British Gas versus Octopus: Two possible heat pump routes - how to evaluate them?
Stu , my surveyor said Kraken sometimes replaces radiators with ones of less output which has to be manually corrected, either he forgot or the monster overruled.
Oh my days! 🤦🏻♀️
No wonder my install team hasn't quibbled over my radiator 'asks' so far. Maybe I'll push for a K3 in the living room. 🫢😁😂
@lucia Wow they were keen to sign me up. Brad called at 17:15 yesterday and I asked for a couple of changes. The form was updated but I insisted on going through it carefully but might sign on Sat. I did have a good look and was happy and blow me Octopus was on the phone at 14:00! Luckily I had your referral in front of me so that has gone through OK but he stayed on the line till I had signed which I was happy to do but it did seem a bit high pressure.
@jancold Double wow! 😳
Someone chasing a bonus? Or commission payments?
My sales person was fairly aggressive but not that much. Thanks for giving them the referral code - let's see what happens. 🤞🏻
Do you have an installation date yet?
The British Gas would have left me with a cold Kitchen and Octopus agree more closely to mine though My design was predicated on 44 C flow so I believe I have leeway to lower the flow temp.
Anyway I have decided on Octopus so onwards.
It's count down time (give thanks because it's becoming cold) and I have a date for gas capping and removal of meter! This time next week my little home will be officially de-carbonised. I should have a kick-out carbon party!
It will however be a few days after that before I get heating. I'm going to use my entire first tank of hot water on one long, hot shower. It's a shame I am only getting the 180 litre tank. 😂
Your kitchen would not have been cold, 18 degrees C is the temperature kitchens should be designed to because there are significant amounts of equipment that continuously run (fridges etc) that supply thermal gains. bedrooms should be 18, and living rooms to 21.
I have not seen the house so cannot comment on the actual scizing.
Director at Heacol Consultants ltd
@heacol Sorry Brendon, but there is no ‘should be’ about it! The temperatures in my house are what I desire them to be, I live in it, not an advisory body like MCS! Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
Posted by: @toodles@heacol Sorry Brendon, but there is no ‘should be’ about it! The temperatures in my house are what I desire them to be, I live in it, not an advisory body like MCS! Regards, Toodles.
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.

Posted by: @heacolYour kitchen would not have been cold, 18 degrees C is the temperature kitchens should be designed to because there are significant amounts of equipment that continuously run (fridges etc) that supply thermal gains. bedrooms should be 18, and living rooms to 21.
I have not seen the house so cannot comment on the actual scizing.
I have to say I agree completely with @toodles' response that "there is no 'should be' about it".
Ultimately, the design of a heating system for a house ought to be a collaboration between customer and supplier. I quite understand that someone in @jancold's position might not appreciate the thermal gain characteristics of appliances normally kept in a kitchen and so find it useful to have an expert explain the extra factors needing to be accommodated. However, it's still the customer's house as @toodles rightly points out.
I should point out, by the way, that plenty of people have domestic arrangements that put the equipment mentioned outside the kitchen; freezers in utility rooms or garages, for instance. The rather open-plan layout of my own house means the fridge/freezer and the washing machine are both outside the kitchen and, in order to avoid any problems of damp, our cooker sits under a VERY efficient cooker hood meaning the hobs and ovens don't significantly increase the heat either. The idea that kitchens "should" be designed to a lower temperature than other rooms relies on assumptions, but those same assumptions can be verified or debunked by the heating designer simply by looking around when doing the heat survey and by talking with the occupants of the property.
105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs
"Semper in excretia; suus solum profundum variat"
-
Vaillant arotherm plus heat pump frost protection
2 months ago
-
Daikin Octopus installation update - I saw my first defrost. 😍😂
2 months ago
-
Daikin Error Code 7H05
4 months ago
-
Vaillant aroTHERM plus not level or flat - what base is best under an external unit?
4 months ago
-
Vaillant Arotherm monobloc error f.788 - ASHP is not working!
5 months ago
- 21 Forums
- 1,989 Topics
- 43.4 K Posts
- 21 Online
- 2,311 Members
Join Us!
Heat Pump Dramas?
Thinking about installing a heat pump but unsure where to start? Already have one but it’s not performing as expected? Or are you locked in a frustrating dispute with an installer or manufacturer? We’re here to help.
✅ Pre-Installation Planning
✅ Post-Installation Troubleshooting
✅ Performance Optimisation
✅ Complaint Support (Manufacturer & Installer)
Latest Posts
-
RE: Can I add an EV charger to a full consumer unit by coupling with a garage DB?
Have you considered making space in your consumer unit ...
By bontwoody , 55 minutes ago
-
RE: (How) does your heat pump control its water pump?
@jamespa Heat pump as per my footer, it has an optio...
By bontwoody , 1 hour ago
-
RE: Plug and play solar. Thoughts?
I agree with @robl that the G98 testing regime stipula...
By Transparent , 2 hours ago
-
Low Loss Headers and Buffer tanks - Your experiences wanted
Im in the process of writing up a piece highlighting th...
By JamesPa , 4 hours ago
-
RE: Adding data centre electricity costs to domestic energy bills?
@jancold I received an acknowledgement too. Toodles.
By Toodles , 5 hours ago
-
RE: Are MCS are finally improving (some of) their guidelines?
This should be a step in the right direction. One of th...
By Mars , 15 hours ago
-
As We Head Into Spring and Summer… What’s Your Favourite Energy-Saving Tip?
With warmer weather on the horizon, our heat pumps will...
By Mars , 15 hours ago
-
Sorry for the delay in replying. We are now able to acc...
By Simon and Zoe , 17 hours ago
-
RE: In the middle of an ASHP installation - a few questions (and issues)
@editor sure. The 12kW Clivet.
By benson , 23 hours ago
-
RE: Database of heat pump performance data?
I cant agree more. You need a heat pump that is ri...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
RE: Newbie out of her depth – Samsung AE120RXYDEG 12kW heat pump
Update for those following this thread.Finally got the ...
By BAMi , 1 day ago
-
Dont worry about this. Long story and discussion but d...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
@eliuccio I was wondering how things are going with t...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
-
RE: Volumisers in Heat Pump Systems: Does Placement Matter?
No not auto adapt running hotter at cheaper times coole...
By Gary , 2 days ago
-
RE: Ecodan Auto Adapt Questions
Hi @richard24738 we weren’t happy with our FTC Contr...
By SUNandAIR , 2 days ago
-
RE: To relocate or add extra PV panels..advice required
You can't forecast the annual generation by simple extr...
By JohnR , 2 days ago
-
RE: Additional Battery v Wind Turbine v Ripple
@lucia Yes, that is the response to which I referred ea...
By Toodles , 2 days ago
-
RE: Is it worth siting panels on an East facing roof?
Yes. Thanks all. I have used the guides and have found ...
By Carpenterstation , 3 days ago
Latest Topics
-
(How) does your heat pump control its water pump?
By JamesPa 4 hours ago
-
Plug and play solar. Thoughts?
By Lucia 4 days ago
-
By JamesPa 4 days ago
-
Vaillant water pressure gauge vs Analogue gauge
By jeegnesh 4 days ago
-
Database of heat pump performance data?
By madbilly 5 days ago