[Sticky] Say hello and introduce yourself

Hi and thank you Mars for setting up the hub its a great idea as more and more people begin their journey into renewable heating and other useful green initiatives. I have just started with the install of my solar panel array matched up to a battery storage system. My next project is to do underfloor heating that will be matched up to an air source heat pump system, hopefully replacing my old oil boiler. 

This is a great idea Mars! We recently moved into a property in the countryside that is single energy, i.e. just electric. It has an ASHP and solar panels and at point of sale were told our bills would be much lower than we were used to.. Great!! Only so far, they have been much, much, more than we envisaged. This community has been great to speak to and ease our concerns and answer our questions, now we're optimistic for a warmer spring and summer to hopefully see some of the benefits we were sold.

@boblochinver Thank you Bob, and we’re hoping to get experts and heat engineers to play an active role in answering questions, and providing helpful advice.

Feel free to start new topics raising questions you may have.

@dant Thanks and welcome Dan. ASHPs are not ‘conventional’ in any way, and the learning curve to using them efficiently is quite steep, so we’re hoping that this site can demystify and help homeowners get the most out of them.

Please feel free to start new topics with any questions you may have.

Hi All,

Second attempt to post fingers crossed it works.

Thank. you for setting this up it will be most useful. we moved to Flamborough last summer, bought an old cottage we are renovating. Had a very expensive Vailant ASHP fitted by an installer I wouldn't recommend! Cost of our first electric bill (im seeing is a common shocker) was unexpected and we are now working on improving it, mostly by being cold until all reno work is done. also we will install a solar array as soon as able. Not sure on batteries as had a Tesla at previous property but cant stretch to one this time, so will be looking out for tips and advice on this. Also the Green grant, like pulling teeth if you're thinking of applying.

Looking forward to all the help and advice we can get and sharing what we learn as we go if it helps anyone else

Posted by: @ceebee

Hi All,

Second attempt to post fingers crossed it works.

Hi Ceebee, indeed it did work and welcome to the community, keen to hear about your Tesla battery storage but there is cheaper battery storage out there. make sure to head over to the Solar PV section of the forumfor any questions you have when you start to look into that. 

@boblochinver Thank you. Any questions re the Tesla please ask away, however I’ll get my partner to join up too as he’s the one with the knowledge of it. Will be looking with interest at the solar section

Hi I'm Chris, a first generation Renewable Energy Geek that sold his soul and have been burning oil for the last thirty years.

We live in a hard-to-heat home, a stone built Victorian farmhouse, in a very exposed position on the windy Isle of Arran in Scotland.

We have abundant renewable energy available, in the form of wind and hydro.

Twenty five years ago I planned to provide free heating and electricity by installing two Pico hydro generators, one 3kW and one 1kW, but a hill fire burnt half of our 400m of 4 inch pipe, before it was buried. The Pelton Wheel driven generators lie unused in an outhouse, waiting for me to have the time and energy to finish the project. Meanwhile, having six children in six years consumed most of our time and energy for the next twenty five years.

Twenty years ago, to replace our ailing oil boiler, I installed a water to water heat pump, with the low grade heat source provided by a nearby mill pond. Unfortunately the heat pump frosted up and with winter upon us an six small children to keep warm it was simpler to just install a new oil boiler rather than solve the frosting problem on the hear pump.

The idea was always to pair the Pico hydro generator with the heat pump, so throughout the winter the heat pump would be running 24/7, heating the home for free, fossil-free and CO2 free.

I also have a self-built wind turbine rotting away unused, because vociferous local opposition to wind turbines has made planning permission unlikely.

Over the years, room by room, we've renovated our house and improved insulation, so it's now pretty well insulated. Gone are the lovely, but rattley, draughty and maintenance intensive, sliding sash windows, replaced with air tight PVCu double glazing. Gone are the lathe and plaster dry lining, replaced with insulated plasterboard. Gone are the suspended timber ground floor, replaced with insulated concrete with underfloor heating. Gone are all six of the open fireplaces, with five of the draughty flues sealed up leaving just one open for a woodburning stove.

With all but one of the children having now flown the nest, I finally have the time and the energy (if not the money) to recover my renewable credentials.

@chris-mowatt Welcome Chris and that sounds like quite the adventure you have had with the renewables, Hydro sounds great and a good place to start if it provides you with a constant source of power. Obviously water sourced heat pumps are also a good option but i think the size of the pond needs to be large enough. Something to ask within our water source section on our forum, that will assist with finding people that have already setup their systems and a great way for you to give us insight into what you are doing with your hydro system and what is involved. 

Welcome to the forums @chris-mowatt and thanks for joining. You journey has been a long and adventurous one, and we look forward to seeing what you do next.

While not pond driven, Andrew (who we have invited to the join the forums) has written a piece about an open loop water system he developed. I think he may be well positioned to provide advice. As Bob has suggested, please start a new topic in the water source section and we'll try and push some experts your way. Here's Andrew's article: https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/open-loop-water-source-review

Hi, We are in Lincolnshire, just moved into new home last July which has ASHP heating, previously out in the Wolds area which had oil fired and want information on this new, trendy and expensive to run item. Also interested in EV as that is where we all heading in the near future. I’m more of a reader than a poster usually but if I can give any help I will.

Cheers, Douglas 

Good morning.  Just joined on invite from the My Home Farm site. Looking at installing ASHP water and radiator central heating system to a 1950’s detached ex farm house.  Hopefully I can pick up enough good advice here that convinces me to confidently go down this route and then share the experience of the retro fit with others. 

Good morning and welcome @douglas. If you have any comments or insights please free to post them. What ASHP brand and size do you have?

@morgan thanks for coming over from My Home Farm. The comments (and some great help) are getting lost in the post comments, so these forums should be much easier to navigate.

If you have any specific questions pertaining to ASHPs, please feel free to post them here: https://renewableheatinghub.co.uk/forums/renewable-heating-air-source-heap-pumps-ashps