Hi Mars,

I can't help but feel conflicted about this.  I'd say there are several factors in play for a heat pump install.

• Site: the type of house you have, how it's built, where it is, local weather etc
• Unit: the specific product that's installed
• Installation: how the unit is installed into the site, choice of accessories, heat emitters etc
• Configuration: software and other settings that control how the system runs
• Installer: the person making and implementing the decisions for the previous categories
• User: the person living with the system from day to day and paying the electricity bill
• Customer: the one paying for the installation (maybe the same as user if owner-occupier, but not if rented)

The problem is that a flaw in one casts bad light on another.  For example a good unit badly installed looks like a bad unit, when the identical unit would work better in the same site if differently installed.  A unit that seems great from a landlord's point of view maybe isn't for their tenant, etc etc.

In my case, I'm not happy with my heat pump setup. But that could be because it's installed wrong, or not configured correctly.  That could be the fault of the installer, or it could be the fault of the people who wrote the UK installation manual (which differs markedly from the manual in other countries). I might write a bad review at this point, but maybe it's the fault of the UK importer and actually the unit is fine if configured correctly. So I'm going to reserve judgement until I can get to the bottom of why it's doing what it does.

By all means do a survey, or solicit opinions in a thread.  But a star rating with no further info just seems misleading, unless there's any information on why people are giving the stars they're giving.

For other products it's a lot easier - anyone can give a star rating for a toaster, because everyone know how a toaster is supposed to work and can tell if it doesn't.  But a heat pump is a different and much more complicated thing...

I've had 5 heat pumps over the last 13 years. I was a heat pump wholesaler so I tried before I flogged them to the unsuspecting public. I did a long piece on my units here. 

living with an air-source heat pump for 10 years
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/living-air-source-heat-pump-10-years-graham-hendra

@grahamh, is the RED still your favourite? If you were to move into a new property tomorrow and you had to buy an ASHP, which one would it be?

Mars its unfair if i do a recommendation on the RED, its so far ahead of everything else ive tried, its like comparing a Bentley to a ford focus. but bear with me. RED is a very special machine, expensive but amazing. Perfect for big (up to 600m^2) new build houses 

@grahamh, I wish we’d installed a RED. Maybe we’ll get one in the years to come.

Hello Mars and all readers, I am now the proud owner of a Daikin EDLA08E2V3 8 kW heat pump system; almost all radiators replaced with new higher capacity types, heating only as the DHW is supplied by a Sunamp Thermino ePV210 unit. I am very pleased (as is my better half) with the evenness of the heating and the quiet nature of most of the control equipment except a very noisy relay in the airing cupboard. My intention is to run the system on ‘tickover’ 24/7 and as such have taken over the settings from the MCS certified installer. Their idea is set the system to 50 degrees C and just hand the thermostat to the home dweller! Currently I have the setpoint at 35 degrees C and am refining the balancing of the radiators. I still have a bunch of Hive TRV’s from my now defunct gas boiler powered system and am employing them just for limiting overruns. I have bought a bunch of Govee thermometers that are now linked by Bluetooth to my tablet and am going around the house with screwdriver, spanner and infra red thermometer to do my tweaking. Initial feelings are that unless one is prepared to (I’m retired) spend time doing what a proper MCS certified installer should do to set up the system - you might expect a less efficient system than one might like! I have some technical knowlege and can read the installation and setup manuals - but there must be many who don’t or can’t. I don’t feel the industry should be run in such a way; I contacted approx 30 MCS registered installers to find only four prepared to work in my area and of those, one quated then said ‘OH, we don’t install in your area, good-bye!’ Another would not entertain using the equipment I wanted and a third failed to provide a quote having been given all the details. So one company who I thought were going to be more competent than they turned out to be.

EPC Rating B before solar and ASHP installation. 95 square metres semi-detached, 1930’s build, cavity insulation, 30 cms. plus loft insulation, double or triple glazing throughout, underfloor Q-Bot insulation. 8.1 kWp solar PV, Tesla Gateway and Powerwall, Eddi controller and I use Octopus Energy (currently Agile and Agile Outgoing) More information later but please say if I have left anything out you would like to know. 

@toodles

Is the underfloor Q-Bot insulation expensive?

@derek-m  Not cheap but it does the job! £2083.

@toodles

Thank you.

I wanted to see if anyone would be interested in publishing a review of their heat pump system on the main site. It's been a while since we last posted a review, so if you have a heat pump and you'd like to feature it, please drop me a PM or email me: editor@renewableheatinghub.co.uk

This is the review section - we have a number of reviews already and would love a few more: https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/category/reviews