Energy Saving Trust Q&A Centre

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative

Cardew wrote: »

Without repeating the points made earlier, on your trial we had eight houses out of 28 with a system COP of 1.6 or worse.

I suggest it is a racing certainty they were told that they would get 3.0 or higher. To pay £12,000 or so for that level of performance is a disgrace.

Yes I agree that that level of performance is unacceptable, especially given the capital cost involved. As you know we are continuing to look at ways to prevent such poor performance figures recurring.

Rodders57

So as above Energy Saving Trust company representative, have you done testing on houses that heat pump work really well and compare the two. Do you think it would be wise to announce why the HP`s under preformed so lessons can be learnt?

rogerblack

Rodders57 wrote: »

So as above Energy Saving Trust company representative, have you done testing on houses that heat pump work really well and compare the two. Do you think it would be wise to announce why the HP`s under preformed so lessons can be learnt?

And perhaps as importantly, or more importantly, is there anything a vigilant consumer can do to ensure they get a properly performing system?

Rolling the dice on an investment over 10K seems like a bad idea.

scribeslimited

I am soon going to be renovating my house, and would like some advice as to where I can find someone to design a new heating system for my home. Are you able to recommend anyone? or do you provide that service?

Thank you.

Lynn Martin

Rodders57

PM me for advice, but I need to know where you live, on grid or off.

rogerblack

scribeslimited wrote: »

I am soon going to be renovating my house, and would like some advice as to where I can find someone to design a new heating system for my home. Are you able to recommend anyone? or do you provide that service?

Absolutely first step, if significantly renovating the house is to first consider adding more insulation. If your house is not already very well insulated, this will make the most difference.
The exact sort of heating system can be rather less important.

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative

Rodders57 wrote: »

So as above Energy Saving Trust company representative, have you done testing on houses that heat pump work really well and compare the two. Do you think it would be wise to announce why the HP`s under preformed so lessons can be learnt?

Yes we have - that is exactly what our heat pump trials did. You can access the public report from our field trial at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Media/node_1422/Getting-warmer-a-field-trial-of-heat-pumps-PDF.

This report includes specific advice for consumers on how to make sure you achieve a decent system performance.

There is also advice on how to find a reputable installer and protect yourself from mis-selling in our Buyer's Guide:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Publications/Renewables/A-buyer-s-guide-to-heat-pumps

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative

scribeslimited wrote: »

I am soon going to be renovating my house, and would like some advice as to where I can find someone to design a new heating system for my home. Are you able to recommend anyone? or do you provide that service?

Thank you.

Lynn Martin

As someone has already pointed out, the first thing is to minimise your heating requirement by insulating and draught-proofing to the best level you can manage. This will keep your heating bills down for decades to come, and could reduce the cost of installing your heating system slightly too.

The second thing to do is decide what heating fuel you are going to use. This will depend on a number of factors, mainly:

• Do you have a mains gas supply at your property (or nearby)?
• Are you able to spend money on a more expensive system that will cost less to run?
• Are you very concerned about environmental impact, or are you just looking for the least cost option?
• Are there any space and access constraints? (There are more options for a detached house than there are for an upstairs flat)

If you would like to post your preferences on these I can run through the options here - and everyone else can chip in. Or you can call your nearest Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre on 0800 512012 if you would prefer to talk to an advisor directly.

We don't design systems or recommend individual companies, but we can talk you through some of the main issues and decisions to be made and advise you on finding a suitable installer to do the detailed system design.

zeupater

Energy_Saving_Trust_company_representative wrote: »

Yes we have - that is exactly what our heat pump trials did. You can access the public report from our field trial at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Media/node_1422/Getting-warmer-a-field-trial-of-heat-pumps-PDF.

This report includes specific advice for consumers on how to make sure you achieve a decent system performance.

There is also advice on how to find a reputable installer and protect yourself from mis-selling in our Buyer's Guide:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Resources/Publications/Renewables/A-buyer-s-guide-to-heat-pumps

Hi

Why do you suppose and publish that Air/Water ASHPs cost £6k to £10k (excl heat distribution system costs) in the referenced article ... could it possibly be a self defeating issue, you say £x so they charge £x ?

Good ASHPs should cost around £3k and fitting far less than a gas boiler, so wouldn't a more realistic guide be to half the range to between £3k & £5k, then watch the installers react on price as opposed to both aiding maintenance of the current 'rip-off' culture and missing your own remit of encouraging the take-up of the technology where appropriate ...

HTH
Z

1cat2fish

Hello, could tell me whether buildings that are run by a registered charity can have solar panels fitted for free, like people are having fitted on their roof. Thankyou.