Heat Pumps - post here.

Paul Kiernan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120423169#Comment_120423169

Did you try BPC in Larne? They're usually reasonable.

keno-daytrader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120423169#Comment_120423169

Mine was under a 5 year warranty, no problem getting one from vent-axia when it failed.

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424081#Comment_120424081

Did you have a full service history on the unit to show them?

MattressRick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424059#Comment_120424059

Thanks for that

phil_space

+1 for BPC. I bought my Vent-Axia unit from them.

keno-daytrader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120437160#Comment_120437160

All they asked for was proof of purchase.

+1 also or is it now +2? 😝 for BPC

JayBee66

Has anyone experience of a Mitsubishi EcoDan monobloc high temperature HP as a direct replacement for their oil boiler? What do they think of it and, if it's permitted to ask, who did they use to install?

I am interested in getting the above as we have microbore pipes under concrete. I have a rough quote of 10K after grant for a 8KW system at our 150m^2 bungalow.

keno-daytrader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120467768#Comment_120467768

I have an Ecodan, do you have an airtightness, result, and what level of insulation is in the house?

JayBee66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473954#Comment_120473954

The assessor will be here next Friday but we have the usual white block insulation in the cavities topped up with beads. The leaky PVC double glazing was replaced with alu-clad wood framed triple glazing and there are no more hurricanes blowing through the house.

TheW1zard

My mate said his bill was 800. He said it keeps his house at a constant temp but when it hits that temp it doesnt turn off. So basically the heating is on 24/7. Sounds a bit mad!

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120476185#Comment_120476185

So basically the heating is on 24/7

Its "on" in terms of it being powered on but its not "on" in terms of pumping heat into the house. Big difference. It will continue to monitor temps and run circulation pumps etc but that's all low power. If he has high bills it might be setup wrong or he has a leaky house.

A bit like your TV... when you turn it off, its still "on" really, unless you pull the plug.

Nelbert

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120476366#Comment_120476366

100% agree. Unless they've energy monitoring going on it means nothing. Mine when not heating or pumping water uses 13W to run all the thermostats and sensors.

TheW1zard

So I gather Bill's of 700/800 are out of the norm. My Bills 100 a month on average. So usually a 200euro bill every 2 months on average.

Nelbert

Depends on the house. My point was more about it being "on" the whole time. In December and January I'd high electric bills with the weather but still less than my electric and gas used to be.... It's tough to gauge with the recent price surge. I'm spending a bit less than I used to on energy overall despite the price surge..... I'm taking that as a positive but it's made any calculation of payback rough as I focused on cost rather than usage prior to getting the work done and the heat pump in.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479077#Comment_120479077

To be frank, discussing the cost of a bill is pretty pointless. Your friend might just be on a terrible rate and could be paying a multiple of what you are

It's better to look at the kWh consumption which is the actual amount of energy being used

A heat pump will use a lot of electricity during winter, heating demands are higher so there's no avoiding it. The main difference is that with the efficiency they use a lot less energy than an oil or gas boiler

However, if you don't seek out cheaper electricity tariffs then it'll cost you more than it should

You mentioned you're spending ~€100 per month on electricity. I'm guessing you don't have a heat pump? If that's the case then you'd need to count in whatever fuel costs you have on heating to make a more accurate comparison

Having said all that, it is quite possible your friend's heat pump isn't working correctly. He may have a broken thermostat, or it could be poorly configured or not sized appropriately to the house. It's difficult to say from just an electricity bill

Maybe he just likes to keep the house at 25C in January 😁

If you want a point of comparison, my last electricity bill was €583 for 2 months (Dec-Feb)

In that time I used around 2,300kWh, which is close to the annual usage for an average house.

However, that includes all heating, cooking as well as powering 2 EVs, so it's probably true to say I'm a high user of electricity

If your friend is paying double what I am then he's either on the worst electricity tariff ever, has a problem with his heat pump, or has a serious bitcoin mining operation going on

gandalfio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479334#Comment_120479334

Edit

TheW1zard

My bill is 200 every 2 months for elec & gas. His are 800. Same size house!

Heat pumps sound shite

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479551#Comment_120479551

Without actual figures, bill figures are meaningless. Sure my parents electric for the last year cost them €80. for the whole year. inc a €50 penalty to break contract in sept.

Switched them to EI in dec 21, got 300 "cash back"

€600 in gov energy credits, and about 300 in FIT.

THE ALM

Just got a couple of quotes back and looking some feedback for any pros and cons for the systems being suggested.

One is for a Monobloc Midea 10kW with 300l tank (200l I feel would suffice for us) and the other two suggest a Hitachi Yukati Split 11kW with 220l tank. There is a sizeable enough difference in price, approx. €3k, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

One has included a price for new radiators although I would be happy enough to run the systems for a while to see how it performs and then change radiators myself as/if needed.

Tar.Aldarion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479551#Comment_120479551

Standing charge would nearly half of that alone, that's basically using nothing and completely unrealistic for most. Average domestic usage for electricity excluding heating is 700kwh for 2 months, which is a few hundred euro, add 60 for the standing charge.

My bill in a 4 bed house this month (billed monthly) is €130, for 24/7 hot water (300L tank heated to 65 degrees each day) and house at 20 degrees. Unit price 43c/23c or something like that. When the rates drop the house will be very cheap to run.

Mr Q

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549949#Comment_120549949

Is there any particular reason you would heat the water to such a high temperature each day?

At that temperature the electrical element is probably coming on and costing you a lot more to heat.

thomas 123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479551#Comment_120479551

In a new house with great insulation, underfloor heating, Mechanical Heat recovery, they should be perfect. Then again so would an oil burner.

In an old draughty house built pre 2000, double glazed, small cavity, inefficient rads they will be costly.

In the UK at the moment they are almost giving them away to everyone in any sort of a house - a massive amount of the negative press I see comes from there.

Tar.Aldarion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550116#Comment_120550116

I have it set up that way so we never run out of hot water during peak hours, triggering the immersion, (some people take very long showers) and it will only heat during the night. If we don't use much water in a day then the tank is only a few degrees cooler with the insulation by the time night rates roll around and barely needs to be heated again. I've the element set so it only comes on if the water is quite cold so it never comes on. We've a rate from 2am-4am for 12c and the water is finished heating by then. It's more useful at winter as the central heating will be cooling it too, so may be able to lower it, will test it out.

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550486#Comment_120550486

I think the question from Mr Q was more around the fact that HeatPumps are great at heating the water to 55C or so, after that if you want higher temperature water the Heatpump won't work in "heatpump mode" as the desired temp is too high for what it can supply, so it switches to basically an electric element for the last 10 degrees or so. Depends a little on the make/model as i understand it.

Heatpumps normally get 2-3x energy out for (electrical) energy in, but when it's in that high temp mode it's just a 1:1 ratio.

Up to you.

Dozz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550435#Comment_120550435

Worcester Bosch CEO Is Wrong About Heat Pumps. Here Is Why. - YouTube

I wouldnt say heatpumps are suitable for every installation but like everything the Devil is in the detail.

If the systems are designed and installed correctly they work.

Proper design & Installation are the issues facing everyone.

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550931#Comment_120550931

Yeah they need a bit more thought and planning vs a gas boiler, when gas was cheap even a bad install worked well.

Dozz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551116#Comment_120551116

I looked into installing one in my house last year (A2 BER rating) and had so many different variations on proposed installation requirements from just installing a heatpump to having to replace every radiator and install additional ones along with a new hot water cylinder.

Alarm bells started ringing when questions about design flow temperature and SCOP's went unanswered.

Too many cowboys out there and not enough regulation.

Just kept the 11 year old oil boiler in the end and installed solar PV.

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551351#Comment_120551351

There are some high temperature HP's out there though. I'm sort of in the same boat as you Dozz. Will have to eventually get rid of the gas boiler. I've had it 10 years since I moved in here, and I guess it was there 5 or more before that. Eventually it will give out.

Thinking perhaps one of those high temp HP's might be the solution. You don't get the same COP as the lower temp ones as they are multi-phase (is that the right word?), but even if you got a 2 for 1 COP, that would be a welcome step in the decarbonization road for me.

High temp HP would mean you wouldn't have to dig up pipework and redo radiators with larger ones. Perhaps someone here has one and can share experiences?

Jinglejangle69

The lifespan of these gadgets versus the savings is going to be some shock to people over the next few years.

The savings people made will have to be spent to replace them just to keep their houses heated.

Bye Bye cost efficiency.

bullit_dodger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552520#Comment_120552520

To an extent ... yes.

However, what's the alternative? Continue to burn fossil fuels and increase the CO2 gasses already in the environment. I think what your saying is correct, but if it's keeping the planet alive for your grandkids....that's worth it. yeah?