@cathoderay you can reach them on this email - iot_support@midea.com

@batalto - thanks very much. I'll post any useful responses here.

My SCOP continues to improve slowly.  Up to 3.79. 
I have a buffer tank between my ASHP and the radiators. There is a pump in the ASHP which flows to the buffer. This is included in all the energy costs of my SCOP. There is then a second pump to pump around the radiators. There was one of these when I had an oil boiler. It was just replaced with a more modern, efficient variable model. Certainly there was no measure of electricity consumption for my oil boiler. So I feel it is a reasonable like for like proxy comparison. 
I agree with Mars about poor installation quality. I would not agree with “most” however. It is down to the homeowner to figure out the sales person bs real heating engineer vs plumber vs boiler fitter. You can only do this by asking dumb questions, learning, considering the answers and then asking the same questions of many installers until you find a real heating engineer who can design a solution for your property. I spoke to 10 or more companies and got six quotes before I settled on Ecobubl. 
It sounds a lot of work, but remember this could be the third most expensive thing you buy - after your home & car (ignoring kitchens & round the world cruises)

I really don’t understand your 28L/minute minimum flow. I know ASHPs like to run “freely”. Perhaps the buffer tank solution like mine would sort that out. ASHP can do whatever it wants to and internal radiators can flow at a different rate. 

Posted by: @julianc

↑

It is down to the homeowner to figure out the sales person bs real heating engineer vs plumber vs boiler fitter. You can only do this by asking dumb questions, learning, considering the answers and then asking the same questions of many installers until you find a real heating engineer who can design a solution for your property.

I disagree. I think this should be the job of the regulators/MCS. If it's not their job to ensure only high quality systems are installed, then what is the point of them? At the very least the running costs quoted should be realistic.

Posted by: @oswiu

↑

I think this should be the job of the regulators/MCS. If it's not their job to ensure only high quality systems are installed, then what is the point of them? At the very least the running costs quoted should be realistic.

I agree. I have previously suggested that as it currently operates, MCS is a waste of space. At the very least, they could add realistic ie cold weather outputs to their model number listings, so that prospective home owners can be alerted to the fact a 14kW ASHP only puts out 14kW when it's not needed, ie in warm weather, in cold weather the output will be less, sometimes substantially less, as it is with the Midea units.  

MCS is just a quality framework, like ISO or a British Standard. 
If you are unhappy with your installation, you can refer it to MCS if you are not satisfied with the response from your installer. 
Did you get a full heat demand/loss calculation by room?  And a view of kWh consumption per month?  This should be based on a set of room temperature and flow temperature assumptions. You can then compare actual consumption to predicted. 

Posted by: @julianc

↑

If you are unhappy with your installation, you can refer it to MCS if you are not satisfied with the response from your installer. 

A response from our installer? That'd be nice! 

Sadly, the MCS are a toothless organization that I had a lot of faith in when we started RHH and have had regular contact with them. I am fortunate to be able to communicate directly with their CEO, but that hasn’t helped.

I have referred several cases to them on behalf of homeowners where installers had horribly bodged the installations and in every instance MCS have investigated and nothing has been done to rectify the installation and no action has been taken against the installers.

There have also been several users on the forums here that have directly opened cases with MCS and to my knowledge the MCS has not done anything to get their cases resolved.

Posted by: @julianc

↑

I really don’t understand your 28L/minute minimum flow. I know ASHPs like to run “freely”. Perhaps the buffer tank solution like mine would sort that out. ASHP can do whatever it wants to and internal radiators can flow at a different rate. 

All ASHPs require a minimum flow rate to protect the heat pump unit. I suspect yours has a threshold too, but you haven’t been affected by that yet as your system was well designed and implemented.

Our alarm triggers when that flow drops below 28 litres per minute and at below 24-25 litres per minute the ASHP simply says enough’s enough and it goes into standby. We had that a lot when our filter would block with corrosion in the early days. 

We have a buffer and this, I feel, contributes to our issues and has driven the need for all these extra distribution pumps. 

@mjr sorry to hear that. Can you contact the ASHP manufacturer?  They will want a good installation

@editor I remember your vids and early shut downs with the filter. I thought you got good help from your installer?  They had to add further pumps to get flow around the house?

Posted by: @cathoderay

↑

they could add realistic ie cold weather outputs to their model number listings, so that prospective home owners can be alerted to the fact a 14kW ASHP only puts out 14kW when it's not needed, ie in warm weather, in cold weather the output will be less, sometimes substantially less, as it is with the Midea units.  

Ecodans (and possibly the new Samsung) have the best approach with this in my opinion. They have one rating, and they guarantee that rating down to a temperature most of us never see, and that's all the consumer needs to know.