Help - Air source heat pump and 1K/month bills!

matt_drummer

bob2302 said:

Reed_Richards said:

12NJK said:

 for some reason best known to the heating advisers, there is no connection between the hot water heater and the air source heat pump.

Sometimes there is a clue that work has been done really shoddily.

Is that really wrong? My understanding is that the most efficient way to heat with heat pumps is to use big radiators and keep the pump's output temperature as low as possible - far below what's needed for hot water.  

We really have no idea as the OP has told us what their bill is and little else.

Spoonie_Turtle

bob2302 said:

Reed_Richards said:

12NJK said:

 for some reason best known to the heating advisers, there is no connection between the hot water heater and the air source heat pump.

Sometimes there is a clue that work has been done really shoddily.

Is that really wrong? My understanding is that the most efficient way to heat with heat pumps is to use big radiators and keep the pump's output temperature as low as possible - far below what's needed for hot water.  

From my understanding of the post the problem was the fact that the water is only heated by immersion.  A heat pump should be plumbed into both water and heating.

matelodave

As above, we havent a clue about what he's got, what size house he has, whether his installation was installed by an MCS installer, how he controls it etc etc. It was just a rant without a lot of substance.

Having a bit of a go is fine, but as no one really knows what he's got or how it was configured or even how he's using it all we can do is have random guesses (and we'll all have a different view) and no one will be able to give him much more advice than to get the installation assessed by an MCS registered installer or surveyor which may well cost.

I'm sure I could get my system to consume £1000 a month if I faffed around with the controls enough and got on the most expensive dual rate leccy tariff.

In much the smae way as I could go to the most expensive garage to fill up my car and then drive it in first gear from here to John o'Groats - the cost would be horrendous but it wouldn't be down to the car.

matt_drummer

Spoonie_Turtle said:

From my understanding of the post the problem was the fact that the water is only heated by immersion.  A heat pump should be plumbed into both water and heating.

I think that might be the OP's understanding but they might be wrong.

They have just quoted a cost of energy and nothing much else.

Spoonie_Turtle

matt_drummer said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

From my understanding of the post the problem was the fact that the water is only heated by immersion.  A heat pump should be plumbed into both water and heating.

I think that might be the OP's understanding but they might be wrong.

They have just quoted a cost of energy and nothing much else.

I was responding to a poster who hadn't realised that's what the previous person meant by that being a clue the work was shoddy (although as you say, the OP may not have got that understanding right) … lots of communication not quite working here, it seems

matt_drummer

Spoonie_Turtle said:

matt_drummer said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

From my understanding of the post the problem was the fact that the water is only heated by immersion.  A heat pump should be plumbed into both water and heating.

I think that might be the OP's understanding but they might be wrong.

They have just quoted a cost of energy and nothing much else.

I was responding to a poster who hadn't realised that's what the previous person meant by that being a clue the work was shoddy (although as you say, the OP may not have got that understanding right) … lots of communication not quite working here, it seems

I have a feeling that the OP may be confused or misinformed.

Most ASHP have to `boost' the hot water with an immersion heater, for the legionnaire cycle and maybe even if the  heat pump doesn't heat the water enough on it's own.

I can see that an owner may think that their heat pump is not connected to their hot water directly or it my even be that a buffer tank or a low loss header has been used.

Any of these could be described as the heat pump not being connected directly to the DHW or even the radiators.

Those would not be a reason for what seem like high energy costs.

It may just be that the home is really big!

matt_drummer

I would add that the OP has not suggested that their home is not warm, which to me is an indication that the installation might not be as shoddy as some thought at the beginning.

[Deleted User]

Given that consumers have been tricked into buying over-sized gas boilers for years, I genuinely worry that heat pumps will become a State-sponsored mis-selling scandal. Clearly, there is a need for an accurate heat loss survey; competent system design and quality fitting. What could possibly go wrong?

matt_drummer

[Deleted User] said:

Given that consumers have been tricked into buying over-sized gas boilers for years, I genuinely worry that heat pumps will become a State-sponsored mis-selling scandal. Clearly, there is a need for an accurate heat loss survey; competent system design and quality fitting. What could possibly go wrong?

That is true.

My heat loss at 21c inside and -5c outside is 6.8 Kw, I have had installers here that wanted to fit a 14 Kw heat pump, it would be a disaster!

Good job I know enough to recognise their mistake!

matelodave

We are all still guessing and TBH its not really helping

Many heatpump systems have a boost heater (mine has - 6kw + 3kw for the tank)) which can be switched in if I want hot water or hot radiators above the temperature that a heatpump can provide which is around 50-55  degrees.

So if I decide I want hot radiators and hotter water water,  I can get mine to use another 9kw to get it red hot. 

That was a big problem during the early days of heatpump installations, people wanted hot radiators and hotter water and so the backup and boost heaters were coming on and increasing running costs because they didn't understand what was going on and I'm sure that alot of dissatisfaction with heatpumps nowadays are because people dont operate them correctly

More info is required