It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Slinky

Heat pumps require larger radiators as the heat produced is lower. 

We've looked at the possibility of an ASHP whilst making changes to our house, in the end we've decided to go with a new gas boiler with a hot water cylinder which would be suitable if there is more use of hydrogen power in the future. The changes required to make our 1960s home suitable for ASHP are just too prohibitively expensive.

Living_proof

Slinky I agree that too much expense and upheaval is required to retrofit heat pumps. Houses are smaller these days and radiators likewise.  Adding larger radiators would severely limit wall space for furniture and people who have had heat pumps fitted now wish they were back to using their old gas boilers.

nannygladys

Asparklyblonde - I start my broad beans, sweetcorn and beans in the larger yogurt pots, I started it a few years ago now and got dds involved in saving me their pots, I heat a nail up to melt holes in the bottom (but you have to be careful as the nail gets very hot quickly) and each year after they have done their job, wash and store for the following year. I have too many pots now, but they're all strong and not splitting at all.
I was lucky a couple of years ago, one of the old guys at the lottie gave me a stack of peat pots that he couldn't use, so I'm working my way though them as well. 
I also recently started planting up my old recycling boxes with salad leaves and made a makeshift glass cover for them, as we have huge hinged bins now. 
I do try to recycle everything if I can into something else to use.
Nannyg

maryb

We had two ground floor rooms at one side of the house which were a Victorian extension with single brick walls, cold as the grave and with insuperable damp problems from the condensation.  We had the external  walls fitted with insulated plasterboard and it has transformed them.

But the expense and the disruption were horrendous even though we didn’t have to hack the existing plaster off.  The radiators had to be moved, power points rewired , burglar alarm sensors moved, carpets lifted and relaid, the cornices hacked off (ok not every house has those) and then re plastered, new deeper window sills etc etc. Then redecorating  These were rooms we didn’t really use now we are empty nesters.  I don’t think I could have faced it if we had been trying to live among the chaos.

Retrofitting internally is a nightmare 

Rosa_Damascena

maryb said:

We had two ground floor rooms at one side of the house which were a Victorian extension with single brick walls, cold as the grave and with insuperable damp problems from the condensation.  We had the external  walls fitted with insulated plasterboard and it has transformed them.

But the expense and the disruption were horrendous even though we didn’t have to hack the existing plaster off.  The radiators had to be moved, power points rewired , burglar alarm sensors moved, carpets lifted and relaid, the cornices hacked off (ok not every house has those) and then re plastered, new deeper window sills etc etc. Then redecorating  These were rooms we didn’t really use now we are empty nesters.  I don’t think I could have faced it if we had been trying to live among the chaos.

Retrofitting internally is a nightmare 

I have been through the same with my own home and lived through it, and four years on I am finally reaping the benefit! The time I feel the benefit is the summer months, not winter.

Woolsery

We had 4 years total renovation as well, doing the labouring alongside a tradesman friend and living on-site. That time, often with huge holes in the fabric of the place in winter was good crisis training, but we were lucky with  the weather. A winter like 2009/10 would have wiped us out.

The intention was to make eco-friendly decisions where possible, but often the economics didn't stack up. For example, a quote for a  well-tried wood pellet boiler system came in at £24k, against oil from a local guy at £8k. Also, with a little discernment, it was possible to be fairly sure some purveyors of the new technology weren't knowledgeable, simply jumping on a bandwagon without much knowledge and virtually no experience.

A friend had an air source heat pump system installed in her old farmhouse. It didn't cope from Day1. Her husband is a lawyer, so they sued and won, but the company had hardly any assets.

I would say maybe half of the firms who were selling eco-tech around here in 2012 went bust or simply vanished without trace.

We did our best with limited funds and it is the cheapest house to run we've had. However, much of that is just a good aspect,  simple stuff like extra insulation and better controls to avoid waste.

ladyholly

It is going to be interesting when new gas boilers are banned. Heat pumps are difinitely not the answer. Hydrogen technology is, I understand a much better option for retrofitting but as yet is not ready and there are some emission concerns which would have to be addressed.

Rosa_Damascena

ladyholly said:

It is going to be interesting when new gas boilers are banned. Heat pumps are difinitely not the answer. Hydrogen technology is, I understand a much better option for retrofitting but as yet is not ready and there are some emission concerns which would have to be addressed.

I had my new gas boiler installed last year and will be happy if I get 20 years out of it. The old boiler was installed just 2 years beforehand so I gifted it to my parents. It might not be the most environmentally friendly option, but you can't beat gas CH. Unfortunately flicking that switch on has become unaffordable, so it's an academic notion anyway.

QueenJess

Heat pumps may not be the answer for existing buildings, but it makes total sense for new builds.

Datchet

nannygladys said:

Asparklyblonde - I start my broad beans, sweetcorn and beans in the larger yogurt pots, I started it a few years ago now and got dds involved in saving me their pots, I heat a nail up to melt holes in the bottom (but you have to be careful as the nail gets very hot quickly) and each year after they have done their job, wash and store for the following year. I have too many pots now, but they're all strong and not splitting at all.
I was lucky a couple of years ago, one of the old guys at the lottie gave me a stack of peat pots that he couldn't use, so I'm working my way though them as well. 
I also recently started planting up my old recycling boxes with salad leaves and made a makeshift glass cover for them, as we have huge hinged bins now. 
I do try to recycle everything if I can into something else to use.
Nannyg

Bravo! I have seeds in old lurpak and yoghurt pots, our classic is ‘ bog-roll beans’ old clear plastic meat package holds 6 or 8 upright toilet roll middles, with garden compost/ spent tomato bag compost, 1 or 2 beans per roll. As mentioned above, we sell them at end of drive, one pack of 6 for £1 ! One year we didn’t do this and people came to the door to ask for them!
even the seed is recycled. The big clearer Perspex tubs that retailers put bird seed / lard balls / sweets in make great cucumber and tomato pots. You can see how much water you need to add when watering.
happy growing!