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ASHP on a low income: a cautionary tale

Guest · 2022-07-17T10:53:12Z

This is a 'cautionary tale' for anyone thinking of getting an ASHP who is on a fixed low income and/or uses their current means of heating very sparingly. I was lucky enough to get a Green Homes Grant which covered most of the installation cost and had expected the running costs to be simlar (or possibly even a little less) than a gas combi boiler. What I hadn't grasped though was the very different way it mean of heating my house. Previously, because my income is very small, I ran the heating only when absolutely needed (and generally less than was really needed for health); with the ASHP, the advice is to leave it on 24/7 at a constant (or near-constant) temperature. Even before the worst of the utility prices leap, this saw my bills tripling last winter. This winter, my plan is to keep the temperature as low as I can in order to minimise the risk of the house becoming damp and then to wear multi-layer thermals, hot water bottles, spend more time in bed, etc. This would have been so even if prices hadn't surged, but even at the heating level I'm now looking at, I have no idea how I'm going to cope financially from this point on. I'm not advising anyone else not to get an ASHP, but if you heat your house in a similar way to me pre-heat pump, think very carefully about what the 24/7 might mean in practice.

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Derek M

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25/07/2022 8:33 pm

@diverted-energy

I am very pleased that they did not add A2A heat pumps to the grant scheme, otherwise I would not have been able to install a small system for less than £1000. As soon as government incentives appear, the price doubles or triples.

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HughF

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27/07/2022 12:54 pm

Posted by: @derek-m

@diverted-energy

I am very pleased that they did not add A2A heat pumps to the grant scheme, otherwise I would not have been able to install a small system for less than £1000. As soon as government incentives appear, the price doubles or triples.

A2W is still cheap, if you don't claim a stupid grant and DIY it yourself.

Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.

My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.

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Diverted.Energy

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28/07/2022 8:52 pm

@hughf yes, it would have probably shot prices to bits.

DIY - is that EasyFit where your left with a coil to stuff behind the unit or cut n flared, vac tested and pressurised by an F Gas registered engineer?

I have the latter, mounted myself, piped myself but to comply, had an engineer do the last hurdle for me.

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HughF

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28/07/2022 9:34 pm

Posted by: @diverted-energy

@hughf yes, it would have probably shot prices to bits.

DIY - is that EasyFit where your left with a coil to stuff behind the unit or cut n flared, vac tested and pressurised by an F Gas registered engineer?

I have the latter, mounted myself, piped myself but to comply, had an engineer do the last hurdle for me.

For A2W, I'd always recommend DIY installers go for a monobloc unit. Couple of lengths of 28mm, mains power, job done. In fact, with the move to flammable refrigerants, I think A2W splits are going to become a thing of the past.

For A2A, I don't think anyone will sell you a unit now unless you provide details of your F Gas installer? At least that's what I've come up against this year.

Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.

My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.

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Diverted.Energy

(@diverted-energy)

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29/07/2022 12:10 am

Apologies, read as A2A.

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HughF

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01/02/2023 10:36 am

Dragging this thread into 2023 as @zoomuno is looking to sell his ASHP and move back to gas, I would suggest that the most suitable form of heating for his usage pattern would be an A2A mini split. Their 'easily turn off and onable' like an electric fan heater, yet have a COP of about 4 so will easily beat gas.

Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.

My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.

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Mars

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02/02/2023 8:36 am

@hughf, and the units are, correct me if I’m wrong, a lot cheaper and quicker to install.

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HughF

(@hughf)

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Posts: 489

02/02/2023 3:25 pm

@editor correct…. They’re very cheap to purchase. There’s actually no valid reason why an air to water unit isn’t priced similarly.

Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.

My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.

👍

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Derek M

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02/02/2023 7:04 pm

Posted by: @hughf

↑

@editor correct…. They’re very cheap to purchase. There’s actually no valid reason why an air to water unit isn’t priced similarly.

Oh yes there is, it is called a £5000 bribe. 😋

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HughF

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Posts: 489

03/02/2023 7:38 am

@derek-m even with the uplift in costs that come from the existence of the £5000 BUS ‘bribe’, I don’t know why a 5kW a2w isn't around the same price as a 5kW a2a…

The savings from not having to supply an indoor unit and a refrigerant line set would cover the provision of a plate heat exchanger inside the outdoor unit, a water pump and a flow sensor.

I can only assume it’s driven by the volume of units manufactured. Every single country in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia uses a2a for space heating/cooling so there are millions being manufactured every year.

Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.

My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.

👍

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Goody

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Posts: 28

07/01/2025 2:09 am

@zoomuno

I am curious, did you eventually go back to having a gas boiler?

We also had a gas combi replaced with a ASHP by Hero Renewables Ltd , via The Green Homes grant. Hero were on Rip Off Britain . They have since gone bump.

They fitted an 8.5 kw pump . I calculated they should have fitted at least a 12kw pump.

Our house is well insulated with under floor heating, which was used to running at 45-48 C on the previous combi boiler

We are having it all removed and having a combi boiler in two weeks time

Our bills increased by 60-70%. Out living room was 13C after the pump has been on for 3 days 24/7. We always used to pay the quoted average household bill. Now we pay a lot more for a lot cooler home

We were desperate to be greener but it’s too expensive

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RoamingBull

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Posts: 38

07/01/2025 6:32 am

I see the government are kicking the 2035 scrap gas boiler can down the road.
I agree Goody it’s not all rosey with these things.
if we moved , I wouldn’t be looking at a property with an Ashp that’s for sure.

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