’s somewhat unpredictable weather, as it uses weather compensation to automatically adjust heating temperatures according to outdoor conditions. The system also works with the pub’s existing radiators, so Martin and Alla didn’t need to replace them as part of the renovation.
The entire installation process was planned to happen outside of the pubs opening hours, and the switch to electric hot water happened within 24 hours. This meant that the pints continued flowing, the roast dinners kept coming and, crucially, Martin and Alla avoided any loss of income.
Almost a year after installation, the previously cold bar stays warm without issues. Alla adds: “It’s much more reliable than our previous boiler and gas, and easier to manage. We haven’t had to call anyone out to fix anything. It just works.”
Across the year, the system is expected to deliver roughly 3.4 units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses, and early projections suggest the business could see lower overall energy costs.
The Pembroke’s experience shows how an older building can swap oil and gas heating for electricity and improve reliability – all without any disruption to day-to-day operations. For further details on Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan heat pump technology, click here.
