Hello, we are in the same situation with an Octopus quote and an AIRA survey schedule for next week. can anyone with an AIRA confirm what will happen if the internet connection is down, electricity still working ? Will you still be able to connect to the heat pump and the heat pump function according to preset schedule? Our alternative with Octopus is the daikin which I was told do not rely on internet connection to the servers to work. reason to ask is that we had issues with our internet in the past and do not want to be without heating for that reason. Octopus changed from their cosy6 to the daikin as you can’t access anything of the heat pump if internet is down. 
thanks 

@rikiarn I lost power to my WiFi router while I was away on holiday. The Aira heatpump continued to work while I was away. Unfortunately i was unable to set the away mode but at least it proved it would continued to function to the last set function. If I was home and the WiFi was down, i believe you can connect close to the indoor unit via Bluetooth using the app.

@chandykris Have had our Aira heat pump since September. Several callouts - minor issues - all dealt with very quickly. It was a key thing in my evaluation that Aira confirmed to me that their price included 15 years maintenance and servicing so no extra contracts to take out.
@rikiarn Broadband has dropped out and I have changed the router as part of an upgrade since the heat pump was fitted and have had no problems. Apart from the first few weeks where I was trying to find the sweet spot between thermostat and the radiator valve setting in each room I have hardly made any changes to the heat pump settings.  
 

Looking forward to seeing the Aira installation team on Monday 6 January. They were in touch beforehand to make sure that we are ready and will bring some fan heaters to help with the expected cold snap. They are still expecting to take up to 4 days.

Posted by: @rikiarn

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can anyone with an AIRA confirm what will happen if the internet connection is down, electricity still working ? Will you still be able to connect to the heat pump and the heat pump function according to preset schedule?

I have finally accepted Aira's quote today. Maybe, I am overestimating my technical abilities to calculate the heat loss of our property, especially for the individual rooms! But, looking at conversion factor between DT50 vs DT30/25, it's highly unlikely we will require big radiator changes. Finally, the option of not taking any annual maintenance contracts for 15 years, but still keep the comfort warranty for 15 years swayed the decision. Yes, slightly more expensive upfront, but cheaper ongoing costs makes it even in the end.

Aira say they will install within 30 days of accepting the quote, so we might have a heat pump this winter season after all. I will fully document my journey through a post here. I wish I am good at content creation like Mike, as those videos help me understand a little bit more in detail. Hopefully full technical survey and design will go ahead this week and installation soon after. Luckily, I have fitted good sized infrared panels and oil filled radiators for backup heating in the key rooms, as installation in winter will be a painful experience.

@rikiarn AIRA connects via WiFi Bluetooth and Threads so it will always have a connection. If you are away and can’t connect for some reason then just contact AIRA and they will do it remotely

Thank you all for your feedback it is very useful to know and will keep AIRA as potential option for us. 

Things have moved on pretty quickly since accepting the quote. The detailed technical survey is on the 9th of January and installation on the week starting the 20th of January. They must be pretty confident there shouldn't be anything complex if they are happy to tentatively book the installation week even before the detailed technical survey is complete. Not surprised as our home is a relatively new build, only 11 years old.
Happy to go for the installation when we are still in peak winter, as we can sort out any snags and test again before the heating is turned off. Our heating is usually turned off by end of March, given the relatively low heat loss and decent solar gain.

My first post a few hours after the first "survey" I have had from my top choice of heat pump installer, Aira. I liked the idea that a Swedish company with many years of experience in heat pump installations would take care of our requirements. The person who came round was clearly a sales rep and not anyone with the practical experience we were led to expect from our initial contact.

I had a series of questions, such as is the heat pump designed manufactured and used in Sweden? The answer was yes. In addition we were assured it was a company that had been around a long time. The reality is the company is only a couple of years or so old, and is a new start up business in 2022. The heat pumps are made in a factory in Poland not Sweden, and has no real market share in the Swedish Heat Pump sector.

I asked about the reassuring15 year guarantee which I have just checked now is still advertised online as a reason to buy from them. Our sales rep admitted when I asked about this said, today, Monday 6 January was the final day they were offering the 15 years guarantee which has now ended. But if we agreed a sale now we would still be able to get the 15 years guarantee.

There were other questions we had in mind but we had heard enough. We said we will think about things and get back to her and not to contact us for at least three or four days. About three hours later someone else from Aira rang asking if we had decided to proceed. I explained we had said we would be thinking about it and would not be hurried. He continued to talk so I cut him off saying I was busy.

The fact that six radiators may need to be replaced, including some fitted just three years ago a few months before we bought the house is also incredibly off putting. Needless to say Aira have been crossed off not just the top spot but out of the race. Very very disappointed and next have a £99 paid for heat loss survey in a few days with a supposed expert surveyor to discuss our options from a company called Assembly Renewables.

I am beginning to think the whole Heat Pump business is going to be like so many other institutional scams such as the earliest I remember, nuclear power that was too cheap to meter. And in other news today, the Labour Government with Ed Milliband who had promised such green credentials, has announced it is scrapping the requirement to phase out gas boiler installations by 2035. Our old Vaillant boiler, 16+ years old and running smoothly at the moment may have a reprieve and eventually be replaced by a younger generation variant of the same type. Hey Ho.

Thanks for this excellent forum.

They told me the same. After the 6th of January, the warranty would be five years during which period you don't need any servicing contract. But, that can be extended to fifteen years, but there will be a monthly fee after the five years. I had already decided by then, so I went ahead. If not, I would have asked for a few days to decide but only go ahead if I get the 15 year warranty upfront but still not pay the monthly fee. These are strategic decisions about heating our homes, and can't be taken quickly.

With respect to the startup part, I looked into it and they have raised €250 million from big institutional investors such as Temasek holdings. So, I was happy to take the risk, despite long standing in the industry was one of my decision factors. They also have big plans for the UK, 1 million installations in 10 years, £300 million investment in three years, and 8000 staff (if I remember correctly). So, the UK must be a significant part of their growth plans. This could all be marketing BS, though!

They have taken over an old Volvo bus factory in Poland to manufacture their own heat pumps. So, I see that they are in the long game, and being early adopters we should get a good level of customer service, and that was backed by the experience of a few people posting here. Yes, there would be some niggles and snags, but as long as they get them resolved, I was ok with that.

Such a shame if they stop offering the 15 year guarantee. Without the need of a service schedule, it was a big saving that could be factored in. It is still showing on the website at the moment too. I notice they don't offer the 12 Months interest free payment plan as well. I'm pleased I was able to take advantage of these things.