Posted by: @mikeh

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@johnmo Aira gives you no visibility or control of flow temperature at present. The thermostat has basic functionality, there is no display on the indoor unit and most settings are via the app. But the app has limits settings, neither the customer or engineer can set a weather compensation. I am in contact with Aira's customer service team to get them to adjust the weather compensation remotely. The flow temperature I've been measuring when balancing over the last few days was 45'c. The highest radiator temperature I measured a few weeks ago was 62'c, that day it burned through about 30kwh of electricity and the house was baking hot.

It very much sounds like Aira is not ready for market. Why am I not surprised.

 

@derek-m I think all companies have to start somewhere and I'm trying to not get too frustrated. But it does feel like they are trying to run before they can walk. All the gloss of the marketing gave me the impression they were already a big player when it turns out they were about as brand new as you can get. They should have been honest and gave me the option to have an install before or after the thermostat was in the country. I didn't sign up to be a beta tester after all. I've been rejecting the email requests for the finance to start until the thermostat was installed. They only had a small deposit from me so far. I will continue to reject the finance agreement until I get all the documentation that MCS have advised I should have. Currently they have supplied non. not sure I can reject based on the rads not being balanced.

@mikeh

I would hope that you can withhold at least some payment until your system is fully installed and commissioned correctly. It is rather pointless having a shiny new heat pump that costs an arm and a leg to run.

Posted by: @mikeh

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@derek-m I think all companies have to start somewhere and I'm trying to not get too frustrated. But it does feel like they are trying to run before they can walk. All the gloss of the marketing gave me the impression they were already a big player when it turns out they were about as brand new as you can get. They should have been honest and gave me the option to have an install before or after the thermostat was in the country.

Optimist.
Oxymoron highlighted.

Posted by: @mikeh

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I didn't sign up to be a beta tester after all.

I totally agree, in spades, with interest.

Posted by: @mikeh

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I've been rejecting the email requests for the finance to start until the thermostat was installed. They only had a small deposit from me so far. I will continue to reject the finance agreement until I get all the documentation that MCS have advised I should have.

Excellent tactics. Only fair, after all; you asked for something in exchange for your money, so they don't get the latter until they provide the former. Standard consumer law that hits them where it hurts. Quite right.
 
 
 

Posted by: @mikeh

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I will continue to reject the finance agreement until I get all the documentation that MCS have advised I should have. Currently they have supplied non.

@mikeh What documents should they supply? Thanks!
 

@trungdong I had a call from MCS asking questions about the state of the install while back. They asked if I had received my handover pack, I haven't received any documents except an insurance document related to insurance Aira must have taken out to cover the weeks around the installation for any damage to the property. They followed up with an email of what should be handed over, either hardcopy of digitally. 

"Please see below a list of the documents that should be included in your handover pack for reference.

• MCS Certificate (Keep safe - if you sell your property your solicitor will need a copy)
• Insurance Backed Warranty details
• Copies of all forms and checklists used to commission the system
• Maintenance requirements and maintenance services available
• Manufacturer user manual and warranty details
• Any documents or checklists required for any incentive schemes

From design guidance
MCS requires weather compensation to be available on all space heating systems but does not stipulate how this must be set up.
-- Attachment is not available --

@mikeh Thank you. I've also found the MCS handover checklist here:

It's primarily what you listed, with just a few more.
About payment, I got a notification from Ofgem that Aira had successfully redeemed the BUS grant for my installation. I'm withholding my payment until they sort out the outstanding issues (I have a few other than what was mentioned in this thread).

Posted by: @trungdong

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...
About payment, I got a notification from Ofgem that Aira had successfully redeemed the BUS grant for my installation.
...

The OFGEM site says

When the new system has been installed and fully checked, your installer can claim the grant amount from Ofgem.

Unless I'm much mistaken, the fact you've still outstanding issues means Aira shouldn't have tried to redeem the BUS grant. This is, in effect, reducing the financial pressure on Aira to complete what they've promised to do. If I were in your position I'd be contacting OFGEM and informing them of Aira's failure to follow appropriate procedure. 

@majordennisbloodnok, good shout. Thank you. This is what I find so helpful about sharing our experiences on a forum like this.
Regarding the quality of a heat pump installation, I wonder if there is a way to get MCS or Ofgem to come and inspect one. Probably, they would after a formal complaint. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Posted by: @Anonymous

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If the radiator feels warm the flow temp must be above body temperature.

In practice, I find my radiators feel luke warm when the system tells me the flow temp is 30 degrees. Which is far less than 37 degrees, so I was puzzled. This spiked my curiosity, so I did some digging and found this: https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/AbantyFarzana.shtml
So, strictly speaking, the radiator feels warm if it is above the temperature of the skin on your fingers, which may be somewhat less than your core (though 30 still seems low). 
 

Posted by: @trungdong

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Regarding the quality of a heat pump installation, I wonder if there is a way to get MCS or Ofgem to come and inspect one.

Sadly, MCS and the consumer codes won't do this. There are many new things in the pipeline from a homeowner complaint's perspective and I am working behind the scenes to get the lowdown on the changes. MCS is undergoing a full overhaul to be more effective in dealing with complaints. But as things stand, homeowners are largely powerless if things go wrong and the installer walks. This is an important subject to me, and I've been hammering the MCS, the consumer codes and certification bodies, and slowly, we're starting to see a shift, but it's not fast or effective enough.