Joining the Renewable Heating Hub forums is completely free and only takes a minute. By registering you’ll be able to ask questions, join discussions, follow topics you’re interested in, bookmark useful threads and receive notifications when someone replies. Non-registered members also do not have access to our AI features. When choosing your username, please note that it cannot be changed later, so we recommend avoiding brand or product names. Before registering, please take a moment to read the Forum Rules & Terms of Use so we can keep the community helpful, respectful and informative for everyone. Thanks for joining!
Thanks, v helpful. They also have this other page covering it slightly differently: https://www.kensaheatpumps.com/installer/tech-focus-part-2/Posted by: @Anonymous
Some info on buffers
Yes, £6500 with Aira after grant and £10,500 with Heat Geek. 6 or 7 new radiators with both. Self install is not something I'd be comfortable with doing.If you don't mind me asking, are those prices after the grant? .... Assume you need radiators also?Posted by: @Anonymous
Have you tried Grant? They use local plumbers to do the work and the design and commissioning is done by people that know what they are doing.there nothing magically about R290, I would be quite comfortable going R32. Design of system is the important bit.
I take it that Grant don't do R290? My concern about R32 is that it has 200 times the global warming potential.Posted by: @Anonymous
Have you tried Grant? They use local plumbers to do the work and the design and commissioning is done by people that know what they are doing.there nothing magically about R290, I would be quite comfortable going R32. Design of system is the important bit.
@ivanopinion I have wondered about this business of global warming potential of the various gases used. I think there is only a potential of releasing any of the gas into the atmosphere if there were a leak and that during normal use, no gas should be released. The actual quantity of gas used is, I am given to understand, relatively small. I’m also told that the gas is extracted safely at the end of life for the pump. Of course, I may be living in cloud cuckoo land and I have it completely wrong? Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.
@toodles I was assuming the same thing. So, it might not be an issue. I'm not sure how often the refrigerant leaks.
@ivanopinion I heard of a batch of Daikin heat pumps that left the factory short measured on R32, but, that was a case of underfilling rather than leakage I believe. Mind you, I do think twice before I light up the butane powered barbecue these days - so I suppose this is due to heightened awareness. 🫘😉. Regards Toodles.
Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.
Posted by: @ivanopinion
I take it that Grant don't do R290? My concern about R32 is that it has 200 times the global warming potential.
Grant not looked at there current line up for a while so don't know.
You need to have a leak for the global warming effect to take place. How many fridges leak their gas away in the 20 years, they sit in a kitchen? A monobloc heat pump should be no different it's just a little bigger.
R290 is basically propane, so you have restrictions on location.
SCoP CoP are very similar R290 or R32, you can heat to 70 degrees with R290 and around 60 with R32. Do you need the additional 10 degs, most likely not. Good chance your paying an additional £1 to £1.5k for R290 over R32, no idea why as the components used to make the heat pump are almost identical.
Just to add a bit of my experience with Aira.
Their sales team is quite slick and very efficient. Within 1 week I had quote at a good price, and another week later a heat loss & design study was done. Everything was well considered and detailed . I was very excited to go ahead, as they seem to really know their stuff plus the comfort guarantee takes a lot of concern of the table. They specced the 8kw and a buffer tank. Very very good experience before install, way better than other (4 quotes + octopus). Very good price for a great looking system.
Installation was booked in promptly and 3 installation crews turned up on time, all good communication and friendly. Professional staff.
Then unfortunately things went south quite quickly...Within 30 minutes the install crew had identified a few flaws in the survey:
- surveyor forgot to add legs in the dimensions for the pump, adding 40cm. So the pump would now block my window view and opening.
- surveyor forgot about a few cable runs from ASHP to tank as well as a new consumer unit requiring its own power to the tank. Due to my house design (ASHP , water tank, buffer tank and grid meter all at opposite ends of the house ) those cable runs became impossible to run.
- bizarly the surveyor did not consider the internal pipework ; the installers thought all pipework to buffer had to be upgraded to 28mm , whereas surveyor though 22mm was enough).
They left after an hour . Real shame as I was keen on their system but the surveyor clearly needed more experience. I was never contacted after for any form of debrief/ what went wrong type conversation which I still find odd, as it must've cost them quite a lot.
So can't comment on their system working, but other than not installing it was great.
@pie_eater I hope they wrote up the experience to use in their training sessions? Toodles.
Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.
Posted by: @pie_eaterJust to add a bit of my experience with Aira.
Their sales team is quite slick and very efficient. Within 1 week I had quote at a good price, and another week later a heat loss & design study was done. Everything was well considered and detailed . I was very excited to go ahead, as they seem to really know their stuff plus the comfort guarantee takes a lot of concern of the table. They specced the 8kw and a buffer tank. Very very good experience before install, way better than other (4 quotes + octopus). Very good price for a great looking system.
Installation was booked in promptly and 3 installation crews turned up on time, all good communication and friendly. Professional staff.
Then unfortunately things went south quite quickly...Within 30 minutes the install crew had identified a few flaws in the survey:
- surveyor forgot to add legs in the dimensions for the pump, adding 40cm. So the pump would now block my window view and opening.
- surveyor forgot about a few cable runs from ASHP to tank as well as a new consumer unit requiring its own power to the tank. Due to my house design (ASHP , water tank, buffer tank and grid meter all at opposite ends of the house ) those cable runs became impossible to run.
- bizarly the surveyor did not consider the internal pipework ; the installers thought all pipework to buffer had to be upgraded to 28mm , whereas surveyor though 22mm was enough).
They left after an hour . Real shame as I was keen on their system but the surveyor clearly needed more experience. I was never contacted after for any form of debrief/ what went wrong type conversation which I still find odd, as it must've cost them quite a lot.
So can't comment on their system working, but other than not installing it was great.
By that point they are in a legally binding agreement I thought, they should have their MCS certificate withdrawn.
@pie_eater Did they walk away to re-asses or have they cancelled the contract? I have signed with Aira and have had my heat loss survey. They are working on the design and applying for planning on my behalf we need the 12kW unit.
-
How to Understand Wiring Up a Heat Pump
7 months ago
-
Heat Pump Paradox: The Industry's Adoption Divide
2 years ago
-
Not So Hot: Too Many Subpar Heat Pump Installations in the UK
2 years ago
-
The Most Popular Heat Pump in the UK: Is It In Your Home?
2 years ago
-
Heat Pumps - An Expensive Folly?
3 years ago
Currently viewing this topic 10 guests.
- 26 Forums
- 2,618 Topics
- 61.1 K Posts
- 617 Online
- 6,994 Members
Join Us!
Worth Watching
Latest Posts
-
RE: Renewables & Heat Pumps in the News
An article on funding for heat pumps in case anyone is ...
By Jeff , 38 minutes ago
-
RE: Indevolt Batteries UK Support & Info Thread
Thanks @editor , @indevolt-uk Subject to any comments ...
By JamesPa , 9 hours ago
-
RE: Share Your Experiences with Heat Pump Manufacturer Support
@seoras Sorry to hear that. I found Vaillant very help...
By JamesPa , 9 hours ago
-
The Watchdog That Watched and Waited
On 9 January 2026, Consumer Energy Solutions collapsed ...
By Mars , 13 hours ago
-
RE: GSHP Kaput After 16 Years: New Compressor or Switch to ASHP? Advice Welcome
Cool Energy in Grimsby sell ground source heat pumps an...
By DerekDeLeon , 13 hours ago
-
RE: Valliant Heat Pump Settings
Thats arguably a sign of a good installer - they unders...
By JamesPa , 14 hours ago
-
RE: Electricity price predictions
Well, we have so many cases where rain water mixes with...
By Batpred , 15 hours ago
-
RE: Two heating zones to one zone
@profzarkov They arent obviously wrong, but the only...
By JamesPa , 17 hours ago
-
RE: Towns water feed to air source heat pump system
The DHW circuit cant be separated (well it could, you c...
By JamesPa , 17 hours ago
-
Solis AC-coupled 3kW storage inverter
Solis AC-coupled 3kW storage inverterPylontech batterie...
By MartinRobinson , 23 hours ago
-
RE: My NIBE ASHP Nightmare: No Commissioning, High Bills and a Hostile Installer
As @transparent has observed above, this is not bad, an...
By cathodeRay , 1 day ago
-
RE: The Grid Says Yes.. Until It Doesn’t: Why Britain's Net Zero Push is Stalling at the Plug Socket
As I was reading this article Mars, I was thinking that...
By Toodles , 2 days ago
-
RE: Tell us about your Solar (PV) setup
Installed in May 2011: 16*Sharp 245 W monocrystalline p...
By txmartyn , 2 days ago
-
-
RE: Say hello and introduce yourself
That doesn't sound 'right' to me. The national Smart ...
By Transparent , 3 days ago
-
RE: Growatt battery disconnected
I doubt this will happen, but I will try and suggest it...
By Eliuccio , 3 days ago
-
Understood. That's why I decided from the outset on a ...
By JamesPa , 3 days ago
-
RE: My experience with 3 heat pump surveys: Heat Geek, British Gas & Octopus
On the litigation, I would not go there and definitely ...
By Batpred , 3 days ago
-
RE: Recommended home battery inverters + regulatory matters - help requested
I suppose if your pv inverter packs up, you have a plan...
By Batpred , 4 days ago
-
RE: New Vaillant aroTherm Plus in black - When will it come to the UK?
Firstly check you are using sound power not sound press...
By JamesPa , 4 days ago
-
That’s the solar up and running, I don’t think it’s the...
By David999 , 4 days ago
-
RE: Seeking ideas / information / commiseration - Pure Drive
I agree with @colinc that you can reuse some of it. A s...
By Batpred , 4 days ago
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
@toodles Im trying me best to ignore orangeman, I figur...
By Papahuhu , 5 days ago



