Buy the unit from Midsummer wholesale, and get your plumber and electrician to follow their supplied installation instructions, you'll end up with a good install.

Don't buy it from Freedom and follow their instructions, you'll end up with a poorer performing system (external stats, no PWM pump)

I'd also advise you stick with a gen6 instead of going for the more expensive HTQ, it's small enough to go through PD, unlike the HTQ

Posted by: @jelockwood

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(I do plan to fit internal wall insulation.)

If this is after the heat pump install ... the challenge you will have is that if you size the heat pump for current demand, it may be too big after insulating, if you size it for the [future] insulation, it may not meet MCS criteria.

Posted by: @jelockwood

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the other was located in Kent and seemed to be a one man outfit.

You could ask for references, and also a proposed design, then post it here 😀 [a version of the design, that is, not the references!]

Posted by: @william1066

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Posted by: @jelockwood

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(I do plan to fit internal wall insulation.)

If this is after the heat pump install ... the challenge you will have is that if you size the heat pump for current demand, it may be too big after insulating, if you size it for the [future] insulation, it may not meet MCS criteria.

I intend to fit the insulation first. At this stage I am just looking for a suitable Samsung installer and would then involve them in sizing up radiators and after the insulation is fitted then supplying and fitting the ASHP.

Posted by: @jelockwood

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I am leaning towards getting a Samsung Mono HT Quiet with a matching ClimateHub for an old Victorian detatched house with solid brick walls and radiators. (I do plan to fit internal wall insulation.)

I am however struggling a) to find any Samsung ASHP installers, b) more importantly ones who inspire some confidence in their knowledge. I did contact Samsung themselves and asked for recommendations for a house install in South-West London and therefore asked for installers either in London or Surrey. Of the two they suggested one only installed for business premises, the other was located in Kent and seemed to be a one man outfit.

So does anyone here have any Samsung installers they have experience of and could recommend?

Look at https://www.yourenergyyourway.co.uk/ great company, they install a lot of Samsung's, i know because i used to work there.

A belated thank you. As it happens my project is progressing slowly. I also need to find a builder and get planning permission etc.

To give people some more background, my house is a detached Victorian property with solid brick walls and currently two stories in height with two bedrooms. I intend to replace the roof, raise the height of the roof and add a 2nd floor making it four bedrooms. I also intend to have fitted aerogel internal wall insulation and on the ground floor have rigid insulation between the floor joists. Fitting the insulation will involve removing the existing radiators and once the insulation is also fitted between the floor joists on the ground floor the pipes will be less accessible, so that would all be done first. The aerogel insulation is the thinnest possible internal solid wall insulation.

Most windows are already double-glazed I will be doing the last two still needing to be replaced. With the entire roof to be replaced I will of course fit substantial insulation to the roof and also be adding solar panels. (And batteries.)

Whilst I am aware that underfloor heating is best for ASHP, I do not regard this as practical for my age and type of house. I plan to fit new cast iron radiators to replace current old steel radiators. Yes this is purely for aesthetics.

I am leaning towards the Samsung Mono Quiet and a matching Samsung Climatehub. I have not been able to find uptil now a supplier/installer who exhibits enough knowledge to answer what additional components to the external unit and the Climatehub are needed and therefore to make it understandable how much space for installing these additional components will be required. This could be pump(s), valve(s), volumiser, etc. etc. I had hoped this would all be contained in the Climatehub.

My house is quite small and the current setup is a gas boiler in the kitchen and a hot water tank in a bathroom which is above the kitchen and the airing cupboard in the bathroom would be barely big enough for the Climatehub - hence why I need to know what additional components need to have space allowed for.

With the layout of the house and garden, I might wish to locate the external ASHP unit 2 or 3 or metres away from the house and run the pipes and cables underground. This will be because one wall is on the boundary, another wall is the only path to the side of the house, and the rear wall will end up being full width bi-fold doors. This means no suitable wall to directly mount the ASHP unit to. Instead I hope to put it further away next to the garden fence.

I have seen some comments about whether or not to use thermostatic radiator valves with an ASHP. What is regarded as best practice? I am concerned about the fact that I am making significant changes to the insulation of the house plus the size (and type) of radiators and worry that this will make accurate heat loss calculations a big problem. I presume if this was fully accurate the and radiators perfectly sized based on the post-insulation upgrade and with the new radiators that in theory they would perfectly match the heat need of each room. In reality I suspect this is highly unlikely to be true. Therefore TRVs might make some sense. The intent is not to have some unoccupied rooms fully 'cold'.

I am also planning to get a Samsung AC unit for two rooms. Sadly whilst Samsung do an ASHP which can also perform AC functions this is not the Mono Quiet. The Samsung AC would have the external unit mounted on the side wall above the path i.e. higher up.

Anyone have a rough idea on the size of ASHP a 4 bed + 2 bath detached Victorian house using radiators would need?

The house is currently an EPC of F but as mentioned I will be upgrading the insulation. Being fully detached with solid walls has not helped. 🙁

Posted by: @ken-bone

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Look at

YOURENERGYYOURWAY.CO.UK "https://www.yourenergyyourway.co.uk/"

great company, they install a lot of Samsung's, i know because i used to work there.

When we were looking around getting quotes for installations, this company was one of two who made all the right noises. Unfortunately, after having carried out a home visit to carry out the detailed requirements and provide a quote they then didn't get back to us. I gave up after nudging a couple of times or so and we never did end up getting either a quote or a "thanks but no thanks".

In fairness, this was the back end of 2020 and wrapped up along with people trying to crack on with stuff after lockdown but I'm afraid I wasn't impressed with the admin. Nonetheless, I didn't then and still don't now have any concerns with their technical knowledge.

@jelockwood, I know you're leaning towards a Samsung but I haven't seen any particular reason given for that choice. From my own experience and from all I've heard about others' experiences, my opinion is that the ASHP manufacturer is largely irrelevant compared with competent and intelligent specifying and designing of an installation to fit your home. When I was in your shoes a few years ago, my wife and I focused on answering the question of how an ASHP installation would work in our house and then what ASHP would best fit that design, not picking a heat pump and trying to get a design that would work with it. Dog, tail, choose which wags which. Sorry if that sounds flippant and I'm well aware I have no idea of all the research you've already put in so I'm not judging but simply trying to offer a perspective.

If you're still after an installer recommendation, the people who did our house are Doré Woodman and they showed consistent high professionalism throughout. However, I have no idea if they install Samsungs so you might well discount them right at the start. I should also say that a couple of the recommendations we've made to friends have resulted in Doré Woodman advising that the properties in question were not suitable for cost-effective running of an ASHP and recommending changes that would need to be made first. They'll be open and up-front about it, in other words.

Posted by: @majordennisbloodnok

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@jelockwood, I know you're leaning towards a Samsung but I haven't seen any particular reason given for that choice. From my own experience and from all I've heard about others' experiences, my opinion is that the ASHP manufacturer is largely irrelevant compared with competent and intelligent specifying and designing of an installation to fit your home.

I am sure you right that on the basic aspects of a ASHP they will be much of a muchness.

The things that I considering that make Samsung more interesting to me are as follows.

• They do a 'quiet' model unlike some brands, Daikin is the only other one that springs to mind although I think/hope all newer models are getting quieter, I know my neighbours AC unit is noisy but it is more of a rattle than a whine, possibly it has a dodgy bearing on the fan
• Samsung do a HT model unlike some brands - supposedly helpful for older less well insulated properties and if using radiators
• I already have Samsung Smartthings which their ASHP will integrate with - as far as I can see no other brands at all have any 'smarts', if you know different let me know
• They do air conditioning units which also integrate with Smartthings and use the same style wired wall controller and same mobile app
• They have the ClimateHub most other brands do not have an equivalent of but some do, as mentioned I am hoping this will integrate the internal components like a pump etc. to save space which is going to be important

I am aware HT models are less efficient than LT models. A decent supplier/installer who can genuinely and accurately indicate how important this will be for my particular house will be important. As I intend to also fit solar panels and use that to help power the ASHP absolute energy saving is a bonus but keeping warm is vital. Just realised that realistically I expect to achieve about 5KW solar but the ASHP is likely to be at least 8KW, not helped with MCS fitters pushing too big an ASHP to apparently nearly everyone.

I had a look at the website for Doré Woodman and will contact them, however they only list Surrey, Kent and Sussex and not London. Finding someone who serves London has been the problem.

Despite the blip that @majordennisbloodnok had with Your Energy Your Way, they are highly recommended installers, and you should probably get a quote from them @jelockwood.

@majordennisbloodnok I can assure you we've come a long way since 2020 when we were a company of 2 Directors and 1 installer.  We now have a team of 12 including enough back office staff to deal with enquiries a lot more swiftly.  I can't promise we always get it 100% right, but your experience with us would be very different now.