Heating engineer costs
@mike-patrick, glycol is a but pricey from what my installers told me, but it comes down to how much they poured in too, which I'm guessing they can't tell you in litre/gallon terms.
Tradesmen fees in the UK have never been "cheap", but I'm beginning to see a worrying trend emerge. Just last week, I spoke to an electrician about the prospect of him fitting our new Immersun power diverter. After a lot of deliberation on his part on the phone he "settled" on a fee of £450 + VAT to fit the unit. Madness.
It took me three hours yesterday to install myself (and yes, it's working).
Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
There's a guide to rates of pay for the various categories of tradesmen published here just last month.
It's not as comprehensive as I'd like because the rates should also differ according to the geographical region of the country.
But it's a offers a starting point if you want to challenge a high bill.
Posted by: @mike-patrickThere's £70 for glycol. This was to top up the system, not completely fill it. That seems expensive too. Any thoughts?
I checked at Stoves and Solar, who supply solar-thermal systems. Their glycol is £45 for 5-litres.
Choosing to buy from a different market outlet can be cheaper still.
Eg Tractorparts sell 5-litre Glycol for just under £31. Perhaps the agricultural sector uses more of the stuff.
I would expect an external system to use between 10-40% glycol in water.
Too much isn't a good idea because it has a lower thermal-capacity than the water.
In Devon I've dosed to 20%, which is satisfactory down to -8°C
Save energy... recycle electrons!
Another site which provides Tradesmen's rates is the Building Sheriff.
He keeps the town free of cowboys, you see!
You'll need to go down through the categories to find a typical price for each job.
And there's lots of jobs which aren't listed at all.
But Building Sheriff is compiled by tradesmen who actually understand the tasks which they're providing the costs for.
Save energy... recycle electrons!
Thank you to all for your responses on this topic.
I've now had that further conversation with the firm, the outcome of which is £50 off the bill and a need to find a different firm for any future work!
The guy sounded genuinely upset that I should consider the invoice amount excessive, although he did lose his rag rather quickly which precluded a longer discussion. He said there was a lot of time put in trying to source the replacement tank (time which wasn't charged for in the invoice). But in response to my question about the 9 hours labour for fitting he sort of admitted that the engineer on his own would have done it in 6 hours (rather than the 4 and a half each for him and the mate). We clearly were not going to agree that the correct labour charge would be for those 6 hours.
It will be a nuisance to find another heating engineer but it's not that I've lost the one local firm that really understands ASHP installations. I'm still looking for them. I can deal direct with Grant for the annual checkup of the pump and the pressure cylinder.
Lesson for me: Always get a written quote up-front.
Keeping fingers crossed that there are no more leaks in the system (all of which I put down to poor original installation work). For now it is working as well as it has ever done in the last 6 years.
Mike
Grant Aerona HPID10 10kWh ASHP
- 26 Forums
- 2,114 Topics
- 46.4 K Posts
- 53 Online
- 3,410 Members
Latest Posts
-
Delighted to hear this went well. It looks very neat ...
By JamesPa , 7 hours ago
-
RE: No-code, plug-and-play monitoring for your heat pump
The issue with the Grant is that you have to wire direc...
By Grantmethestrength , 11 hours ago
-
RE: Is this just haze or something more?
I am not a scientist nor a meteorologist and I know the...
By Toodles , 11 hours ago
-
RE: Benefits of an extra horizontal loop for GSHP
It will improve performance, but by how much depends on...
By Brendon Uys , 16 hours ago
-
RE: The good, the bad and the not that great – my heat pump installation
Said I would pop back with a update. Only Mr Jesus h...
By Burtis , 1 day ago
-
RE: Buffers, hot water and cooling
Thats presumably heat pump DT, what about radiator DT a...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
RE: Who's your electricity provider and what's your tariff?
@chandykris Exactly the same here. We now have 13.5kWh ...
By Old_Scientist , 2 days ago
-
Compressor and Evaporator Stratification
I have had a few issues with my Hitachi spilt heatpump ...
By trebor12345 , 2 days ago
-
RE: Wood burner with ASHP - direct air?
This depends on the size of your wood burner and size/t...
By Lucia , 2 days ago
-
RE: Difficult positioning of air source heat pump
@rikiarn It's a not a buffer it's a volumiser which is ...
By Lucia , 2 days ago
-
RE: Is your heat pump insured?
To make things clear, lots of insurance companies cover...
By Lucia , 2 days ago
-
RE: Boxt Heat Pump Installation Experience
@adrian any updates since installation? How is it perfo...
By Ashfp , 3 days ago
-
RE: Say hello and introduce yourself
Hi @seatonian - Yes, I know Seaton, and I have the Nat...
By Transparent , 4 days ago
-
@seatonian got your email. Will connect you with a reco...
By Mars , 4 days ago
-
@downfield and @toddles, this isn’t in the settings cur...
By Mars , 6 days ago
-
RE: Homely launched for Grant Aerona ASHP control
I haven't bought the Aerona Smart Controller (£700!) bu...
By Prunus , 6 days ago
-
RE: Antifreeze top up for my heat pump - is this a rip off?
For the record, Grant supply ethylene glycol for their ...
By Prunus , 6 days ago
-
RE: Compressor attempts start but fails - Nibe Fighter 2005 8kW
@skyefarmer amazing. Well done!
By Mars , 7 days ago
-
RE: Air source heat pump roll call – what heat pump brand and model do you have?
Ebac 5kw - Monobloc R32. Developed and made in UK - Mit...
By marcinwloch69@gmail.com , 1 week ago
-
RE: Is a Valliant Inline 6kW heater a BUS buster?
Just another thought - it might be worth thinking about...
By JamesPa , 1 week ago