What do you look for in an air source heat pump?

mrmmhf

For those of you that have purchased or are thinking about buying an air source heat pump, what are the main features that you are looking for?

JKenH

1. Noise levels
2. Efficiency (COP)
3. Ease of installation
4. Back up and service
5. Aesthetics
6. Cost of purchase

My two Mitsubishi Heavy Industries units with COPs of 4.0 and 4.3 (IIRC) aren’t as efficient as some that others have installed but my installer was local, it was what he had in his own house and when I complained about one of the external units rattling, after spending an hour stripping and rebuilding with little effect, a new unit was delivered and installed without argument. They are amazingly quiet (19 dB) and easy to use. If you are able to run them on solar PV then the efficiency becomes less significant.

Reed_Richards

I thought about a heat pump but my other half wouldn't let me dig up the concrete floors to install underfloor heating. I then thought about heating a single room with an air source heat pump and discovered that in that context it was called an air conditioning unit. That's still just an idea but my main concern would be price; no point in spending lots more than I might save in heating costs. After that it's noise (or lack of it).

joefizz

Bought an electriq 12000 single quick connect unit earlier this year. Installed myself.
So to use JKenH's list


1. Noise levels - same - was important to get something reasonably quiet in operation

2. Ease of installation - hadnt done anything like this before but very tech savvy/diy/motor mechanicing so went for the Quick connector option. In hindsight, no real different to putting in brake pipes on a car or moderate plumbing. QC option did make one of the bends more difficult although in a timber framed bungalow meant any installation would be easy enough. Still have to finish off the tarting up ;-)
Cost of extra kit I didnt have to enable self gassing would have been more expensive but now looks like campervan aircon needs a regas so might end up buying the kit anyway - doh!

3. Cost of purchase - mainly a suck it and see purchase. If it worked it worked, if it didnt it would be an expensive dehumidifier/occasional summer aircon.

4. Efficiency (COP) - not really an issue, just for shoulder months/summer heating/cooling/dehumidifying. Running off PV/Battery, so only being utilised so I dont need the oil boiler for hot water/central heating in the April-Oct period.
5. Aesthetics - no interest, back wall in garden, internal unit a bit plasticky looking but will eventually mod it
6. Back up and service - probably nothing much I cant fix myself plus I'll probably invalidate the warranty at some point, if I havent already ;-)

Its been going for a couple of months so far and Ive only had the oil heating on once since I installed it. Ive used the immersion for hot water off the battery so my target of saving 300 litres of oil per year has probably already been passed but I was away for a total of 6 weeks in the last 2 months so its not really a good gauge for 'normal' usage. Looks promising though.
The cheap unit is quiet enough in operation and surprisingly Ive used it for air con/dehumidifying a lot more than I had expected. I work from home and made some of the very hot days here bearable, although to be fair, very hot days here are a rarity ;-)

Ive also a drimaster blown air system and recently here in NI its been very rainy so in conjunction with the dehumidfying that has worked well.


Over here its probably not worth it for a hot water option. Without the PV and in particular the battery I wouldnt have even considered it for this climate.

mmmmikey

I bought this:

https://www.cooleasy.co.uk/categories/wall-mounted/midea-blanc/2-6kw-midea-blanc-wall-mounted-system.html - following the points above....

1. Indoor unit quiet enough for bedroom use, outdoor unit a bit more noise but unobtrusive and neighbours happy - there are probably quieter units but don't really have anything to compare it with
2. Quoted COP is 5.1 - not sure if I believe that as it seems a bit too good for a very chepa unit but seems to work well enough
3. Simple DIY installation, bought it pre-gassed, one of the main reasons for buying this unit
4. Back up service - this was a cheap unit so I have my fingers crossed
5. Aesthetics - was quite important to me due to fairly prominent location in bedroom but all the units seem much the same
6. Cost - this was very cheap which was main reason for buying it, mainly used for summer aircon so couldn't justify spending too much

An additonal point not mentioned by JKenH would be quality of manufacture but difficult to assess this without seing the unit in the flesh. Mine has a fairly flimsy plastic cover on the indoor unit and the whole thing has a cheap feel. Looks OK - a bit like buying a cheap fridge, I may be lucky, I may not.


Overall happy at the moment, but my fear is this maybe a "landfill" purchase. It will probably last long enough to make the cheap price worthwhile but suspect it won't last as long as a better quality unit.


EDIT: forgot to add WiFi control to the list. The Midea Blanc has this and I find it very useful. I need my glasses to figure it which button is which on the remote control but the WiFi app is very easy to use and unlocks addtional features such as timers.

Martyn1981

mrmmhf wrote: »

For those of you that have purchased or are thinking about buying an air source heat pump, what are the main features that you are looking for?

Hiya Home Farm(?), you might find this thread helpful (or not), but I think buried within is much of what you are asking. Unless you meant air to water.

[URL="https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4715287... ASHP(Air/Air) with Solar pv ....[/URL]

mrmmhf

Thanks Martyn. I'll sift through that thread.

I just wanted to find out what people want and expect from an ASHP - working on a COP and review video, so just helpful to know what to talk about.

Martyn1981

mrmmhf wrote: »

Thanks Martyn. I'll sift through that thread.

I just wanted to find out what people want and expect from an ASHP - working on a COP and review video, so just helpful to know what to talk about.

Sounds like a great idea.

For myself I pondered cost v's ability to tailor power against PV generation, but in the went for simple and cheap. I almost immediately regretted it, when PV gen was a little bit too low to cover the ASHP draw, but as time went on it occurred to me that with a COP of around 4, any import was producing heat at roughly the same cost as gas, but without heating the whole house. So after going round full circle, I think I made the right decision.

I don't know if you are thinking with, without, or either as regards PV, but I do think that changes things slightly, since partnering a small ASHP with PV gen means you'll get a higher than average COP, as usage will be weighted towards daytime, and some sunshine, which (again on average) means a higher air temperature. IYSWIM.

mrmmhf

Our air source heat pump has been in operation for five months, over spring and summer, so it is a good time to review the performance and efficiency of our Caernarfon 18kW Eco Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) from Global Energy Systems.

Most ASHP owners in the UK use Mitsubishi, Hitachi or Daiken ASHPs, so it should be interesting to see how a British manufactured ASHP, supposedly made for the British climate, will perform and compare.

As part of this video, I’ve addressed our coefficient of performance (COP), performance and efficiency, the control panel and settings for the ASHP, noise rating and some general thoughts.

As I am not an ASHP expert and still trying to learn, I look forward to receiving your feedback and comment.

I will do a follow up video in autumn and winter to provide a full performance and efficiency comparison.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/P8cBKBTTLBw

Additional information and data sheets: http://myhomefarm.co.uk/air-source-heat-pump-efficiency-and-performance-review

I hope you find it interesting.

Coastalwatch

Many thanks for posting your professionally produced and informative review of the system so far. :TQuite an undertaking but if we're to reduce the effects of climate change then full marks from me with installing and then sharing your experience with us.
Like you I'd no previous knowledge of ASHP's but have installed two Air to Air versions in our bungalow following the posts of others on here who'd already blazed the trail for us, so I'm most interested to learn of your findings in relation to an Air to Water system. Our grandaughter has moved into a property with a similar setup, albeit of an unknown manufacturer, so your experiences have more relevance than would otherwise have been the case.

Something that did strike me is that you're propety looks capable of accommodating more solar panels to assist in offsetting running costs if approval could be secured!

I've found this site to be a wonderful source of knowledgeable information and your experiences shared through the video sit nicely within it.

I look forward to viewing your future findings as the seasons progress.:)