ASHP - Thoughts please

[sedgy34]

Thanks, but i want a different slant and there loads round here doing thermal, but not so much ASHP - now is there a clue in that?

go for the ground source heatpump then just dont do it on my patch lol

 

[dansk]

Sure - this is why im on here asking different views - even the rep admitted on the coldest of days its going to use electric - but if you had PV this would help offset that cost, and warm water UFH to benefit from the low temp water -

Im just talking myself into this one arent i?

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go for the ground source heatpump then just dont do it on my patch lol

you shoudl tell me to "bugger off" rofl

 

[Worcester]

@Dansk

We also have loads of Oil and LPG boilers round here, so I understand the issues, the other comments above are all spot on. The problem with any heat pump retro fit is that they work at a lower temperature than a boiler so the heat emitters (underfloor heating, radiators etc) all need to be differently sized. - Typically underfloor heating pipes will be much closer with heat pumps than boilers.

The design rules all changed (got better) in February and we lost a deal sizing properly against one very well known installer of heat pumps becasue they insisted on a contract sign dated January and so designed according to the 'old standards' and hence were a lot cheaper. However the customer's system is not going to perform properly as both the heat pump and underfloor heating are now undersized by 30%, client could only see the capital cost and wouldn't listen to the design philosphy and running costs ... We are happy we lost that one!

Other problem we have is some of the properties here have the small or microbore central heating systems so the radiators can't be replaced with higher capacity ones either.

A proper heat pump system is not just the pump - it's the whole heating system, including hot water (you'll have to upgrade that cylinder also in one way or another ...)

To answer your original question - it is another string to your bow... and it seperates you from the crowd.

 

[sambotc]

The thing with all renewables is they are very site specific. there is no 1 solution that fits every scenario.

Biomass is a good option although that may be too far out of your skill set to consider (no offense intended but you say you come from an electrical background)

GSHP aren't much better as the installation costs outweigh the potential savings.

Electric boiler solar p.v and a buffer tank? Clutching at straws really!

There's a bit of a gap that needs filling, in reality your better off sticking to a condensing oil boiler and improving your insulation and heating controls etc

(sorry bit slow to respond, was watching the footy as i type away)

 

[dansk]

many thanks to all. No offense regards to biomass, hence my logic which is (in the right circumstance) ASHP, running warm water UFH, and PV to help offset the annuel electric bill, for me the ASHP is the missing link in connecting WW UFH to the PV when the client is on oil or LPG and is looking for a more eco running of the bills.

 

[solarsavings]

Heat pumps will work down to 7c and give a cop of around 2-2.5 @7c any lower and you will be relying on the immersion heater back up and end up spending big bucks to stay cold.

Oil cost at the moment are around 6pkwh, natural gas 4pkwh, lpg 7pkwh and electric 13pkwh so electrical heating via ashp at 7c with a cop of 2.5 is going to cost more than ng but less than oil or lpg. At around 15c the cop will be in the high 3s for most ashp and so the savings are higher with running costs similar to ng with a condensing boiler.

Given that for most of the winter temperatures don't go below 7c ( in this part of the world) they should make sense if you combine them with the ability to switch between either oil or lpg but you're not allowed to do that and comply with mcs requirements

 

[dansk]

facing some stiff tides towards this one, im going on an introductory course to findout more about this tech, i agree its not cheaper to run than Ng, in my mind i was aimimg for the off Gas people really, or the new build market, ive already got my customers due to the UFH market i work in. im going to follow this one and then make my mind up.

ive taken on board everything said here, and apprciate the honesty, thanks.

 

[Noshocks]

Dansk, I like you had been looking into ASHP both in the past and more recently, every time i go through the pro's and con's then ASHP dont quite quite seem to stack up, I have spoken to the guy at Huskey several times as well, he phoned me the other day out of the blue to see if I had decided to move forward with it after last speaking to them a year ago. I cant help feeling that customers are going to come to the same conclusion as me, which is going to make it a hard sell if I am not convinced myself.

 

[dansk]

its a shame TBH, seems to me its a very tiny market and most likley not worth the expense of getting MCS and everything else needed. I am going to keep looking before i decide fully.

 

[solarsavings]

We've been contacted by a couple of high pressure sales companies wanting us to install for them. One of them claims to sell at least ten systems a week at 13 grand a pop for daikin nordics with hydroblock. You need f-gas qualification for split systems as well as a decent plumber.