@jwilliams89 vertical column types as a general rule need to be larger (WxH) than K2's for the same output. as no convector fins. but its more about whatever fits your space (if panels don't fit your space, a vertical rad is better than no rad) and matches your heatoutput.

don't forget you also have hydronic plinths and fan convection units (FCU's) as well as options in your decisions. Those types both have low speed fans built in which massively increase output.

I'd insist on the controller being in a living space, if you've got all manner of retrofit going on at the moment, running an two core cable for it to the loft would be the way to go.

@iancalderbank Good to know thanks, especially about the other convection options. So much to consider! I'm waiting to hear back from them and then I'll work out where we need to go in terms of rads. It's frustrating as if they would work with me a bit more closely we could do a lot inline with the remedial work I'm currently doing. I started to fit the internal wall insulation over the weekend, lots of Supasoft and sheeps wool, and the house is already feeling better. The big improvement was pulling off the door trims and filling the gaps with expanding foam. I was shocked at how the builders had left it - massive gaps everywhere.

Next thing to look at is which of the Octopus tariffs to go for. I think with the battery we're putting in (only 10kwh unfortunately but still) and the woodstove we could probably do ok with the the cosy but I'm looking at that or the flux.

@jwilliams89 if you can do a really good job on the insulation then 10kwh may take you a long way:

In my case: a 210m2 house which has loads in the loft but the walls are not  brilliant  (and really hard to remediate) - my heat loss was around 9kw during the recent -2C weather. hopefully you should be able to do a lot better than on heat loss, and so get a lot of heat pump run time out of 10kwh of stored off peak. 40kwh gets me through the day purely on off-peak if it stays over 3C.

Octopus referral link in my sig if you need one 😉 

@iancalderbank I did notice that which is why I mentioned Octopus 😉 Which tariff are you on? If/when we switch over I'll come back you.

That is what I'm hoping. There seems to be a lot of sense in having a smallish well insulated house.

Posted by: @jwilliams89

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@iancalderbank I did notice that which is why I mentioned Octopus 😉 Which tariff are you on? If/when we switch over I'll come back you.

 

That is what I'm hoping. There seems to be a lot of sense in having a smallish well insulated house.

So that Ian Calderbank is trying to steal my thunder, I offered to provide a referral to everyone in the country, so that I could be rich for hours and hours. Well until my wife found out. 😋 

@derek-m There's definitely a scam in this somewhere. I found a complicated scam online involving hundreds if not thousands of men taking a DNA test. Turned out the woman who was getting them to take the test was using a website which offered $20 for each referral. Reckon she made a fortune!

Posted by: @jwilliams89

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@derek-m There's definitely a scam in this somewhere. I found a complicated scam online involving hundreds if not thousands of men taking a DNA test. Turned out the woman who was getting them to take the test was using a website which offered $20 for each referral. Reckon she made a fortune!

No, it's not a scam, honest. I just want to be rich. 😋 

Joking apart it is probably a good marketing technique on the part of Octopus, though so far I am impressed with the service they provide.

@derek-m I more meant the potential for a scam!

Yeah I use them for business. So far for the house we've used Green Energy UK but the fact that Octopus are at least trying to work with people and their renewables is a big plus.

Posted by: @jwilliams89

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 I did notice that which is why I mentioned Octopus 😉 Which tariff are you on? If/when we switch over I'll come back you.

Intelligent Octopus. I have a large battery (40kwh) and 2 EV's so I optimise cost by pulling a large amount of night offpeak at best possible price .  I run the heat pump to reheat the hot water during that night period (less energy efficient in terms of COP but better in terms of electricity cost) and then the battery runs everything (all house, heating) from 0530 onwards. so far (is my first HP winter) my experience has been that providing the temperature stays above that which causes the HP to enter "the defrost zone", I can run 100% on the stored offpeak + whatever PV you get in winter. colder than that, I need 50kwh or more just for the heating input. 

My PV is from 2019 so has the last of the FIT tariffs, so its not worth my while to go onto any of the SEG ones.

@iancalderbank I'm on Intelligent as well and have FIT from 2015 which had deemed export at 50% but only paid 6p/kwh, so I gave up my deemed export at 6p, still kept FIT payments and moved to outgoing octopus at 15p/kwh, moved in October and through October and November I eclipsed my deemed export payment in 2 months.  Yes I am now exporting what energy that I would have tried to use in the summer but don't really have any peak demand in the summer.  No value in charging car or battery as charge at 7.5P export at 15p so losing money by using it.

@gary as I read it, you can't be on Intelligent (import @7.5p) and Outgoing (export @15p) at the same time. It has to be Outgoing Lite which is 8p, only a 0.5p margin (if you import then export). take away battery loss at 10% its just below break even. and thats on what you actually export, vs 6p on "50% of what you generate" regardless of whether you actually export it or not. so I don't see how the maths is in favour of giving up deemed export? in summer we export very little and import nothing,  house and two cars completely off the roof.

@iancalderbank that’s why I mentioned it as it didn’t seem that you under stood it correctly.

You can be on Intelligent and fixed outgoing I’ve been on it since October it did only change in October so it’s relatively recent.  

Agree with your analysis of it as 8p but not now it’s 15p.  Everyday I fill battery and let all solar export unless I know I’m going to not make it through to next off peak period.

Even In October my bill was -£15 for the month even after standing charge