Posted by: @transparent

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It would good to know if there's a very simple generic solution to this monitoring issue.

I also use Home Assistant to monitor many things including my data from MELCloud (via API).  The screenshot shows one of the graphs it can produce:

I am aware of the Flow and Return temperature being transposed.  I think that is just a wiring error that the installer needs to fix.

I don't know anything about the Grant system and if it provides an API like Mitsubishi

Posted by: @transparent

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It would good to know if there's a very simple generic solution to this monitoring issue.

It isn't 'very simple', but for systems that have a modbus interface, it is very possible to get a lot of data. Here is the last two days data from my Midea heat pump, after collecting minute by minute data over modbus and then plotting it using plotly in python:

This thread has some guidance on how to set up modbus monitoring for a Midea heat pump, but I have to confess I haven't completed it yet. 

@transparent Thanks for this. So I need to be asking how they/I can monitor the system and how adjustments are made after the fact.

Is home assistant something which can be run with every ASHP? I've got a few more questions so I'll move all this to a dedicated thread.

Posted by: @transparent

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The other thing to consider here is whether the remote monitoring service is 'removed' from you if you don't continue to take out annual maintenance contracts.

This is also the problem with the IoT and 'smart' devices - as soon as a supplier loses interest in a product they remove the 'cloud' that was providing some of their most useful functions.  There is little chance of avoiding this for most people although Home Assistant can help in some cases (if the communication protocol is in the public domain and some kind soul has contributed an 'integration').  It's sobering to realise how many apps on my phone rely on a supplier's continuing support.  I've recently been advised that my Drayton miGenie smart heating controller will become dumb early next year (and would I like to buy their new model).

IMO the only vendor independent system of monitoring is to put in a heat metering setup and link it to openenergymonitor.

I've nothing against modbus or home assistant (I use both in my setup) but they require (in my case samsung ) vendor specific hardware and coding.

Home Assistant is a very generic system... but can be quite complex.
It offers all sorts of home controls such as timers and light switching.
It's a DIY approach which the user puts together according to your preferences.

There's another (simpler) DIY possibility called Open Energy Monitor, developed in the UK by enthusiasts who create energy products based on the Raspberry Pi micro-controller.
They have a derivative specifically for Heat Pump monitoring which you can read about on their website.
Option-3 includes a heat-meter which your installer would need to insert into the pipework when putting your system together.

Neither of these is a 'commercial' product which a typical MCS-approved installer might suggest.

But each has a wealth of online support from a willing base of users.

As you've just read, @iancalderbank also suggests investigating the Open Energy Monitor route.
But he managed to hit SEND before I did! 😉 

@transparent and @iancalderbank

Thanks for the heads up on Open Energy Monitor.  A lot of options to consider.

Hello, after a bit of research on how to make my ASHP more efficient I have ended up here. 

We have almost completed a renovation on a traditional 1960's bungalow and it's been a very long journey! We decided at the start of the renovation that we would like to go down the ASHP route but we weren't keen on going for bigger radiators. The house needed a lot of work so we decided to rip up all the floorboards and go with underfloor heating with 100mm kingspan between the floor joists and a biscuit screed.  

The house has double cavity walls and we heard of all the horror stories about cavity wall insulation failing so we decided to insulate all the internal walls with 50mm insulated plasterboard. The roof has also been insulated with 125mm kingspan between rafters and new insulating wool between roof trusses. 

We have a Daikin EDLA16DA3V3 ASHP along with 16 solar panels and we have been living in the house for just over a year now. We like the system although sometimes my partner says it cold, all the rooms never drop below 19 degrees in the winter months so the system is working. We are shocked at how much electricity we consume and I would like to know any good tips on how I can make the system more efficient so we can save money. 

We are planning on installing a wood burning stove. On the colder days that can get the heat up in the house so the ASHP doesn't have to work so hard. Anyway I will search around this forum to see what's already been posted. 

Posted by: @kieranrob

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underfloor heating with 100mm kingspan between the floor joists and a biscuit screed.

Was this DIY or did you instruct a professional installer?

I faced a similar situation in a Devon farmhouse (1937) with a suspended floor.
We've both used 100mm PIR insulation board (polyisocyanurate) between joists...
... but you've gone for biscuit screed, whereas I opted for aluminium heat-spreaders.

Do you have photo of your approach to share here?

Would you like to explain the difference between these options so that others can emulate what we've done?

@transparent I do have photographs of our install however I am working abroad just now and the internet is a bit slow so I can't upload them. I will get round to it soon.  

My contractor that started the renovation went into liquidation halfway through the build which was very frustrating so I had to finish the house myself. We kept the plumber for the underfloor heating and the renewables and we took his advice for the biscuit screed. I hired two labours and we screeded 190m2 in three days and it was around 16 tons of biscuit screed we mixed and wheelbarrowed into the house so not an easy task. 

I too have slow internet, Kieran.
But that's because I live in the West Country, where I rely on two pieces of damp string running along the hedgerow. 😉 

As you can't presently post photos, let me offer this graph so that others can compare the UFH curves for pipes buried in screen and those which use heat-spreader plates:

The solid floor may take more time to heat, but it retains that temperature for longer due to its greater thermal mass.

I actually have both types of flooring in the main L-shaped Kitchen/living area.

The oak floor boards run seamlessly across the divide from one floor construction type to the other.
And I'd like to thank the staff at Bostik Customer Support for their help in me achieving this.

@transparent Your internet will be better than mine as I am on an oil rig of the coast of Angola. 🤣 

The chart you have posted is interesting. The only solid floor I have in my house is in my kitchen living area and this is the new extension we built during the renovation. This area of the house is always very warm. 

I do have some rooms in the house that are colder than others for example I have two bed rooms at the far gable end that sometimes feels cold. Because I have a timber suspended floor we still require ventilation below the kingspan, although I tried my best to seal any gaps around the walls before we lay the new floor boards we still get slight drafts from under the skirtings boards. I think this affects the temperature of the room and the UFH switches on. The rooms we do not use as much like the guest room we keep the temperature setting low and keep the doors closed to try save some energy. 

It would be interesting to know if other people of experienced this issue.