All-Electric Home Upgrades in Cheam with Daikin Multi+

Why all-electric properties are the ideal candidate

Thousands of flats, converted houses, park homes, annexes and new-build apartments across Cheam, Sutton and the wider SM and KT postcodes have no mains gas connection. In these properties hot water is usually produced by an insulated cylinder with one or two immersion heaters, while space heating comes from night storage heaters or electric panel radiators. Both use direct electric resistance heating, which converts one unit of electricity into roughly one unit of heat.

A heat pump works differently. It moves heat rather than creating it, so a well-designed system typically delivers several units of heat for each unit of electricity consumed. For an all-electric home, that difference applies to both the space heating and the hot water, which is why replacing resistance heating is usually the single biggest efficiency change available to a property without gas.

Because these homes are already fully electric, there is no gas supply to disconnect, no flue to install and no boiler to remove. The work is largely confined to the airing cupboard, the wall positions for indoor units and the outdoor unit location.

What the Daikin Multi+ system replaces

The Multi+ outdoor unit connects to a dedicated Daikin domestic hot water tank, available in 120 litre and 230 litre sizes, alongside up to three indoor air conditioning units. The hot water tank is pressurised, which in most properties removes the reason a shower pump was fitted in the first place, since flow is delivered at mains pressure rather than by gravity from a loft tank.

Whether a shower pump can be removed depends on the incoming mains flow rate and pressure at your property, so we measure this during the survey before confirming what is achievable.

Equipment commonly removed or made redundant

• Ageing vented or unvented hot water cylinders heated by immersion elements
• Twin-impeller shower pumps fitted to boost weak gravity-fed showers
• Night storage heaters that release heat at the wrong time of day
• Electric panel heaters and oil-filled radiators used as top-up heating
• Standalone portable air conditioners bought to cope with summer overheating
• Separate summer cooling and winter heating systems that duplicate each other

How the system produces hot water and comfort together

The Multi+ has four operating modes. In daily water heating mode the tank is reheated to schedule or whenever the air conditioning is off. In heating mode the rooms and the hot water can be heated at the same time. In cooling mode the heat rejected from the rooms is recovered to pre-heat the hot water, so summer cooling contributes to your hot water rather than being wasted outside.

There is also a comfort plus function: if extra hot water is needed while the air conditioning is running, the powerful setting on the tank reheats the water on demand. In practice this means the household does not have to choose between a cool bedroom and a hot shower.

Daikin rates the range at up to A++ for heating, A+++ for cooling and up to A+ for hot water efficiency. Actual performance in your home depends on insulation, tank size, occupancy and how the system is set up, all of which we assess at survey.

Room-by-room control and indoor unit choices

Each indoor unit is controlled independently, so a bedroom, a living room and a home office can run at different temperatures or be switched off entirely. Control is through the wall controller or the Daikin Onecta app, which also allows schedules and remote operation.

Multi+ connects to Daikin's air-to-air indoor range, including the Emura, Stylish and Perfera wall-mounted units, so the visible equipment inside the property can be chosen to suit the room. Colour and style options exist across the range, which matters in living rooms and bedrooms where a standard white unit may not be wanted.

What the installation involves

Most conversions are completed in a small number of days, though the exact duration depends on the number of indoor units, pipe run lengths and the condition of the existing electrical installation. Where the consumer unit or supply requires upgrading, we identify this at survey rather than during the works.

A typical all-electric conversion

• Survey of the property, existing cylinder, heaters and electrical supply
• Measurement of incoming mains water flow and pressure
• Heat loss and hot water demand assessment for the household
• Written quotation setting out equipment, tank size and unit positions
• Removal of the old cylinder and, where agreed, redundant storage heaters
• Installation of the outdoor unit, hot water tank, indoor units and pipework
• Electrical connection, commissioning, F-Gas documentation and handover

Running costs, tariffs and expectations

Households moving from storage heaters and immersion heating are usually on a legacy off-peak tariff. Because a heat pump uses far less electricity for the same output, the best tariff arrangement often changes after installation, and we will talk through how the system is likely to be used across the day so you can review your tariff with your supplier.

We do not publish guaranteed savings figures, because they depend on your existing consumption, tariff, insulation and how the property is occupied. What we will do is set out the equipment, the expected operating modes and the realistic outcome for your property in writing before any work is agreed.

Landlords, flats and leasehold properties

All-electric flats are common across Sutton, Worcester Park, Morden and Kingston, and many are leasehold. Outdoor unit positioning, wall penetrations and condensate drainage usually need freeholder or managing agent consent, and in some cases planning permission. We advise on what consent is likely to be needed and provide the technical detail required for those applications.

For landlords, replacing storage heaters and an old cylinder also affects the EPC rating and the property's appeal to tenants, particularly where a converted flat has previously suffered from summer overheating.