Heat pump experiences

[Drago]

It's amazing how much difference insulation makes. When I spend a night at my parents' (which I did last night), the house seems to be like a fridge.

A 1970s bungalow, they had the cavity walls pumped with insulation, I insulated the attic with 6" of insulation years ago myself, and the original mahogany single glazed windows have been replaced with triple glazing a few years ago, yet the place feels like a fridge first thing in the morning in comparison to my new build flat.

They don't stint the (oil-fired) heating but it cools down so quickly. I suppose a big part of the problem is the uninsulated concrete floors. I know a lot more could be done but they are set in their ways and don't want any more hassle or expense.

I'm very happy to have a modern property with lots of insulation and a heat pump as I never feel cold and it costs pennies to run compared to my previous flat with gas heating.

^^^ this.

My old place was 1960s vintage and I'd insulated the bejesus out of it.

The new place is twice the floor area but I hardly have the heating on at all. Indeed, the system is split so living areas can be heated by day and the bedrooms on their own circuit at night, so you're not wasting energy heating areas you're not using. A rated for energy efficiency, unsurprisingly.

It's so inexpensive to heat with gas It's no more expensive than the much smaller old house was with the heat pump. The financial incentives for owners to make the switch on newer properties are non-existent with numbers like that.

 

[rogerzilla]

I don't think they need to as they don't occur in domestic systems.

Luckily, the HSE has rules for landlords renting domestic properties too, so those pesky bacteria aren't safe.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/legionella-landlords-responsibilities.htm#domestic

I doubt there are any for owner-occupied properties, because you can harm yourself however you like in your own home and it's not an 'elf and safety problem.

 

[icowden]

It's so inexpensive to heat with gas It's no more expensive than the much smaller old house was with the heat pump. The financial incentives for owners to make the switch on newer properties are non-existent with numbers like that.

How new is new though? My house is 1986. So 40 years old. Relatively new. Has cavity walls downstairs, straw internal walls upstairs.
Loses heat all the time. I'd love to get one of those doohickeys from Octopus to see where the main heat leakage is. I suspect it's everywhere.
Considering it's a fairly small 4 bed house it costs me around £275 a month on electricity and gas.

 

[Gillstay]

How new is new though? My house is 1986. So 40 years old. Relatively new. Has cavity walls downstairs, straw internal walls upstairs.
Loses heat all the time. I'd love to get one of those doohickeys from Octopus to see where the main heat leakage is. I suspect it's everywhere.
Considering it's a fairly small 4 bed house it costs me around £275 a month on electricity and gas.

Look for drafts, its amazing how much is lost through leakage around overflow pipes etc. Any where a plumber etc is in a rush to get the job done and it goes through walls.

 

[mjr]

Presumably the reason heat pumps need such an enormous hot water tank is that if a small one ran out the HP wouldn't produce enough power to reheat it in a sensible time?

Reheats in less than an hour most times, similar to tanks heated by fossil burners. The extra size is mostly extra insulation.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I didn't, but that is easily surmountable. In any case, the question never even arose when either applying for funding or later on when selling the house. It's a non problem.



Any able bodied and moderately fit person in the age range 16-60 could do it, ie, most people.

Even paying someone else wouldnt have come near 2 large. That'd be equivalent to £600 odd an hour, a hilarious amount.

Just went up in the loft last week and lifted the boards so the sparky could rewire the lighting circuit. Im in my mid 70's, anyone capable of tying their own laces could unroll a few rolls of loft insulation.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Look for drafts, its amazing how much is lost through leakage around overflow pipes etc. Any where a plumber etc is in a rush to get the job done and it goes through walls.

I’ve heard the analogy that it's like pouring water into a bucket that has holes in it. The more holes you patch the slower the water escapes.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I’ve heard the analogy that it's like pouring water into a bucket that has holes in it. The more holes you patch the slower the water escapes.

WHich is why you really need one of those IR things to detect the leaks

I think

some counsels rent them out to local people
not ours though
worth checking if you want to do a basic check - cheaper than getting a professional who might or might not have a vested interest in saying there is a problem!

 

[Tenkaykev]

WHich is why you really need one of those IR things to detect the leaks

I think

some counsels rent them out to local people
not ours though
worth checking if you want to do a basic check - cheaper than getting a professional who might or might not have a vested interest in saying there is a problem!

Octopus lend them out FOC. There's a limited quantity and you have to put your name on a list. More useful in the winter months when indoor/ outdoor temperatures are further apart.
I have considered getting my own but can't really justify the expense.
On a related note we recently had a new kitchen fitted. The old kitchen was removed back to the bare walls. The wall that had housed the incoming cold water main and the the kitchen sink showed a fair bit of staining, and the hole for the kitchen sink / washing machine waste felt like a gale was blowing through. Everything was repiped and capped ready for reconnection when the new units were in. Coming into the kitchen the following morning the incoming cod main pipe work was literally dripping condensation. Before completion the fitters lagged every pipe and sealed around the entry and exit points.

 

[presta]

The extra size is mostly extra insulation.

They're putting it in the wrong place then if so, the ones I saw on Channel 5 last month were about the same diameter as a normal tank, but about 7 or 8 feet tall, (floor to ceiling). In fact, if they want to minimise heat loss from the surface, that shape is wrong in the first place.

 

[mjr]

They're putting it in the wrong place then if so, the ones I saw on Channel 5 last month were about the same diameter as a normal tank, but about 7 or 8 feet tall, (floor to ceiling). In fact, if they want to minimise heat loss from the surface, that shape is wrong in the first place.

I agree. Ours is fatter than the tank it replaced, but that meant it didn't fit in the old airing cupboard and was resited nearer the pump. One that was the same diameter but taller might fit in an airing cupboard with shelves removed, so I can see why someone might have to choose that.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I agree. Ours is fatter than the tank it replaced, but that meant it didn't fit in the old airing cupboard and was resited nearer the pump. One that was the same diameter but taller might fit in an airing cupboard with shelves removed, so I can see why someone might have to choose that.

That's our issue, our airing cupboard isn't big enough for a fatter HW tank. When the guy from Octopus was doing a quote for Solar about 18 months ago I asked him about it and he said the cupboard was too small. Since then I believe theres an option for taller slimmer cylinders. The cylinders need to be larger as there's a much larger heat exchanger coil.

 

[Milzy]

Some cyls make a banging noise maybe pressure building up but there’s been many complaints. Also rattling sounds. You want a sound proof area if possible. Customers get replacements and the same thing happens no matter what manufacture they choose.