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!
Daikin - octopus -cooling
Hi all
Given the high temperatures of late plus my abundant solar generation I was thinking of figuring out how to enable cooling on the daikon altherma. This is disabled at the machine (i believe as a condition under the UK subsidy scheme) , but surely someone has figured out how to bypass?
Is it worth having it and what’s involved?
I would be wary, @pie_eater. Using liquid to cool means you will get condensation on any uninsulated surfaces, including the pipework itself. That includes inaccessible places, and I doubt persistent moisture under floorboards, through joists and in wall cavities is going to do your home any good. That’s why most air to water systems try not to allow the functionality. Don’t get me wrong; it can be made to work, but it’s much more involved than it first appears.
105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs
"Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat"
Posted by: @pie_eaterGiven the high temperatures of late plus my abundant solar generation I was thinking of figuring out how to enable cooling on the daikon altherma. This is disabled at the machine (i believe as a condition under the UK subsidy scheme) , but surely someone has figured out how to bypass?
I don't know how to enable cooling on Daikin and @majordennisbloodnok is correct to sound a note of caution re condensation, although some heat pumps will measure and run above the dew point in an attempt to circumvent. Also you will only get material cooling with fancoils or UFH, ordinary rads don't cut it.
Its not a condition of the BUS scheme that cooling is disabled (I dont know about ECO4). It was a condition of permitted development rights (England and Wales) that the system is 'used only for cooling' which again didn't require colling to be disabled, just not used. The recent amendment to pd rights has further relaxed this and now only requires that is 'not used solely for the purpose of cooling.'
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
As I have reported elsewhere we turned on the cooling option on our Mitsubishi Zubadan unit after installation. It was just a case of flipping a dip switch and restarting.
But - we have invested in Jaga Strada fancoils which are designed for light cooling and this works fine so long as you keep the chilled water above 16C.
Any condensation is a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things when you can get a decent reduction in room temps of 5 - 7C. Powered by solar so zero running cost (after the considerable capital outlay).
Mitsubishi Zubadan 14kW with Mixergy 210l DHW in 220m2 barn property. 24 solar panels = 9kWp with GivEnergy 5.0kW Hybrid inverter and 19kWh GivE batteries. Jaga Strada fan-assisted rads throughout. Landvac vacuum glazing/triple glazed windows.
may I ask whether the pipework in your barn [you shared this, including pictures, in another post] is insulated?
I am trying to understand whether 'light cooling' - https://jaga.com/uk/light-cooling-heating/ needs insulated pipework.
if it does need insulated pipework, then it's impractical ASHP retrofit; it would need changes to pipework in walls and floors, that are impractical.
@comfortablehomeseeker I have the usual combination of insulation under the suspended ground floor and no insulation where pipes are in the heated space i.e. under the first floor.
The whole purpose of light cooling is that you don't need insulation if you keep the water temp above the dew point. Jaga recommend using 16C but obviously on a humid day that might be a bit low. But it's not a problem in normal UK conditions on a hot day which is when you need the cooling. If you feel the pipes as they go into the radiator at worst they might be slightly damp.
Mitsubishi Zubadan 14kW with Mixergy 210l DHW in 220m2 barn property. 24 solar panels = 9kWp with GivEnergy 5.0kW Hybrid inverter and 19kWh GivE batteries. Jaga Strada fan-assisted rads throughout. Landvac vacuum glazing/triple glazed windows.
I’m sort of keen to try it , seems like a good solution provided condensation is kept under control.
no idea how to change the daikin for it to cool though. Found some very limited info that you may have to change the pcb from edla to ebla or so.
@pie_eater Try asking the Perplexity AI engine how to turn on cooling on your specific model. It's available through your web browser or as a free iOS app. Or just ask Daikin.
We changed three rads in our bedrooms first to see how well it worked. If you buy through a supplier like GoGeothermal they seem to give a decent discount on the list prices.
Mitsubishi Zubadan 14kW with Mixergy 210l DHW in 220m2 barn property. 24 solar panels = 9kWp with GivEnergy 5.0kW Hybrid inverter and 19kWh GivE batteries. Jaga Strada fan-assisted rads throughout. Landvac vacuum glazing/triple glazed windows.
@pie_eater I have been thinking of adding cooling to my system over the last 12 months+. I am not too keen on the condensation issue as I have had to fix a lot of condensation issues in the house in the past due to old building design and lack of ventilation.
To avoid condensation issues I am going to see if it is feasible to have a separate insulated pipe system going from the heat pump to the loft space with suitable fan coil units installed and a divert valve fitted at the heat pump to direct the hot or cold flow accordingly. I can then run it during the cheap power hours so we can sleep better at night 🙂
All subject to me finding someone who can do the appropriate cooling calculations and approval from "the boss!" 😀
5 Bedroom House in Cambridgeshire, double glazing, 300mm loft insulation and cavity wall insulation
Design temperature 21C @ OAT -2C = 10.2Kw heat loss, deltaT = 8 degrees
Bivalent system containing:
12Kw Samsung High Temperature Quiet (Gen 6) heat pump
26Kw Grant Blue Flame Oil Boiler
4.1Kw Solar Panel Array
34Kwh GivEnergy Stackable Battery System
- 26 Forums
- 2,618 Topics
- 61.1 K Posts
- 632 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 , 32 minutes ago
-
RE: Indevolt Batteries UK Support & Info Thread
Thanks @editor , @indevolt-uk Subject to any comments ...
By JamesPa , 8 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 , 12 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


