mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
You don't need the special tariffs, but why would you reject a 30% saving if you've got the kit to accept it?
Heat pump experiences
- Thread starter siadwell
- Start date
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
The news article I saw had an interesting point
The owner was saying that they had batteries in their loft which they charged up on a cheap tariff overnight
as a result it was costing them £100 per month
but when their batteries were not working the cost was £170 permonth which was the same as they had been paying with their old boiler
In which case the heat pump was not actually saving them anything and it was the batteries that were critical
of course
a) that was just their circumstances which will not be the same for other people
b) to make the savings from heating you would need some sort of electric heating - but heat pumps are not the only one around
it did make heat pumps look like they were not as good as the hype - at least for some people
The owner was saying that they had batteries in their loft which they charged up on a cheap tariff overnight
as a result it was costing them £100 per month
but when their batteries were not working the cost was £170 permonth which was the same as they had been paying with their old boiler
In which case the heat pump was not actually saving them anything and it was the batteries that were critical
of course
a) that was just their circumstances which will not be the same for other people
b) to make the savings from heating you would need some sort of electric heating - but heat pumps are not the only one around
it did make heat pumps look like they were not as good as the hype - at least for some people
welsh dragon
Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
You need a mahoosive tank for a heat pump because the hot water isn't very hot. With a normal boiler, you generally set the tank stat to 60°C and use a blend of hot and cold water to bathe/shower in, so a 120 litre tank will last ages. If your tank is at a crappy 35°C or 40°C, you will be using only hot water, so it will run out faster.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
So what temperature is the tank water at??
I mean - if I have a bath then it is mostly water from the hot tap
and then I top it up after a while
so much cooler than it is currently set to would be a big downside!!
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
The highest flow temperature you're likely to get with a heat pump is 55°C, and the more efficient installations use 35°C. Hot water will normally be about 10°C cooler than the flow temperature, as heat transfer becomes slower and slower as the differential decreases, although if you are prepared to wait infinitely long it could just about get to flow temperature. So it's going to be rather tepid if you're used to a conventional system, unless you flog the heat pump pretty hard.
What scares me most about heat pumps is the supposed necessity of running them 24/7 to keep the house warm, because their output is too low to raise a house from cold in any reasonable time. I want a cold house at night or if I'm out. People who see big savings were probably heating the house 24/7 on gas too, rather than just for 4-5 hours in the evening.
What scares me most about heat pumps is the supposed necessity of running them 24/7 to keep the house warm, because their output is too low to raise a house from cold in any reasonable time. I want a cold house at night or if I'm out. People who see big savings were probably heating the house 24/7 on gas too, rather than just for 4-5 hours in the evening.
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
Yes - my thought to
I like a nice hot bath
and I like the house to be warm in the lounge and much cooler in the bedrooms
in fact if the bedroom are heated then I tend to sleep worse as it is too dry
In spring/autumn it is quite common for us to have all the windows open upstairs and the heating on with the upstairs radiators turned off
doesn;t sound like out lifestyle matches a heat pump experience!
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
and also
it is quite common for us to have the heating off all day and the windows open
then just stick the heating on for an hour or so in the late evening to keep the lounge warm
sounds like we would need to put the fire on - which then eats power
it is quite common for us to have the heating off all day and the windows open
then just stick the heating on for an hour or so in the late evening to keep the lounge warm
sounds like we would need to put the fire on - which then eats power
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
https://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/legionella.htm
60°C is the safe minimum. If you heat to less, you need a weekly legionella cycle when it gets hot enough to kill any bacteria.
60°C is the safe minimum. If you heat to less, you need a weekly legionella cycle when it gets hot enough to kill any bacteria.
Fastpedaller
Über Member
A friend had a air-source pump fitted and his electric bill is now £170 a week!
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Holy Mary Mother of Putin!
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
Is he heating Lincolnshire?
That's astonishing
No, his name's Charlie and his house is at the end of Bird Cage walk😁
In all seriousness though, £170 is 680kWh of electricity if he were paying the max. Thats 100kW a day so something is amiss...
presta
Legendary Member
The hot water on my combi is set to 60, but you have to run it a long while before it gets fully up to temperature. I'd probably be tipping away two bowls of water each time instead of just one.
