Heat Pumps - post here.

You got some deal there, looks like they're closer to €2k now

Any idea what cost you'd be looking at if you'd had to add in a new oil tank and connection to the boiler?

My general point is that if you have the infrastructure for one fuel type it's cheaper to stick with that fuel type than change to a different one

This is why it's very uneconomical to switch to a heat pump at the moment (unless you've some other cost saving factor like solar PV)

Similarly it's probably not economical to switch away from a heat pump if you already have one

Grant have a hybrid heatpump / oil boiler:

don’t know anything about it other than it exists.

Do you have the heat loss calcs? Are all the rads sufficient size for the rooms? You should be able to turn the stat on the boiler all the way down.

There's a significant gap in understanding in what's required to have a HP installed and running efficiently in old housing stock. @Cyloncity illustrating my point perfectly with a house that was blatantly unsuitable at the time for a HP.

Any existing homes built before 2008 (and potentially some since) would require significant upgrades to the fabric before they would be suitable for a HP. It sounds like the previous owners didn't take this fabric first approach and paid dearly in electricity bills as a result.

However there's plenty of examples out there of housing stock built in the early or middle part of the previous century which have been upgraded to a standard where the HP is running efficiently (see link below)...so it can be done but for it to be done right on a wider scale the aforementioned knowledge gap the industry needs to be sorted.

1920's house below

https://passivehouseplus.ie/magazine/upgrade/breath-of-life

People should be aware of the difference between efficiency and economical.

It’s likely that the heat pump was operating quite efficiently (perhaps not to its full potential; but likely quite well)

The problem is that the home is question still had a huge requirement for heat energy to keep it comfortably.

If you were to take an A rated home with a heat pump; rip it out and install an oil boiler; you would only use a tiny amount of oil.

I actually disagree with this “fabric first” approach. I think the first measure should always be to install a generator like PV. Max out the roof.

Second should be fabric upgrades (including a bit of plumbing to make sure your rads are big enough) and keep the existing heat source (but turn the flow temp down to minimum and see what happens - this will give you an idea of what the house would feel like with a low temp heat pump); and then if you have any money left over consider a heat pump. But maybe wait till your existing boiler packs in (as you would be paying out for a replacment at this point that will offset the costs).

Hi folks, can anyone pm me some recommendations for installers that would service cork?

the oil boiler has given up, was looking at putting in underfloor heating anyway so I’m think now might be a good time to invest.

Precision Heating Ltd - Domestic & Commercial Heating Systems Ireland

(01) 809 1571

Try these guys; they are a distributor of a lot of quality products. Ring them and ask them for the numbers of a couple of plumbers they recommend in Cork. Get lots of quotes.

i recently ordered my heat pump, cylinder and UFH from paddy scriven at heat pumps ireland.

i went for a thermia itec eco unit. paddy's number is 086 8350523, he should be able to advise you re plumbers in the area you are located.

as the lads say get a number of quotes and in addition do your research into the unit recommended.

Was a d1 with the pump. Looked it up there. 230kWh/m2/yr. Worse now I'm sure🤷‍♂️

I'd agree with all of this. My own feelings are heat pumps are more efficient and economical IF the fabric is right. Our house was/is not right for them and making it so would not be economically feasible. PV is something I will do but not at the moment.

Thanks for recommendations folks, my understanding is they are suppliers. Is there any recommendations for someone to measure your existing heat efficiency and provide best solutions? Maybe the suppliers will do that and I’m asking a stupid question.

Perhaps you are looking for a 'heat loss survey' that will test your house, pinpoint the primary heat loss mechanisms and offer various options to address.

That’s it all right ideally they would recommend size and type of a2w and how to run it. Any recommendations?

The Heat Loss Indicator (HLI) is normally now used, to quote, "The HLI is based on the total of the fabric and ventilation loss for the dwelling divided by the total floor area. It is calculated by the DEAP software based on a DEAP assessment accurately reflecting the dwelling at the time of the Technical Assessment." I have seen that this indicator should be less than 2 before considering a HP.

I have included a S.sheet based on my yearly oil consumption and converted this to a HLI number, if my house was to achieve your fantastic energy consumption of, in my case, 125*11.8), 1475 kw/annum then my HLI would need to be as low as 0.274.

hi folks, have a plumbing question re heat pumps. Having gunbarrel replaced upstairs this week - one rad has microbore copper running to it (bathroom), very short run maybe 2 foot, rest will have larger copper.. the bathroom one would require a bit more ripping.. im wondering about just leaving the microbore to that one rad.. and if we ever go for a heatpump (we are talking a few years at least) maybe replace the microbore then? Or could the rad work fine with microbore to it for a heatpump? every other rad in the house would be larger pipes. I should clarify its microbore to the rad off larger pipework

It depends on the heat loss of the room and the design temp of a heat pump system that you might install.

have a read here:

https://www.heatgeek.com/does-my-pipework-need-upgrading-for-a-heat-pump-with-cheat-sheet/