British Gas versus Octopus: Two possible heat pump routes - how to evaluate them?
@dougmlancs I haven't had any further communication from 🐙 so I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before approaching them because I only want to do it once.
I need the temperatures of rooms increasing - bedrooms designed as offices and a square central hallway that is also a well-used room - as well as overall heat loss calcs that relate to my previous gas use and my patchy insulation.
There's a risk with 🐙 that they cherry pick and although I'm a super easy install as my big cellar means no floors have to come up for pipework they appear to be trying to keep costs down - eg 50º design = less rad changes (I got that from 🐙 staff) - previously, more complex installs than mine were a lot cheaper.
Thus I don't want them to say 'sorry no can do' because that may push me back to gas.
BG want over a £1400 more for a 6kw installation but at least they gave me the option of 4kw or 6kw. I have to also sort my own bathroom radiator for both 🐙 & BG which is fine (design matters for me) but it bumps up the cost.
I've now read MIS 3005 and it's not as rigid as installers try to make out. I want the cheapest possible running costs and I want to be warm and I don't subscribe to 'bigger is better' but not sure 4kw can hack the pace at low flow temperatures.
It shouldn't be this tricky but I'm seriously not impressed by their awful Cosy - apart from anything else, watch that top sloping grid get full of crap. 🙀
@lucia did you also approach any Heat Geeks?
Get a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
@editor I can't afford to lose £350 on a survey plus their installation charges are a lot higher and there's not enough installers in the south west.
If I do their 'online quote' it comes up with the same nonsense calculations based on the same presuppositions. Thus if they recalculated the heat loss based on the realities the 'quote' would be even higher.
Ok... things have changed since this morning. I've 'met someone' ... 😁
Who has a similar opinion of MCS guidelines as me.
I realised that it would be better if I could find an independent installer's opinion but Heat Geek assessments are out of my financial reach. That's the price of a radiator or two.
I contacted an installer in the deep sw wilds (like me) that I found from someone's installation on Heat Pump Monitor (yes, I click on all the little boxes 😂). But I didn't hear anything for a few weeks. He just phoned me. I told him my sorry saga including the patience of people here trying to teach me about Delta T's so I could (try to) figure things out for myself.
He's Heat Geek registered and trained but he's done more than that. It turns out he doesn't use MCS software or assumptions. Quite the opposite - he's not impressed with any of it. He designed his own software during lockdown precisely so it can be tweaked to function however it's needed. ✊🏻
So watch this space... he's coming over at the end of next week - He fits Mitsis and Daikins amongst others so I hope I can afford him because I think we're on the same page. Yay! 🤞🏻
Posted by: @luciaat the end of next week - He fits Mitsis and Daikins amongst others so I hope I can afford him
I personally think the whole MCS thing is a get rich quick for most installations. The costs aren't huge especially if it's just a few radiators to install, heat and cylinder.
Daikin or better a Panasonic monobloc is about £2k from City Plumbing, £800 to £1k for a cylinder. Yet the bill comes to £7500 plus a few £k - where does the money go?
@johnmo A Daikin EDLA04EV3 which is the starter of what Octopus fit is £3000+ in City Plumbing. Of course, Octopus have lots of clout so will have negotiated a knock down deal but apart from the pump & tank I think a lot goes on labour. Octopus have 3 or 4 staff on site for days.
For a small local company without the buying power it's probably labour and training and insurance.
There are of course a bunch of hustlers too but that, sadly, is inevitable. It all needs demystifying.
Having responded to BG on a few points (buffer!) I now have an Octopus survey at the end of the month. It will be interesting to see how they respond to running the pipes and power under the path. To me that is the only slightly difficult bit of the installation. Having just reread this thread it has been invaluable help and I'm most grateful to all the respondents.
Daikin 6Kw ASHP.
MG4 EV
1926 Semi with loft and wall cavity insulation, all radiator.
I think I have read somewhere that the British Gas chief heat pump designer does not use buffers in his systems.
@broadsman Unfortunately this does not seem to have trickled down to the surveyor who still added one to my quote even though I mentioned I did not want one.
Daikin 6Kw ASHP.
MG4 EV
1926 Semi with loft and wall cavity insulation, all radiator.
-
Daikin Octopus installation update - I saw my first defrost. 😍😂
7 hours ago
-
Are Octopuses Slowing Consumer Adoption of Heat Pumps?
2 months ago
-
Vaillant arotherm plus heat pump frost protection
9 months ago
-
Daikin Error Code 7H05
11 months ago
-
Vaillant aroTHERM plus not level or flat - what base is best under an external unit?
11 months ago
Currently viewing this topic 3 guests.
- 26 Forums
- 2,242 Topics
- 49.9 K Posts
- 829 Online
- 5,903 Members
Join Us!
Podcast Picks
Latest Posts
-
RE: Testing new controls/monitoring for Midea Clone ASHP
Home Assistant also has an auto-entites card so you can...
By Grantmethestrength , 7 minutes ago
-
RE: PV Panels on roof in Conservation Area
@jamespa Thanks for the input James, recording Oil usag...
By colinc , 33 minutes ago
-
RE: Midea ASHP – how to set weather compensation
@dgclimatecontrol - you have awoken me from my several ...
By batalto , 49 minutes ago
-
RE: Help me keep the faith with my air source heat pump installation
@jamespa mine seems changing albeit not by much, 3.21, ...
By AdamK , 2 hours ago
-
@majordennisbloodnok The migration hasn't started in th...
By HCas , 2 hours ago
-
RE: Radiator Sizing Dilemma: Vertical vs Type 33 for Low-Temperature Heat Pump Systems
Yep that's it, but the current design would re...
By DREI , 3 hours ago
-
RE: Buying large amp bidirectional RCD and RCBO
There won't be many RCBOs with a 100mA trip rating beca...
By Transparent , 3 hours ago
-
RE: Electricity price predictions
Because its what the investors demand, simple as that. ...
By JamesPa , 4 hours ago
-
RE: One room is colder than the rest of the house
@jamespa thanks for all the advice. Just so you know, ...
By AndrewJ , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Mitsubishi Ecodan R290 10kW performance
@dgclimatecontrol I only have 1 cylinder and I can conf...
By Ecoste , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Daikin Octopus installation update - I saw my first defrost. 😍😂
My MMI is in the loft but I checked the pump flow rate ...
By RadWhisperer , 7 hours ago
-
RE: Grant Aerona 3 and Drayton system questions
Good man/woman that plumber! Very likely....
By JamesPa , 7 hours ago
-
RE: New build installation query
@paullacey Hi I have managed to save the fil...
By JamesPa , 8 hours ago
-
Thanks for the response @batpred Your conversational ...
By Transparent , 10 hours ago
-
RE: What should we do with our Aga?
One slightly off-the-wall suggestion is that, if you li...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 11 hours ago
-
RE: My experience with 3 heat pump surveys: Heat Geek, British Gas & Octopus
If you paid for any of the assessments try asking for t...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
I've created a separate post here, wondering about radi...
By DREI , 1 day ago
-
RE: Air source heat pump roll call – what heat pump brand and model do you have?
@ecoste, @walnut-tree-cottage these are both great piec...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
RE: Solar inverters - where does the energy go when clipping?
You will, of course, check the dimensions and weight be...
By Transparent , 1 day ago


