Good advice from Octopus

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Hot tips for running your heat pump this winter | Octopus Energy

Hot tips for running your heat pump this winter: how efficient in cold weather : getting the best out your heat pump. Heat pumps are still more energy efficient than gas

@sapper117 I completely agree with you on that. It seems like us, you have switched from LPG to an ASHP and it really makes sense. 

For those switching from natural gas to ASHP, there definitely needs to be more security to show them it will simply work and will be cost-effective. 

@sapper117  Oh yes to much of the above, ‘Steady Eddy’ I think is the best policy, we have good insulation (1930’s semi with an EPC of ‘B’, we have underfloor insulation apart from the solid floor kitchen area, the loft has 35 cm + of insulation and a foil backed board next to the roofing felt layer between rafters. The glazing is double and one room triple, plus cavity wall insulation.)

As in another comment ‘Old Bones’ is indeed the case and we like 21- 22 degrees to be comfortable so the Dailkin 8kW/h capacity ASHP will earn its’ keep! With 8.1 kWp. Solar panels, the Sunamp Thermino ePV 210 DHW unit will be covered in its’ requirements for about 10 months of the year and the Tesla Powerwall will be used to ‘bank’ any excess. The demands of the ASHP will have to be covered by whatever grid supply tariff works best I think. I expect a fair number of MegaWatt hours to be available during better solar months and will probably ‘bank’ these via Octopus Agile Outgoing to pay the winter bills. We will be all-electric once the ASHP is installed (microwave combination cookers and an induction hob cover the cooking) and we have LED lighting throughout the house now. I have been giving consideration to investing in a wind turbine scheme later but, as yet do not have meaningful figures for our annual energy consumption as we had faulty metering with many estimates until we changed to Octopus but have only been with them since late June. Regards, Toodles

@knukes Ah! Cosy Octopus looks like a good choice - I’ll be looking into that - I think it may be just what I am looking for! Regards, Toodles

Hi,  I found some posts here interesting so have signed up.  I'll add a profile when permitted.  Following a house fire at our 1950's house we decided to demolish and rebuild, and we have now moved into our new timber frame house with ASHP (11.2kW Ecodan), and UFH throughout.  We have MVHR too, but no solar, which would probably not have been the case had I been able to foresee the huge rise in energy prices.

I've found the ASHP system a frustrating experience - I expect to be able to understand a heating system that I have paid thousands for, but the world of heat pumps doesn't seem to work that way.  I can download manuals for the various components of my system but I have no specific manual for my installation.  My building project manager sourced the system which has been designed by the supplier and installed by the electricians and plumbers we used.  The supplier commissioned the system, and my 'instructions' were to leave it running all the time, and simply set the temperatures I want using the dozen or so thermostats around the house. To be fair, this seems to work in that the house can be made adequately warm and the showers are hot.  On the other hand, the information coming from the controller does not suggest that that the system is anywhere near as efficient as it should be (with reference to the COP).

I've been happy to let it run so far while building data.  The last 3-4 weeks have really been the first opportunity to see the ASHP properly loaded, and the rate at which it has been eating electricity over the last couple of weeks suggests that learning how best to manage it might pay dividends.

Posted by: @redbuzzard

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Hi,  I found some posts here interesting so have signed up.  I'll add a profile when permitted.  Following a house fire at our 1950's house we decided to demolish and rebuild, and we have now moved into our new timber frame house with ASHP (11.2kW Ecodan), and UFH throughout.  We have MVHR too, but no solar, which would probably not have been the case had I been able to foresee the huge rise in energy prices.

I've found the ASHP system a frustrating experience - I expect to be able to understand a heating system that I have paid thousands for, but the world of heat pumps doesn't seem to work that way.  I can download manuals for the various components of my system but I have no specific manual for my installation.  My building project manager sourced the system which has been designed by the supplier and installed by the electricians and plumbers we used.  The supplier commissioned the system, and my 'instructions' were to leave it running all the time, and simply set the temperatures I want using the dozen or so thermostats around the house. To be fair, this seems to work in that the house can be made adequately warm and the showers are hot.  On the other hand, the information coming from the controller does not suggest that that the system is anywhere near as efficient as it should be (with reference to the COP).

I've been happy to let it run so far while building data.  The last 3-4 weeks have really been the first opportunity to see the ASHP properly loaded, and the rate at which it has been eating electricity over the last couple of weeks suggests that learning how best to manage it might pay dividends.

Welcome to the forum.

I would suggest that you read through the various threads from similar Ecodan owner's, and then post any specific questions that you may have.

Posted by: @redbuzzard

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I can download manuals for the various components of my system but I have no specific manual for my installation. 

Then I suggest you jump across to read the comments I've just made to another new Ecodan ASHP householder regarding the requirements of the Building Regulations.

@redbuzzard your experience is very similar to ours - contractor (first rate) just said -set the temp. We have no valves and only one zone. After 10 months i looked at our SCOP to date and it is 3.3 - that allows for me having a deep bath every day and out DHW is rigged to top up the heat whenever needed so we are a bit excessive but even so I'm quite happy with the figures. Don't forget that your COP over the last few weeks will be nothing like the usual figures you expect - i have to teach myself to live on averages not the high figures we have had over the last 12 days!!

@derek-m Thanks Derek.

Hello everyone. Only just discovered you so apologies for being late to the party 😀. 

By way of quick intro, we've an old, solid stone wall 4 bed detached property in the Highlands of Scotland. We had the oil boiler replaced with ASHP (2 x 12kW Samsung units, 1 for heat/DHW and the other "assist" for heat only) earlier this year so this is. our first winter. The last couple of weeks have seen eye-watering consumption and I'm convinced the system is far from an optimal set-up so keen to learn as much as I can!  I've some questions which I'll pick up separately. 

We've also had a ground mounted 5.6kW PV array installed, along with a 10kWh battery. Hopefully this is going to make a difference!

Thanks so much for this fantastic resource.

Simon

@derek-m 👍

Hello,

I've just joined this forum. I live in what used to be called the garden of England, probably now just the windowbox of England but hey ho.

I have eleven year old solar panels. Low output by todays standards but the FIT payments are very nice thank you.

Currently trying to decide whether I should replace my 26 year old boiler with a new boiler or ASHP. I'll be asking my questions there rather than clogging this thread. See you there perhaps.