Oh no it's not. They buyer states, I am not over interested in Solar panels, how Old are the batteries. Right off 5 k or more.
I was 69 when mine went in, I'm 72 now, if we move and the purchaser doesn't want to pay a premium for a solar equipped house I will take the system with me.
Looking at a heat pump this summer 🤔
Sorry for you, not willing to argue about Heat Pumps, a real Marmite job.
A bit like Coachman caravans and Baileys.
I am getting that return whatever you say.
Only 3.7% that's not good, all of our safe investments are between 4 and 5% depending on when we took them out. Our most recent ISA is 4.05% tax free and that unsurprisingly is the lowest.
It was better last year one is still at 5.05% and matures in September. Each new one drops a bit.
They are all with a building society, I won't use banks as they are there to make a profit from customers, building society profit goes back to members.
Electric showers run from 7.5kW to 10.8kW so there is not enough power from your system to run one.
If we had the choice again, it would certainly not be a heat pump for heating. Gas is far more efficient!
We have heat pump tumble dryer and we class it as one of our worst buys. Our previous tumble dryer was far more efficient and quicker!
We have heat pump tumble dryer and we class it as one of our worst buys. Our previous tumble dryer was far more efficient and quicker!
A heat pump is more efficient than a gas boiler. Your problem is the specification and actual performance rating of the installed heat pump. It’s a bit like having a Mini to tow your caravan.
As I understand it, air-source heat pumps react slowly to changes in demand and become less efficient at low temperatures, just when they're needed most.
It is the correct size for our household. On really cold days it is running constantly and the kwh consumption for that day can exceed £10 for a 2 bedroom home even though temp is set to 20C maximum. For 2 hours each day it cannot supply any room heating as it is heating the water.
However it is definitely better than our previous storage heaters, but IMHO not as good as the gas boiler in our previous home. Unfortunately due to living in the sticks the noisy heat pump was our only option. Anyway the savings over the past 10 years and not having storage heaters have probably paid for the heat pump. It is serviced every year.
A correctly installed heat pump will always be more efficient than a gas boiler.
In over simplified terms a modern gas boiler can reach 95% to 98% thermal efficiency when condensing. Where as a heat pump when considered in terms of electrical energy vs heat output into the dwelling, will always be over 100%, and can in ideal condition reach 400% or possibly more.
The the word "efficiency" does not have the same meaning as "efficacy" and what you report is poor efficacy which points to an incorrect specification of the system you had installed. As has been pointed out, you need a big Jeep to tow your heavy caravan, a mini would be ineffective for the same job, yet solo a mini is going to be more efficient than your Jeep. Would you blame the mini for not towing your caravan very well? or blame the person that chose the mini for you, knowing you needed to tow a big caravan?
If you are using the system correctly, and the system is not faulty, and it is not heating your home to your requirements, then it cannot be the right size for your household.
It's not the technology at fault, it's the way it's been specified, installed or used.
Yet another perennial discussion - which is ok.
Heat pumps are more efficient than gas boliers when comparing energy in to energy out but the cost of electricity compared to gas means that running costs may not be much different on each system.
Heat pump installation needs a lot of consideration as its not just a case of gas boiler out, heat pump in. Radiators may need to be resized and hot water production needs to be factored in. Of course the payback period is yet another factor as the price differential between both systems is considerable.
Factoring in a heat pump into a Solar Panel system is also complicated. Heat demands are greater in the winter when the Solar Panels are probably producing less and the heat pump is less efficient. Flexible tarrifs may not always be lowest when your heat demand is high.
Not easy calculations to do.
As for moving Solar Panels to another house - this has been discussed before - it will cost money which increases the payback period.
Pays your money takes your choice
Heat pumps are more efficient than gas boliers when comparing energy in to energy out but the cost of electricity compared to gas means that running costs may not be much different on each system.
Heat pump installation needs a lot of consideration as its not just a case of gas boiler out, heat pump in. Radiators may need to be resized and hot water production needs to be factored in. Of course the payback period is yet another factor as the price differential between both systems is considerable.
Factoring in a heat pump into a Solar Panel system is also complicated. Heat demands are greater in the winter when the Solar Panels are probably producing less and the heat pump is less efficient. Flexible tarrifs may not always be lowest when your heat demand is high.
Not easy calculations to do.
As for moving Solar Panels to another house - this has been discussed before - it will cost money which increases the payback period.
Pays your money takes your choice
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Spot on Sam. It was cheaper using our gas boiler in our previous home which was also about the same size. Heating was better and we could have the temp up to 21-22C without it impacting the bottom line.
The heat [ump was installed by the manufacturer Mitsubishi so I would think they have done the installation correctly. However on really cold days the whole unit freezes up. Sadly at present I do not have any pictures of the block of ice when it is frozen over as the auto defrost cannot cope, but the good news is that in the near future there will be some.
Do you have a heat pump installed and if so who is the manufacturer?
We had a new Heat Pump installed in our Community Hall because the old one died after about 9 years.
The new one is a Mitsubishi something or other. I've been critical of the running costs (I'm the treasurer) as we were advised to run it 24/7 and it acts as both Heater and Air Con. So it's always trying to maintain a constant temperature. At night we can reduce the temperature but only to 16degC so it still kicks in. Even in summer it will try to heat the building overnight when it's not being used.
On the plus side the building is warmer than it's ever been.
This year we had Solar Panels installed. At this time of the year we are still buying in a considerable amount of electric energy. The Smart Meter is dumb.
The new one is a Mitsubishi something or other. I've been critical of the running costs (I'm the treasurer) as we were advised to run it 24/7 and it acts as both Heater and Air Con. So it's always trying to maintain a constant temperature. At night we can reduce the temperature but only to 16degC so it still kicks in. Even in summer it will try to heat the building overnight when it's not being used.
On the plus side the building is warmer than it's ever been.
This year we had Solar Panels installed. At this time of the year we are still buying in a considerable amount of electric energy. The Smart Meter is dumb.
My younger brother had a heat pump fitted 3 years ago in a smallish 2 bedroom house, he complained about the fitment( he is a builder with electrical certification) the company came back and fitted a different type, he complains that it is not efficient and the house doesn't get above 20c.,
His electricity costs with Octopus are ridiculously high, compared to my 4 bedroom house with a gas boiler( 1 year old) .
My sister’s Norfolk holiday barn had a heat pump and electric immersion water heater. It took 24 hours to raise the temperature from 15 to 16 C. The pump was outside in a garden shed. It was noisy. Worse the hot water tank never got above 50 deg C the whole holiday.
The owner supplied her with 3 fan heaters and said use the immersion heater.
I imagine his total electricity bill was not cheap overall.
IMO a heat pump is not suitable as a retro fit in most current homes. Looking at some new builds near us the windows are barely one quarter the size of mine, patio folding bi folds are a no. And there is still the cost of using the immersion for hot water volumes. My newish Vaillant Gas boiler is efficient compared to others but more importantly is not hurting our pockets staying warm and hot showered .
The owner supplied her with 3 fan heaters and said use the immersion heater.
I imagine his total electricity bill was not cheap overall.
IMO a heat pump is not suitable as a retro fit in most current homes. Looking at some new builds near us the windows are barely one quarter the size of mine, patio folding bi folds are a no. And there is still the cost of using the immersion for hot water volumes. My newish Vaillant Gas boiler is efficient compared to others but more importantly is not hurting our pockets staying warm and hot showered .
I think my question is very relevant otherwise how can anyone give a honest hands on comment as that comes with physical experience and not from theories! Numerous theories have been proven to be wrong in practice.
There are plenty of instances in life (and I'm not limiting this to the heat pumps) where you do not have to own a particular product or process to be able to come to a secure valid opinion about it.
I do not necessarily need to have owned a heat pump to know how they work and what they are capable of. I have engaged with them as part of my professional work.
But with regard to the problems you have been experiencing with your home heating system, Based on your reports on the forum you have made two statements that cannot both be right. they are mutually exclusive.
On the one hand you state in relation to the equipment you have installed " "It is the correct size for our household" but you also maintain that the heating system is inadequate for your needs. logically you can't have it both ways unless:-
- Some aspect of the systems is malfunctioning,
- You are using it incorrectly,
- You have expectations of the system which it cannot meet - in which case it cannot be the right size for your household!
Lets keep it friendly please. Actual hands on experience isn't really necessary to form a valid judgement on some things. Its how we can make a decision in the first place to get something we've never had before.
Thank you for at long last admitting that you have no experience of using a heat pump in domestic environment. Luckily I am able to talk from experience and not hearsay! It does seem that according to your post the manufacturer does not have a clue about installing its own products?
Please read back two posts 
I have no direct experience of Heat Pumps but as an engineer with a keen interest in these things I'm still able to make valid judgements on the equipment and installations.
This was necessary when we designed and built our own house. And for what its worth the first consideration in respect of energy was not the heating system but about insulation and heat recovery. When it came down to a possible heating system we had to consider that we live in an area with no gas other than LPG. So we would have to have a Gas Tank installed - or possibily an Oil Tank to fire a conventional boiler. Both come at a cost and the fuel costs are higher than mains gas but not as high as electric. A Heat Pump was ruled out straight away based on installation and running costs.
Personal experiences will vary because there is not one size fits all when it comes to installing heating systems of any type. There are many variables which have to be consider and manufacturers are not necessarily those people doing the assessment of installation and needs. This is one reason why personal experiences will a vary. As you've probably discovered that when searching the internet about many things you can find both pros and cons. Who do you believe?
I think too much emphasis is put on the Green Issue of energy usage when we should be encouraging better or less usage of any source.
I have no direct experience of Heat Pumps but as an engineer with a keen interest in these things I'm still able to make valid judgements on the equipment and installations.
This was necessary when we designed and built our own house. And for what its worth the first consideration in respect of energy was not the heating system but about insulation and heat recovery. When it came down to a possible heating system we had to consider that we live in an area with no gas other than LPG. So we would have to have a Gas Tank installed - or possibily an Oil Tank to fire a conventional boiler. Both come at a cost and the fuel costs are higher than mains gas but not as high as electric. A Heat Pump was ruled out straight away based on installation and running costs.
Personal experiences will vary because there is not one size fits all when it comes to installing heating systems of any type. There are many variables which have to be consider and manufacturers are not necessarily those people doing the assessment of installation and needs. This is one reason why personal experiences will a vary. As you've probably discovered that when searching the internet about many things you can find both pros and cons. Who do you believe?
I think too much emphasis is put on the Green Issue of energy usage when we should be encouraging better or less usage of any source.
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