Voltis Home -voltage optimiser - Anyone actually got one?

albyota

Murchison2003 wrote: »

Albyota
If your consumption is down by 3200 kwh on previous 12 months, do you mind me asking your Ashp consumption for previous years.

Aug 2011 to Sept 2012 - 8100kWh
Aug 2012 to Sept 2013 - 7800kWh
Aug 2013 to Sept 2014 - 4,600Wh

My weather station supports the ambient temperatures

Above rounded for clarity, usage is for heat pump only, remaining electricity usage for lighting, general power is around 2,500kWh/yr

AL

Murchison2003

Albyota
Sorry forgot to ask the area your heating? Just curious as i have some friends with similar Ashp's
Thanks

albyota

Murchison2003 wrote: »

Albyota
Sorry forgot to ask the area your heating? Just curious as i have some friends with similar Ashp's
Thanks

185 m2 4 bed detached timber frame self-build UFH @ 100mm centres......

Don't wind Cardew up, he is a well respected, knowledgable poster.

Murchison2003

Albyota
Thanks for that.
I'm not winding anyone up, i just answered the original question given my findings.I don't appreciate being accused of being a liar or a salesman that's all. I'm sure he is well respected on here, i don't know i haven't read any of his other posts and to be honest probably won't because it doesn't interest me.
Let's see what next years values are and compare then.
I can only add, probably like yourself, my heat pump only runs between May and September to heat my water and no heating yet i have still seen a % drop in the kwh used admittedly at approx 10%, can this be put down to it using less energy to heat the water on highly lagged pipes since the temp is 1 deg warmer?

Martyn1981

Murchison2003 wrote: »

Martyn1981
At last, someone who seems to be on the same wavelength as myself, not like some of the ejits that spout off on here.
I'll hopefully answer some of your questions.

Thanks Murchison, appreciate the info. Shame you don't have a heat meter, as (I think?) we'd be able to calculate savings, assuming non HP leccy could be estimated. Oh well.

Apologies for the stick you've been getting, but as you've probably worked out by now, voltage optimisation for a 'normal' house is very heavily criticised on here. And I have to agree with that, as the potential gains are simply not worth the expense.

So, not doubting the kit, or the idea, just the application in a 'normal' domestic situation. Zeupater said a similar thing right back at the start.

As I said previously, I've no idea if your GSHP already takes voltage into account, but even if not, I still can't see how related savings can be more than 10% (the difference between the voltages you gave). I suspect (as others have said) that any other differences would be down to average temps. [However, given the amount of leccy going through your HP, if you are saving 10%, then hopefully it was a good investment for yourself, and will work out.]

Just had another look at my gas consumption figs, and the temperature related drop is higher than I stated (~25%). The figure has gone from 11,500 Aug 2012/Jly 2013, to 8,400 Aug 2013/Jly 2014. But looking at qtrly consumption when the heating is off, this seems to run at between 350 to 450kWh (gas oven and DHW).

Assuming this is constant through the year, then I should deduct 1,600kWh for non heating. Giving me a reduction from ~ 9,900kWh to ~ 6,800kWh, a reduction of 32%. I appreciate these figures are a little hit and miss, but I think they are at least a fair assumption.

This would seem to tie in nicely with what others have spotted, so I have to conclude that most of your reduction will be temp/weather related.

Mart.

Cardew

Murchison2003 wrote: »

http://www.savepowerathome.co.uk/howitworks

Why post a an advertising brochure? Or why not post this extract from the manufacturer's brochure?

The make-up of the electrical load should also be checked, as not all electrical appliances will benefit from voltage optimisation. For example, appliances that convert electricity to heat will not generally benefit.

You are grasping at straws if you think anyone is 'on your wavelength' - including Martyn1981 who has stated firmly that he doesn't accept that your savings are down to voltage optimisation.

Heat pump manufacturers spend £millions in research to make even marginal improvements in the efficiency of their equipment. You might care to read the two 12 months trials on around 60 heat pumps carried out by the Energy Saving Trust(EST) with all the major manufacturers in attendance.

I find it absolutely staggering that you can come on this forum and insist that a device that drops the input voltage to your heat pump by 10% is responsible for a 20% improvement in efficiency. Thus demonstrating that the laws of physics as we know them do not apply!

Do you not think it implausible that every major heat pump manufacturer was unaware that their devices, according to your 'trial', work 20% more efficiently on a lower voltage input?

I fitted my Voltis Home unit approx 11 months ago and i have seen a remarkable reduction in my kwh usage. I fitted a ground source heat pump approx 5 years ago as i was getting fed up by ever increasing fuel costs as i had initially installed an oil boiler as i have no mains gas. Over this past year i have seen an approx 18% reduction in my electricity bill,coincidence? don't think so.

As far as I am aware not one single independent organisation has concluded that voltage optimisation in a domestic situation produces worthwhile savings.

Not a single person on this thread agrees with your 'theory' and plausible explanations have been given for your reduction in consumption - namely a mild winter - yet you insist that it is down to voltage optimisation. Yet apparently we are 'ejits' spouting off!

Martyn1981
At last, someone who seems to be on the same wavelength as myself, not like some of the ejits that spout off on here.

Murchison2003

Martyn1981
Thanks for that.
No need to apologise for some sad people on here.
Forums i thought was to discuss,share and help people to save money and this being moneysavingexpert, (and i am saving money somehow) not slag people off for stating facts.

zeupater

Murchison2003 wrote: »

.... My pump doesn't have a heat meter but does have running hours so consumption can be worked out. At the time it was estimated to run at 8700 kwh for room temp 21 deg. That's 8700 x 10p =£870 compared to 3000(litres) of kerosene x. 65p (price at the time of thought) =£2010, at that time 5 1/2 years payback, which is this year.
Hope this makes things a bit clearer. Thanks for not knocking the voltis, i am not a salesman of any kind, i just like to give credit where credit is due.

Hi

I read the above when it was posted but was more concerned whether the reasoning behind a year-on-year reduction in energy consumption was related to the installation of a voltage optimisation device or purely ambient weather. As it now seems to be accepted that a reasonable approach would be to "see what next years values are and compare then", I think that there's little point in debating the effect on this particular installation further until long term data is available.

Having said that, and directly related to the above, there's a couple of really important and very relevant questions to be asked. Firstly, are you happy with the performance of the GSHP system ? .... and secondly, having had a heat-pump (and solar pv) installed for a number of years, what was the reasoning behind installing voltage optimisation and who sparked the interest - ie was it mentioned/sold by an installer, or, was the first contact the result of research followed by the normal purchase process ? ...

HTH
Z

Martyn1981

Murchison2003 wrote: »

Martyn1981
Thanks for that.
No need to apologise for some sad people on here.
Forums i thought was to discuss,share and help people to save money and this being moneysavingexpert, (and i am saving money somehow) not slag people off for stating facts.

No probs. As you've now learnt, we don't like VO's much, since they are often promoted/spammed at 'normal' domestic situations. Hence why so many nerves were touched.

Just to let you know (going back to something you said a while ago) we're not all against heat pumps and PV etc etc. You may (as an aside) be interested in this thread that Z started a year ago, following a discussion we were having. [Edit: Interested in the discussion, not the idea for you given that you already have the GSHP. M.]

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4715287

The idea relates to using an A/C unit as a heat pump in the shoulder months (low heating, but still lots of PV - Mch/Apr & Sept/Oct) to replace house heating when it's marginal.

I'm still keen(ish), but hard to find companies that actually get back to you, for such a small project.

Cost/savings wise, I think it would only break even. But having A/C if only for a few weeks of the year would be a bonus, plus any carbon reduction through the COP factor would be nice.

Mart.

Murchison2003

Istar337
Good to see you finallyagree with some facts ive posted.