Grants for heat pumps

Casper55

Hi folks I have just applied on this web page for a grant for air source heat pump.
http://www.factsaboutheatpumps.com/?gclid=CNjV0ePpx6wCFUdB4QodjWuHpw
Has anyone else applied? I am not sure how these systems work ir do they attach to your origonal heating system or are they wall mounted air to air heat pumps. I don,t even no what % of the total cost the grant will be. Does this sound ok or a rip off.Best Regards casper

rogerblack

Presumably air-source that goes onto an existing heating system.
There are also systems which have multiple internal units, and provide hot air, though those may be more expensive.

If you have mains gas, then the return may be very small, or negative.

Casper55

If I were to replace my gas combi boiler 23kw with a heat pump, would I need one of a similar size heat capacity. and bearig in mine at very low ambient temps and high radiator temps ( effect on COP) would I need one of the larger models. AS grants are only in the region of £1200 max what would I expect to pay for such a heat pump.Would I have to consider fitting larger radiators. Just a few thoughts

zeupater

Casper55 wrote: »

Hi folks I have just applied on this web page for a grant for air source heat pump.
http://www.factsaboutheatpumps.com/?gclid=CNjV0ePpx6wCFUdB4QodjWuHpw
Has anyone else applied? I am not sure how these systems work ir do they attach to your origonal heating system or are they wall mounted air to air heat pumps. I don,t even no what % of the total cost the grant will be. Does this sound ok or a rip off.Best Regards casper

Hi

Just wait until you get your ~£7k quote for an ASHP or ~£15k for a GSHP and find that the grant is the RHI premium payment (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Professional-resources/Funding-and-finance/Renewable-Heat-Incentive) which will pay £850 & £1250 respectively ....

Whether it's a rip-off or not depends on the quotes, but don't expect the prices to be too far away from above, so some where around a 10% (8%-12% spread) 'grant' saving .....

If you have a gas boiler and it's efficient, it's probably much better to stick with what you've got ....

HTH
Z

rogerblack

Over 10K.
You would ideally want larger radiators, yes, though how much this would help varies on your existing size.

At best, during moderate weather, you may save 20-30% of your bill going from gas-heat-pump.
During really cold weather, the output will drop - often by half - so you may be left with 10kW of heat, or less from a 25kW heatpump, and need to put in 15kW of electric heat, if you still need it. (though with gas, ...)

zeupater

Casper55 wrote: »

If I were to replace my gas combi boiler 23kw with a heat pump, would I need one of a similar size heat capacity. and bearig in mine at very low ambient temps and high radiator temps ( effect on COP) would I need one of the larger models. AS grants are only in the region of £1200 max what would I expect to pay for such a heat pump.Would I have to consider fitting larger radiators. Just a few thoughts

Hi

If you have a HP unit you will be using the heating for much longer periods and at a much lower flow temperature than the current gas system .... the result will be the requirement for a smaller system. If your 23kW gas boiler is sized correctly and copes well then it's likely that a HP around/below 8kW would be specified .... others/your quote will confirm this.

HP units are most efficient when running underfloor heating ... if you don't want the floors dug up/re-laid then there would be the option of fitting oversized radiators, probably around 3x the surface area of what you currently have would be likely ....

Costs etc covered in previous post ....

HTH
Z

grahamc2003

Casper55 wrote: »

Hi folks I have just applied on this web page for a grant for air source heat pump.
http://www.factsaboutheatpumps.com/?gclid=CNjV0ePpx6wCFUdB4QodjWuHpw
Has anyone else applied? I am not sure how these systems work ir do they attach to your origonal heating system or are they wall mounted air to air heat pumps. I don,t even no what % of the total cost the grant will be. Does this sound ok or a rip off.Best Regards casper

Air to air heatpumps currently get no grant, neither do exhaust air heatpumps. I think it's 'whole house' air to water heatpumps (the big expensive systems) which attract the interim grant. They may also get a RHI on-going payment when those who decide have decided, as might air to air heatpumps.

I'm not sure you get domestic 25kw ecodans and the like do you? Extracting 10kw from very cold air like last winter is demanding enough and not without fundamental problems. Some systems, I think, are now 'bi-valent', which simply means the heatpump is turned off in adverse conditions (too cold and/or too icy) and a backup system is used, or worse instead of extracting 10kw from the air, 10kw electric heaters are turned on. Ouch to that. I'm not sure whether a bi-valent system qualifies for the interim payment - anyone read up on that?

To my mind, these haven't proved themselves yet in the coldest on UK winters, like last year. The cop may go negative at certain times (eg when defrosting) and even below 1 when not defrosting at low ambient temps. Cops are quoted at an ambient 7C, and at those temps and above, I'd expect them to be very cheap to run, but progressively more expensive as the temperature drops.

Casper55

Thanks guys for some great replys which were sufficient to put me off for the time being. It doesn,t seem to have the attraction it did with me as Solar Panels and the FIT payment

[Deleted User]

If you are on mains gas then changing to a heat pump is pointless...

Heat pumps perform best on UFH/fan convectors, rads are not a great option...

Like anything else if they are installed correctly they work fine in winters just like last one...

As i'm being quite general there are obviously exceptions...

Personally the novalty of the ASHP has never worn off whereas I was bored the the PV the day after it was installed...

Casper55

It is a pitty there isn,t a FIT payment introduced for ASHP or GSHP then perhaps there would be a lot more people changing from gas to heat pumps or am I asking for the impossible to happen. Best Regards Casper

[Deleted User]

Casper55 wrote: »

It is a pitty there isn,t a FIT payment introduced for ASHP or GSHP then perhaps there would be a lot more people changing from gas to heat pumps or am I asking for the impossible to happen. Best Regards Casper

ASHP etc is not a microgeneration technology.