Octopus Heat Pumps

Magnitio

1961Nick said:

How about getting an air/air inverter heat pump? You'll get a much higher SCOP which will actually make it a lot cheaper to run than your gas boiler. A single unit placed in your main living area will make a reasonable dent in your gas consumption & possibly cost as little as £1200 fitted.

It's certainly an option I am considering.

1961Nick

Magnitio said:

1961Nick said:

How about getting an air/air inverter heat pump? You'll get a much higher SCOP which will actually make it a lot cheaper to run than your gas boiler. A single unit placed in your main living area will make a reasonable dent in your gas consumption & possibly cost as little as £1200 fitted.

It's certainly an option I am considering.

With 6.4kWp, 10kWh storage, SCOP of 5, an off peak tariff(?), & a low installation cost, the ROI of a strategically sited unit could be as little as 5 years. 

Screwdriva

Bottom line: the lack of support from the BUS scheme is the primary reason they are not yet willing to expand to A-A. 

Also, A-A works well when you have a small number of rooms but you will need 5+ indoor units to cover the typical 3 Bed Semi detached.

shinytop

JKenH said:

I really don’t know why the government doesn’t encourage more people to use these A2A wall mounted units. I have barely used my oil fired central heating since January (just the odd very cold day). Maybe they are just perceived by the authorities as air conditioning units that add to electricity demand. 

It's this and I agree.  We don't need air conditioning in domestic settings in the UK and it's an unnecessary waste of scarce energy that is needed elsewhere.  A2A for heating sounds like a good idea. 

mickyduck55

I have an A2A system with two units one in my living room (which is about 20 ft square) and one in the bedroom.  I have used barely any GCH as when I'm in the kitchen Im cooking and my bedroom window is almost always open so no heating required upstairs.  My GCH thermostat is set at 15 C

I did install the units for their AC capability to run in the summer when it does get hot in my bedroom and I have excess solar to power them.  Last year I had a max temp of 42C which is in my view far too hot to sleep in, although it would have cooled down below that by bedtime.

The heating was a very unforeseen benefit which I believe has saved me money and made the room I use mostly very comfortable.  The other major advantage is the heat is almost instantaneous and controllable via the net so I can switch on and off from almost anywhere.. sat in the pub having a beer turn on 15 mins before I get home and all is toasty 

I run the A2A at 18-19C, it cycles between 17 and 20 according to the Apps temp display

Martyn1981

I got the first A2A unit with little expectation to need cooling on a regular basis. My wife still jokes at me for suggesting we would only need the A/C for a few days every 2 or 3 years, but since then we've 'enjoyed' regular heat spikes ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks. The A/C is excellent, and I'd suggest, ever more important for some when it comes to the health impacts of hyperthermia.

Fingers crossed, the package benefits of a heat pump, with occassional cooling, plus PV, will help to encourage their rollout. The energy savings we get from the A2A units via heating, are vastly greater than the energy consumed for cooling, when to be fair, solar will be generating loads.

astroL

Screwdriva said:

Octopus will not take on a house with <15mm micro-bore piping. Don't believe the Heat Geeks will either. Insisting on K3/ T23 radiators in a bit harsh - I know the Heat Geeks are okay with K2/T22 as long as <40 degree flow temperatures can be designed into the system.

It is more than likely that both will insist on newer style radiators. See the latter half of this video for better idea of why. For us, A-A is a no go because we would lose the underfloor heating.

If you do contact Octopus, ask for Toby Clarkson - knowledgable and very helpful. 

Hmmm.  Let's give this some context.  I approached Octopus Energy for a quote for heat pump installation.  That was mid-December....  By March I was still waiting for a quote - in fact we still are.  The real problem is the total lack of communication. FWIW we have a bungalow. 

Screwdriva

astroL said:

Hmmm.  Let's give this some context.  I approached Octopus Energy for a quote for heat pump installation.  That was mid-December....  By March I was still waiting for a quote - in fact we still are.  The real problem is the total lack of communication. FWIW we have a bungalow. 

That's surprising to me! Have you chased them?

DougMLancs

I hadn’t heard anything from my original ‘register your interest’ before Christmas but tried again in Feb with a new web form they rolled out and heard back from a human the same day. I’d give it another go.

Nick_Dr1

Did the web form thing a couple of weeks ago, got a price, rang them up to check it (seemed very cheap - now even cheaper due to the extra £2500, but yes, included all extra radiators if necessary), got a survey happening next week. So service so far is great, Lets see what the survey reveals!