Air source heat pump installation good bad or ugly

cyberfuits

Hi
Has everyone who had an ASH installed had a good experience? Was it very disruptive? If carpets need to come up do they put them back? Do the instalers move furniture or do you have to move them?
Possibly getting an installation in the new year, we have disabilities, so not very fit, and my wife suffers from stress due to her disabilities, so any opinion experiences are welcome.
Thanks

MultiFuelBurner

Well it won't be stress free.

I presume if you are potentially having an install in the new year you have been advised where things will be installed and any changes to radiators?

Exactly what is in the install plan?

cyberfuits

MultiFuelBurner said:

Well it won't be stress free.

I presume if you are potentially having an install in the new year you have been advised where things will be installed and any changes to radiators?

Exactly what is in the install plan?

Stress-free, stress would not be a problem if the installers did all the work and moved furniture around and tried to keep to one or 2 rooms at the time and not every room at once (giving us a bit of space at least one room to be in). All we get out of them at the moment is new pipes new radiators and heat pump of course. I was working as an electrician in the the 80,s and we were doing house refurbishments and then it was down to us to move furniture and carpets if we lifted floorboards, so was wondering if this was still the case.
We do not have a lot of choices living very rural and getting a grant, so we can not easily choose another installer.

QrizB

I'm not sure what you're hoping to get from this thread?

Your question seems to be installer-specific. If someone in Sunderland was to report a smooth install, while someone else in Southampton had a disruptive one, neither might be relevant to a new install in Stockport.

Can you not speak to your installer, discuss your concerns and see what they can offer?

born_again

Plenty of u-tube video's of installs. 
But who does it will make a difference. Some good some bad. 
In the end making life easy for them, by moving things out of their way will speed up the install. If they are having to move furniture around, then they are not doing the stuff that they  should be doing.

To be honest in your situation, I would be moving out to somewhere local so you can pop in & out while they are doing the work. Given that it is possible that you will lose heating & hot water depending on your set up. Which maybe fine in warm weather, but if colder...

One for starters

https://youtu.be/-av3Xe0Yk5A?si=XtLTJFyENCFSD_ya

Netexporter

One thing to bear in mind is that you'll, almost certainly, be without heating for a couple of days. If the installation is to happen in the heating season, you may want to borrow/buy some electric heaters to keep the room you are occupying comfortable.

smallblueplanet

cyberfuits said: ...We do not have a lot of choices living very rural and getting a grant, so we can not easily choose another installer.

Why don't you have a lot of choices? I've just started looking at ASHP's and went onto (firstly) Vialiant's website and then the regulator(?) website.

https://www.vaillant.co.uk/contact/find-an-installer/

https://mcscertified.com/find-an-installer/

Many of the listed companies will travel a fair distance. So who you have should be down to you. As you suggest the 'customer service' you get from the installer will depend on the particular installer. Look on the web via Google search for reviews on your chosen installer. Ask on this forum or a forum more specific to ASHPs.

It's your money, you chose and also you specify the job (to a certain extent) to be done.

cyberfuits

smallblueplanet said:

cyberfuits said: ...We do not have a lot of choices living very rural and getting a grant, so we can not easily choose another installer.

Why don't you have a lot of choices? I've just started looking at ASHP's and went onto (firstly) Vialiant's website and then the regulator(?) website.

https://www.vaillant.co.uk/contact/find-an-installer/

https://mcscertified.com/find-an-installer/

Many of the listed companies will travel a fair distance. So who you have should be down to you. As you suggest the 'customer service' you get from the installer will depend on the particular installer. Look on the web via Google search for reviews on your chosen installer. Ask on this forum or a forum more specific to ASHPs.

It's your money, you chose and also you specify the job (to a certain extent) to be done.

We had a ECO4 scheme survey done, so I assume if we do not like this company we have to get another one done. Our nearest village and gp surgery or motel is 30 miles away nearest big town is 60 miles, we live in the highlands, so no specialist tradesmen or businesses here.

Spoonie_Turtle

Our installer was chosen by the housing association, 4½ years ago.  We were expected to have the areas clear but they took up the carpet and floorboards themselves (certainly didn't put the carpet back properly though).  It was noisy, so if any of you/your wife's disabilities are impacted by that, you are now aware and can prepare to try and mitigate the impact.  They left scorch marks on the walls where they soldered pipe joints and dumped the old storage heaters on the flowerbeds which waited a couple of weeks to be picked up by whichever company they were using to dispose of or recycle them (we couldn't move them ourselves).  Most days they concentrated on one area/cluster of rooms to do the pipework and whathaveyou.  

I can't really remember what else, I was in a daze most of the time and it was happening to us, we didn't choose to have it but I'm glad it happened back then and we just have to make the best of it now.  I don't know what your current heating system is but honestly, central heating has been a huge revelation for us and I hope the novelty of a warm home never ever wears off!

smallblueplanet

cyberfuits said:

smallblueplanet said:

cyberfuits said: ...We do not have a lot of choices living very rural and getting a grant, so we can not easily choose another installer.

Why don't you have a lot of choices? I've just started looking at ASHP's and went onto (firstly) Vialiant's website and then the regulator(?) website.

https://www.vaillant.co.uk/contact/find-an-installer/

https://mcscertified.com/find-an-installer/

Many of the listed companies will travel a fair distance. So who you have should be down to you. As you suggest the 'customer service' you get from the installer will depend on the particular installer. Look on the web via Google search for reviews on your chosen installer. Ask on this forum or a forum more specific to ASHPs.

It's your money, you chose and also you specify the job (to a certain extent) to be done.

We had a ECO4 scheme survey done, so I assume if we do not like this company we have to get another one done. Our nearest village and gp surgery or motel is 30 miles away nearest big town is 60 miles, we live in the highlands, so no specialist tradesmen or businesses here.

I'm afraid I don't know about the ECO4 scheme, but a quick Google seems to suggest it works in a 'similar' way to the BUS gov. grant in that you find an installer who will work with a grant scheme.

Edit: It seems to work through your energy supplier? 
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/energy-company-obligation-eco/homeowners-and-tenants
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/energy-company-obligation-eco/contacts-guidance-and-resources/eco-supplier-contact-details

I've just had a quick google and quite a few websites that look 'official' for the ECO4 scheme are actually installers websites. I don't know who is the 'official organiser' for the scheme but I would start there are work forwards. (If I was guessing - I am - I would assume you'd have to get another 'scheme survey' done by each installer you asked about the work your grant money makes you eligible for). 

Edit: I am not qualified to offer much help I'm sorry. I'd suggest you contact either the installers or the company who are providing the installers and voice your worries and concerns to them and ask their help and advice. Good luck.

Reed_Richards

To me, the big downside of the Eco4 scheme is you seemingly just get what you are given without much say in the matter.  You will almost certainly need new radiators, not necessarily many new pipes but that depends on what you have at present.  Probably also a new hot water tank.  It seems reasonable to me that your installers should replace anything they have to move back where it was but it's best to confirm that with them in advance.