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British Gas versus Octopus: Two possible heat pump routes - how to evaluate them?

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(@lucia)
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Joined: 11 months ago
Posts: 295
Topic starter  

@jancold 

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. 🫢😁😂


   
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Jancold
(@jancold)
Reputable Member Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 128
 

@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.

Daikin 6Kw ASHP.
MG4 EV
1926 Semi with loft and wall cavity insulation, all radiator.


   
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Toodles
(@toodles)
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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 1917
 

@jancold Obviously wanted to ensure he had you in his tentacles! 😉 Toodles.

Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.


   
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(@lucia)
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Joined: 11 months ago
Posts: 295
Topic starter  

@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? 


   
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Jancold
(@jancold)
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Posts: 128
 
IMG 20240928 184739
IMG 20240928 184739

Results of heat loss survey, British Gas, Octopus, and heat punk sorry hard to read.

This post was modified 7 months ago 3 times by Jancold

Daikin 6Kw ASHP.
MG4 EV
1926 Semi with loft and wall cavity insulation, all radiator.


   
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Jancold
(@jancold)
Reputable Member Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 128
 

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.

Daikin 6Kw ASHP.
MG4 EV
1926 Semi with loft and wall cavity insulation, all radiator.


   
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(@lucia)
Prominent Member Member
Joined: 11 months ago
Posts: 295
Topic starter  

@jancold Good for you! The varying heat loss numbers blow a bit of a hole (pun not intended 😁) in the theories.

Nearer the time I recommend joining the Facebook Octopus heat pump group (unofficial) - it's quite helpful. 

This post was modified 7 months ago by Lucia

   
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(@lucia)
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Joined: 11 months ago
Posts: 295
Topic starter  

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. 😂


   
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(@heacol)
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Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 394
 

@Jancold

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.

This post was modified 7 months ago by Brendon Uys

Director at Heacol | Expert Heat Pump Consultant | Book a one-to-one consultation for pre- and post-installation advice, troubleshooting and system optimisation.


   
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Toodles
(@toodles)
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@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.


   
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(@jamespa)
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Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2402
 

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.

resistance is useless!

 

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.


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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Joined: 3 years ago
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Posted by: @heacol

@Jancold

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.

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; sumus solum profundum variat"


   
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