Posted by: @swalker

Hi all, I previously posted about having a GSHP installed but having had a survey we were going to need boreholes which made the project far too cost-inhibitive. So I'm now looking at an ASHP instead. I have an installer who thinks they can get us in before the RHI scheme ends which would be good but isn't the be all and end all.

My concerns are very similar to what others have posted recently around electricity usage, but hoping to get some feedback! We are only just moving in so I'm not sure on the exact costs previously. The house is about 155m2, cavity filled walls, 300mm loft insulation but uninsulated slab floor. It has double glazing for all windows and a composite door. It currently runs on a non-condensing oil boiler. I think, even with electricity costs so high, that we would probably be saving money, or at least not spending more?

From reading the forums, it looks like it's key to get a good installer, but also to find the right settings for weather compensation.

Your house sounds similar to ours although without a heat survey it's hard to know for sure.  December for us was about 750kWh/£150 for heating. What's the heating requirement from your EPC?

Thanks for your stats @kev-m, if we ended up with something like that for December I'd be pretty happy. Having said that the heating requirement is 20800 for space heating and 3001 for water heating.

Mine is 21073 and 2644 so pretty similar.  

Ah excellent, that's good to know!

Did you move from oil as well? 

No, storage heaters.

Personally I would be concerned about the credentials of said company.  Given most quote to instals appear to amount to months before the RHI deadline so no pressure to get a job done.  Now that time is getting tight it seems all reputable installers have their order books rammed full and are working flat out to complete in time.  I’d be a tad curious as to how the company you speak of appear able to sort this.  I urge GREAT caution before signing. There are a load of, incompetent at best, cowboys at worst out there.  Ask yourself why so many installers have no spare capacity whilst some do.  

Good luck.

@morgan thanks for the info (and concern!) Maybe I've been quite lucky but I've got two (from three asked so far) who say they have availability in time for it! They're both MCS and RECC approved so hopefully not cowboys, but I appreciate that it seems to be the wild west with some of the install stories I've seen.

One of them did suggest that certain vendors would be more difficult in the timeframe - I think he suggested that Mitsubishi would be tight, Nibe would be unavailable, but Panasonic, LG, Vaillant and Stiebel Eltron should all be available to order.