Air Source Heat Pump system

Linz2284

Hi,
We had a Air Source Heat Pump system installed just over 2 years ago and regularly have it serviced (annually).
My energy provider used to be a non descript company whom we had loads of problems with and then we switched to Scottish Power, who again we had nothing but problems with.
I’ve just recently switched to OctopusEnergy.
The thing is, with Scottish Power, my energy bills have been absolutely astronomical and they charged me £220 for electricity used between 21st Jan & 9th Feb! This was my final bill.
My tariffs don’t actually look that much different having moved to OctopusEnergy (I haven’t yet had a bill from them, only just in my first month with them currently).
My thermostat is at 21.5 degrees which I don’t think is overly high AND I don’t keep bumping the temperature up and down etc, I leave it at 21.5 just ticking over.
Can anyone give me any pointers on where I might be going wrong with things or suggestions on how to lower my usage etc?
I’m in a 5 bedroom house but there’s only me and my toddler (my husband recently died).
My husband was pretty clued up on gadgets and new technology, so I doubt he’d have had this Air Source Pump system installed if we weren’t going to lower our bills...?
Please help!
Thanks 

Mouldymeat3

Lower ambient temperatures will knock the bottom out of the performance of ASHP. Although our little system (5kW) barely compares, at present time, 9C, the daily total house consumption is around 18kWh/day. Last month with a week at 0C, the consumption rose to 30kWh/day.

Gerry1

Linz2284 said:

Can anyone give me any pointers on where I might be going wrong with things or suggestions on how to lower my usage etc?

You need to make sure you are sending monthly readings and to think in kWh, not ££ or DD amounts.  Unfortunately oil would probably have been better than an ASHP if it's absolutely impossible to get mains gas, but that's water under the bridge.

Fit TRVs in the unused rooms and choose a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation and mould problems but no higher.  Make sure you know your annual kWh usage derived from actual meter readings and keep comparing from time to time starting with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch'.  Never use Look After My Bills or any similar autoswitching service, always do it yourself so that you have a full understanding and are fully in control.

Make sure you get your 25% discount on the Council Tax.

Baxter100

Yes unfortunately heat pumps (especially poorly designed ones) work least efficiently when you most need them. I've seen some data which suggest the efficiencies can drop as low as 100-120% in some installs, at which point you'd be no worse off just heating your house with a load of electric plug in heaters from Argos. At this point compared to a gas boiler they can be 4-5x more expensive to run.

I'm very sorry to hear about your husband. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation in this industry and it can be difficult to sift through what's worthwhile and what is not.

shinytop

Sorry for your and your child's loss.  Is the £220 just for usage or does it include any debit from previous months?  If it is usage then it's a lot, although it was particularly cold.  You said you've had the ASHP for 2 years; was it that expensive to run last winter? 

Is your house reasonably well insulated?  As well as what has already been suggested, another thing to check is what radiator and hot water temps the ASHP is set to.  It will be inefficient if you're asking it to heat a tank of water to 70 degrees (should be more like 50-55).  Similar for the heating; the radiators should be capable of heating the house with the water in them at 50 degrees or so; if they're too small then either you won't get to your 21 degrees or the water will need to be hotter and the ASHP will be inefficient. 

If you can supply more information about the system and settings there are some very knowledgeable people on here who can help    

Tallerdave

Welcome to the forums, sorry it's not for happier reasons than having to take on the "geek" role of the household following your loss. 

The advice to set TRVs lower in unused rooms is good - but keep the doors closed! Weekly meter readings might help you to monitor how things are running and also help with future switching decisions. When you are a high user it's worth chasing bargain rates and often worth paying exit fees to escape fixed rates that have lost their attractiveness.

You might save a little by shaving the temperature down to 19.5/20 overnight, but need to allow plenty of time to get back to 21C in the morning. A thermostat with optimum start functionality would take care of that for you automatically,  by learning how fast your house heats up. Is the heating 1 single zone, or can you set different temperatures for upstairs/ downstairs? 

Setting hot water lower is a good move but an occasional burst to 60C is allegedly helpful in keeping bugs away. 

Linz2284

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! It’s very much appreciated.
I have loft insulation but I’m not sure about cavity wall insulation.
my water temp is set to 50 degrees and the bedrooms that don’t get used have TRVs set to 2... I am guilty however of leaving bedroom doors open 🤔
The £220 Scottish Power charged me was for actual usage, there was no previous debt on account.
I think I’ll try the weekly meter reads rather than monthly and see if I can understand my usage better! Think that’s worth a try 🙂
I’ve also registered my interest in having a smart meter installed (when they can) to understand my usage better.