Air to air heat pump?

wrf12345

If indeed the installers need to be MCS registered to get the grant then that implies that the recent change in planning to limit permitted development to only MCS installs for air-to-water heat pumps will also apply to air-to-air, end result will be a huge increase in cost for air-to-air installs and little benefit found in the £2500 grant compared to the current situation where you can probably get two units installed for less than two grand (outside of London et al). The devil will be in the details which will be in the budget but I am old enough to recall the constant drip of marvellous sound bites of the Blair/Brown ere that fell apart when you looked at the actual text. Not very excited at the moment but I will happily be proved wrong...

paul991

On the press release no details are mentioned about removing the boiler,I know the existing BUS scheme has it as a condition but have all details on the new A2A or is it just assumed they will be the same.  

sony56

Hi, I don't know if it's been said before but the BUS has been extended to air to air heat pumps too since November 2025. Hope this helps with your choice !

Netexporter

Better than that, we have a whole thread on the subject.

BUS Scheme likely to extend to Air to Air Heat Pumps — MoneySavingExpert Forum

barker77

mk555blue said:

Hello everyone. I’m in the process of renovating a 1950s 3 bed semi, and my priorities are insulation and heating. The current heating system is old storage heaters, and immersion for hot water. I’ve been researching different heating systems for a while now, and would appreciate any input to help in my decision.
I’ve begun to like the idea of using an air to air heat pump. I see Mitsubishi make a model capable of powering up to 10 blowers. I like the idea of also being used for cooling in the summer. Hot water heating would be an issue, but I see a number of heat pump water cylinders on the market which could suffice.
We have no mains gas here so that is not an option. My main aim is cost effectiveness as well as the ability to heat a house well.
So, does anyone have much experience in either air to air or heat pump water cylinders? Do you find they work well, are they expensive to run, maintain and install? Are they noisy? Any feedback appreciated.

I’ve installed 5 units in a detached bungalow. The air to air feels more draughty to me which I guess half makes sense and therefore to me feels colder than central heating. I left my heating in whilst I trialed this so im going to use a mix of that and air to air ( when green energy is good etc to decarbonise) but with central heating boost. If I were to do again I’d go air to water for heating and a tank.  

Martyn1981

barker77 said:

mk555blue said:

Hello everyone. I’m in the process of renovating a 1950s 3 bed semi, and my priorities are insulation and heating. The current heating system is old storage heaters, and immersion for hot water. I’ve been researching different heating systems for a while now, and would appreciate any input to help in my decision.
I’ve begun to like the idea of using an air to air heat pump. I see Mitsubishi make a model capable of powering up to 10 blowers. I like the idea of also being used for cooling in the summer. Hot water heating would be an issue, but I see a number of heat pump water cylinders on the market which could suffice.
We have no mains gas here so that is not an option. My main aim is cost effectiveness as well as the ability to heat a house well.
So, does anyone have much experience in either air to air or heat pump water cylinders? Do you find they work well, are they expensive to run, maintain and install? Are they noisy? Any feedback appreciated.

I’ve installed 5 units in a detached bungalow. The air to air feels more draughty to me which I guess half makes sense and therefore to me feels colder than central heating. I left my heating in whilst I trialed this so im going to use a mix of that and air to air ( when green energy is good etc to decarbonise) but with central heating boost. If I were to do again I’d go air to water for heating and a tank.  

I'm quite surprised by that. Especially given the huge number of units you have. We only have two, and no 'draughts'. Though I appreciate, if you stand directly in front of them, with a higher fan speed, you do get a warm (or cold) 'breeze', but not from further away.

Any chance you have the fan speed set high? For 5 units, you may be able to turn the fans off completely, or minimal when temps aren't sub zero? Also, you should be able to adjust the units so they do, or don't oscillate to move air around, and there's a good chance you can manually adjust the direction of the air, by (carefully) popping your fingers in, and pushing the plastic/rubber fins so the air goes more/or less to the left, right or centre.

wrf12345

Have not enjoyed air to air heat yet but I don't like being blasted by an air-conditioner even when very hot (abroad) and much preferred to leave it on when I was out and then turn it off when I returned to a cold room so that may be worth thinking about, although possibly mounting the indoor unit close to the floor rather than ceiling might work better for some people.

Newbie_John

We've just clocked first full January with A2A, and for comparison (I assume 10kWh a day on everything else but heating):

2024 January 920kWh (620kWh heating) (away for a week)

2025 January 1100kWh (800kWh heating)

2026 January 590kWh (290kWh heating)*

It may not look like a clear 4x saving but we kept the house warm to 21-22 all day, first year of full time working from home and we also keep the house much warmer mostly because it's so much cheaper ☺️

*app says 271kWh used by A2A

TroubledTarts

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81865524#Comment_81865524

Has to be the best option for al electric flats, great for those who rent/landlords trying to up their EPC.