Didn’t even think of octopus, I have just asked for an evaluation from them to see what the deal is.
Heat Pumps: anyone have one/thought about it?
- Thread starter fish
- Start date
Our boiler is ancient too.
If it broke I'd get another same.
The difficult choice would be combi vs tank. We have a tank setup at the moment and many have said stick with it.
I would not go ASHP.
Pipes, radiators and insulation would all have to be upgraded. So its rhe typical problem.. Not worth doing as never hit ROI.
Plus they don't seem popular. Not just the typical stuck in the past people. Those who have them seem to regret them too often. (anecdotal news articles)
If it broke I'd get another same.
The difficult choice would be combi vs tank. We have a tank setup at the moment and many have said stick with it.
I would not go ASHP.
Pipes, radiators and insulation would all have to be upgraded. So its rhe typical problem.. Not worth doing as never hit ROI.
Plus they don't seem popular. Not just the typical stuck in the past people. Those who have them seem to regret them too often. (anecdotal news articles)
Our kids are 11 and 13 so most likely we will be here for the next 10 years and given the current generations most likely they will stay with us and save up deposit for their own home. We could downsize once they really fly the nest but that is a long time away lol
When we moved in 13 years ago we change all the aluminum single glazed windows to double glazed, did the loft and side extension with up to date insulations. The untouched wall in the front can do with some insulation but not sure how or what benefit it will bring. Hoping to get some insights from the heat pump survey.
Boiler is on its last leg I think, fixed the expansions valve a few times.
You can use the whole long term excuse around any home improvement - why would you bother investing the time or money for someone else to enjoy it?
That's ultimately why our housing stock is so poor, no one wants to be the one to spend any money on it.
That's ultimately why our housing stock is so poor, no one wants to be the one to spend any money on it.
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Associate
Yes, I think they all need a water tank as a thermal store, what I meant is that the domestic hot water tank (ie for the hot taps) can also act as a thermal store in addition to the small tank that comes with the ASHP. Especially if the system includes solar thermal or a solar diverter into the DHW tank.
We have our DHW tank set to 50°C to make sure we have sufficient hot water for showers etc., but I suspect that if we'd had a bigger DHW tank we could get away with a lower target temp. As someone pointed out above, heating water to higher temp then mixing it with cold water to shower with is not so good especially for a heat pump.
Just had a reply from octopus and they are not doing instals like we would need for the forseable so they are off the list. Survey being done on 5th oct, lets see what it throws up.
Its why those middle homes get so little attention. The stop gap before you get something you want.
ROI is so long why would you do it?
Its often significant money too.
Just reading an advert for some Heat Pump units and it states in colder conditions efficiency is 102% is that it, so a couple of percent more than a basic electric heater?
What do they class as colder climates I guess is the important bit.
www.pv-magazine.com
What do they class as colder climates I guess is the important bit.
Worcester Bosch launches new series of high-flow monobloc heat pumps
Worcester Bosch's new residential heat pumps are available in several versions, with output ranging from 4 kW to 30 KW. It says the new products can be cascaded up to six units.
www.pv-magazine.com
Soldato
I used to work on and install big uns. The size of houses.
Just don't.
They are expensive to buy, expensive to install, expensive to maintain, noisy, less efficient in cold weather, and they fall apart pretty fast too. Overall, the savings on a small installation are questionable.
I would wait, at the moment, to see where things go.
Just don't.
They are expensive to buy, expensive to install, expensive to maintain, noisy, less efficient in cold weather, and they fall apart pretty fast too. Overall, the savings on a small installation are questionable.
I would wait, at the moment, to see where things go.
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Soldato
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Watching the response to this one with popcorn ready
. I'm on the fence, but they are very expensive compared to a boiler.No. The MCS regs are actually quite specific about this point. The ‘seasonal’ is quite specific in the term ‘seasonal coefficient of performance’ in that it’s an average across all seasons.
As we have already established, the issue is that many domestic heating installers (gas and otherwise) don’t understand the design principles of heating systems and how to make them efficient. These principles are exactly the same between gas and heat pumps. The heat source is actually irrelevant to this point.
The reality is a plenty of gas heating systems are grossly oversized and have poor implementations so they operate well below the efficiency they are capable of in the real world. No one seems to be worried about that one though.
See the link above that just says cold season 102% efficient. That's what I'm going on about.
Soldato
Just reading an advert for some Heat Pump units and it states in colder conditions efficiency is 102% is that it, so a couple of percent more than a basic electric heater?
What do they class as colder climates I guess is the important bit.
Worcester Bosch launches new series of high-flow monobloc heat pumps
Worcester Bosch's new residential heat pumps are available in several versions, with output ranging from 4 kW to 30 KW. It says the new products can be cascaded up to six units.
You're talking specifically about peak loads, which occur for very few hours per year. But they're generally talking about -30C when they say cold climates.
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Soldato
It's shocking how little some installers (not all) know about system design. Minimising flow temperatures and maximising dT are essential. This requires balancing etc. and someone people just ignore it.
Gas boilers have a lot to answer for, covering many sins for many years.
"Heat pumps are usually worth the investment. An air source heat pump will typically save you £1,840 over its lifetime, compared to a gas boiler – which means you can actually cut your costs by going green."
See that doesn't add up either, so spending many thousands might save me two thousand. That's some maths that.
Ill keep a quiet eye on them and if they become value for money I'll get one. I wonder if you legally allowed to fit them yourself.
See that doesn't add up either, so spending many thousands might save me two thousand. That's some maths that.
Ill keep a quiet eye on them and if they become value for money I'll get one. I wonder if you legally allowed to fit them yourself.
I’m pretty sure that is referring to lifetime costs. £1k over 15+ years is not exactly significant.
In theory yes, no F gas is required because it’s mono block but you can’t install the required unvented water cylinder yourself due to building regs. That would need signing off, as would any electrical work.
Also see the point above about actually needed to know what you are doing to make it work.
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Don
They've just announced their own brand of heat pumps:
I know what I'm doing I did my own central heating. Can do my own electrical stuff as well no problem there.
The need for a cylinder I want aware of though I won't be going back to one of those, no where to put one anymore.
Pretty much all sensible low carbon water heating options require a thermal store of some kind.
The point above about knowing what you are doing is not about the physical installation of pipe work, it’s about the design of the system itself. Understanding the theory and the practical application of it. Even something as small as using the wrong valves can impact performance because of the pressure loss.
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