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Background & Objectives

Seabren, a respected developer in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, tasked Platmech with designing an upscale, ultra-efficient heating and cooling system for Merrion Gardens’ four-bedroom homes. Every detail, from Tailor & Wolf’s interiors to the mechanical room, had to reflect luxury without sacrificing sustainability or comfort.

Merrion Gardens sits in a prime Dublin suburb where buyers expect both elegance and green credentials. Seabren’s brief boiled down to three goals:

1. Invisible Integration: Interiors feature clean lines, hidden storage, and premium finishes. Platmech couldn’t simply install a bulky boiler or obvious wall-mounted units.
2. All-in-One Efficiency: Rather than separate boiler, cylinder, and AC, the client wanted one heat pump handling ground-floor underfloor heating, upstairs radiators, kitchen/dining fan coils, and domestic hot water.
3. Top-Tier Performance: With Ireland’s NZEB and BER standards, the system needed A+++ efficiency, reliable operation down to –25 °C, plus simple controls for any homeowner to use without a manual.

Key Challenges

1. Aesthetics vs. Access: Concealing pipework and equipment while leaving enough clearance for routine servicing demanded careful planning.
2. Four-Zone Complexity: Each floor has different heat/cool demands. The system had to modulate output so that, on mild days, it could run just one zone at reduced capacity—and ramp up seamlessly on colder nights.
3. Hot Water Reliability: Tucking a 200 L tank into a small utility closet (2 m × 1.2 m) without expanding footprint meant rethinking the typical cylinder-plus-boiler approach.
4. User Experience: Many heat-pump interfaces are confusing. Seabren wanted a plug-and-play-style panel with big icons and plain-language prompts so homeowners wouldn’t need training.

Platmech’s Solution

Integrated Split-Type Heat Pump

We selected the ISHP-4 unit, which combines heat pump and a 200 L water tank in one slim cabinet. This “all-in-one” design allowed us to:

• Save Space: No separate cylinder or boiler—just one indoor box tucked behind a closet door.
• Achieve A+++ Efficiency: COP ranges from 4.5 to 5.0 in ideal conditions. Even at –25 °C outdoor, it maintains COP 3.5, far exceeding standard gas-boiler performance.
• Ensure Quiet Operation: Indoor noise sits at 25 dB(A), and the outdoor compressor peaks at 45 dB(A), so residents barely hear a whisper at night.

Multi-Zone Distribution

From the main cabinet, we routed PEX-al-PEX to each zone:

• Ground Floor Underfloor: Subtle radiant heat beneath tile, keeping feet warm without hot spots. The pump can throttle down to 25 % capacity when only this zone calls for heat.
• Kitchen/Dining Fan Coils: Concealed in ceiling pockets, these units supply cooling in summer. Since they run only when needed, airflow noise stays almost silent.
• Upper-Floor Radiators: Slim designer radiators in bedrooms and lounge, each with its own zone valve. Homeowners can set the master suite to 18 °C at night while living areas stay at 20 °C.

Simplified Controls

With a built-in 8 kW booster element, the 200 L tank guarantees back-to-back showers without waiting. This eliminated the need for extra cylinders and minimized pipe runs.

A 7″ wired touch panel sits centrally in the hallway. We programmed it to show:

1. Current Zone Temperatures: “Ground,” “Upstairs,” and “DHW” statuses at a glance (no submenus).
2. Mode Buttons: “Heat,” “Cool,” “DHW Only,” and “Eco Schedule.” Tapping “Eco” triggers a preconfigured week-long profile—alarming simple if a homeowner wants to leave for vacation.
3. Boost Function: One-tap “Hot Water Boost” runs the 8 kW element for up to 60 min, ideal for unexpected guests.

Error messages are plain language (e.g., “Filter cleaning reminder,” not “Err 45”), cutting down service calls and confusion.