mullaman Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Hi I have installed an air source heat pump in our house in Brae.It is amazing how much it has saved us as originally we had an electric boiler. It is a new build with under floor heating and radiators combined. They are particularly suited to well insulated houses as the water temperature from the heat pump is lower than produced from eg an oil boiler. It extracts the free useable heat in the air and through a refrigeration process (the exact opposite of how your fridge works) exchanges the heat produced with the water in your central heating system. It is very easy to install with an existing wet central heating system and there are very little controls so is simple to operate.You doint have to remove your existing boiler.Radiator size may have to be increased due to the lower water temperatures. We installed the 12kw unit in our garage and ran the water pipes into the house to connect at our tank.In the garage the air temperature is usually 2-3 degrees higher than the outside temperature so improving the efficiency of the Heat pump.If you have freezers , washing machines or dryers in the garage it can use the heat from them to improve the efficiency that otherweise would be wasted.The unit can be installed outside. Anyone wants info just contact me or come along. 07788113340 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 tried to look into the energy efficency grants for an alternative power supply. but to even qualify for the grants and loans they want us to pay for either internal insulation at about 40 quid a square meter to external stuff at even more. being fuel poor or whatever they call it i dont have the thousands to pay for this work so i guess i will just have to stay on the old mains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullaman Posted December 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 I think the Grant system is a way for registered bodies to make more money. The price of these units is £1500. With installation costs it would be well below other units that go through the grant system. I have heard of people having installations with grants still costing above £5000! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infiltrator Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 What temp is the water coming out of the heat pump?You've no other source of heating the c/h water other than the heat pump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crofter Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 What are the advantages/disadvantages compared to ground source? Does your garage get cold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 One disadvantage that has been pointed out is that an uncovered version may have problems with the aluminium fins in the unit corroding faster than normal, due to the sheer amount of salt in the air in Shetland. But the apparent low cost of the unit may help offset that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullaman Posted December 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 We left the existing electric boiler in as there is no need to remove it.It is not on and the air source heat pump provides all our hot water and heating. Maximum i have had the heat pump up to is 60 degrees c. The heating stat on our tank for the rads and UFH is set to 43oc so when that is satisfied the heat pump just switches on and off with that thermostat.The water is timed to come on at different times of the day and that stat is set to 50oc which is perfect. The advantages over Ground source and any other air source I have seen is the installation costs with this type it is thousands of pounds cheaper. The garage does not get cold and remains a few degrees higher than the outside air temp. This Heat pump has a stainless steel evaporator so is more resilient to Shetlands environment than say the aluminium or copper evaporators Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc123 Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 For anyone interested in air source heat pumps the EST offer grants and also at present are running an interest free loan for installation of renewable measures. They are obviously impartial and not selling any particular product. They also point you in the direction of quality assurance/ MCS tested products. They also offer a free and impartial home visit, give them a call on 0800 512 012. As someone previously mentioned, it is imperative that heat pumps are installed in well insulated homes otherwise running costs will soon rack up. The heat pumps do offer great potential for Shetland and our unfortunate reliance on nasty fossil fuels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I am wondering how this would work with a combi boiler.Could you still retain your existing boiler for hot water only or would I also need a boiler plus immersion along with the heat pump if I wanted decent hot water ?What is the power consumption of the 12kW unit ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullaman Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Unfortunatley this cannot work with a combi boiler.You would have to install a megaflow with a coil inside The Heat pump draws approx 3kw but this is not constant and is switched off when the thermostats on the water tank or in the room switch it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Hmmmmm ! soonds expensive, I think the 3kW would probably be on quite a lot in our particular homestead, with windows frequently open for circulation, cat exits , etc! Aweel, back tae da paetbank !!Ta for the info.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m.stewart Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 I used to repair these a few years back. There were 5 or so 3 phase ones in Lerwick. As far as I am aware the owners were quite happy with them in as much as heat output versus the power used to drive the units. The weather took its toll on them after about 10 years and the refrigerant leaks were hard to repair sometimes. A really well insulated house with the least possible air movements would be best. A house with a cat and/or bairns in and out the whole time would be a no no (heat pump or not). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullaman Posted August 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2010 I think the Grant system is a way for registered bodies to make more money. The price of these units is £1500. With installation costs it would be well below other units that go through the grant system. I have heard of people having installations with grants still costing above £5000! The Renewable Heating Incentive that is due to be announced will make it worth while investing in MCS accredited units. This will help to pay for the Heat pumps and give you a return on your investment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swc123 Posted August 26, 2010 Report Share Posted August 26, 2010 The Renewable Heating Incentive that is due to be announced will make it worth while investing in MCS accredited units. This will help to pay for the Heat pumps and give you a return on your investment The following contains information on the RHI for those interested: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Renewable-Heat-Incentive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papaman Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Just on the cusp of choosing the heating system for my new-build house. Anybody got any experience of the costs of running Air source heat pump systems in this climate? I will also have a wood burning stove inputting to the system. So is it condensing oil boiler or air source heat pump? Its important to get it right cos I have 4 shower hungry children and like most of us I don't have money to waste. Thanks (*** Mod - Merged ***) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.