Operation "Use Less Gas"

[Stinsy]

Why so late on with the A2A Stinsy, is it a moral thing?

I don’t like the house to be too warm overnight. 0500 start for the A2A is early enough in the shoulder months, moved back to 0400 now winter has turned up. Morning routine is upstairs in our house, only brief trips downstairs to fetch cups of tea for the adults and breakfast for the kids.

[Stinsy]

Allow a 10% efficiency advantage to Electric 1:1 heating and I am paying only 14% premium to stay gas free.

If the heating efficiency of electricity compared to gas is higher then I'm doing even better. If the A2A has even 2:1 cop then you would be ahead of the game AND morally superior in gas.

I’m confident that few gas boilers achieve better than 75% efficiency in real-world operation. I’m also confident that A2A generally does better than COP of 3 in real-world operation. So A2A on cheap-rate electric is a no-brainier and possibly the cheapest way to heat your house (beaten only by wind fallen logs burned on WBS).

Resistive on cheap-rate is probably the same cost as gas which is a big win as far as I’m concerned.

A2A on peak-rate electric is probably still slightly more expensive than gas unfortunately.

Resistive on peak-rate electric isn’t viable IMO.

[Moxi]

While we are discussing heat pumps and efficiencies and not wanting to hi jack the thread either;

Can I ask if dehumidifiers, fitted with compressors, not the Peltier plates units, represent a reasonable alternative to fitting mechanical ventilation with heat recovery when used in older "leakier" homes ?

Moxi

[robl]

Older leakier homes are unlikely to have high humidity! I suggest getting a humidity meter, or better still Temp+Humidity+CO2 meter. If you actually do have high RH, then either there's a lot of water getting in from somewhere that should be identified, or there's actually low ventilation - the CO2 meter would find read high in this instance, and a dehumidifier would mask this issue.
Is the actual issue that you get condensation on single glazed windows, in an old leaky house? In this instance, the RH can be low giving a low dewpoint - but the lack of insulation will still cause condensation internally on the windows. Lowering the RH still further makes the home less pleasant - itchy dry skin, more likely to catch a cold due to mucous membranes drying up, etc. 40-60% RH is the sweet spot generally.

[Stinsy]

While we are discussing heat pumps and efficiencies and not wanting to hi jack the thread either;

Can I ask if dehumidifiers, fitted with compressors, not the Peltier plates units, represent a reasonable alternative to fitting mechanical ventilation with heat recovery when used in older "leakier" homes ?

Moxi

I looked into MVHR systems. I imagined a simple unit in the attic that extracted damp air from the bathroom and ensuite, and returned fresh air to the hallway. However the prices were silly and all the suppliers seemed to be only interested in selling ultra-complex systems to Grand Designs wannabes with too much money.

So I stuck with ordinary extractors in those rooms and a dehumidifier.

This is the one I have : https://amzn.eu/d/b9pC77O

It produces a huge amount of water, all the energy it consumes goes into the house as heat and you get bonus heat from the condensing water.

[Moxi]

That’s what I hoped to hear Stinsy thanks.

The cottage is a small three bed 1880,s build, solid stone walls EWI double glazed with upstairs windows open by 10mm there’s me and the wife three small kids three large dogs two large cats and a corn snake. Kitchen and bathroom extract externally and the downstairs floor is very old concrete over earthen floor with no dpm.

We occasionally get some black mold in corners behind furniture which I normally manage by using tube heaters to create air circulation.

I have a humidifier which I was going to use but I had loaned this to my eldest last year and the day I asked if it was being used he informed me “ dad there’s water dripping through the ceiling in to the lounge, what should I do “ so you can guess that he’s holding on to the dehumidifier while we dry his cottage out and get his ceiling replaced. So I am considering/ have decided that a new one should be bought for us and then leave Jim with the older unit for his place full time.

Moxi

[Joeboy]

That’s what I hoped to hear Stinsy thanks.

The cottage is a small three bed 1880,s build, solid stone walls EWI double glazed with upstairs windows open by 10mm there’s me and the wife three small kids three large dogs two large cats and a corn snake. Kitchen and bathroom extract externally and the downstairs floor is very old concrete over earthen floor with no dpm.

We occasionally get some black mold in corners behind furniture which I normally manage by using tube heaters to create air circulation.

I have a humidifier which I was going to use but I had loaned this to my eldest last year and the day I asked if it was being used he informed me “ dad there’s water dripping through the ceiling in to the lounge, what should I do “ so you can guess that he’s holding on to the dehumidifier while we dry his cottage out and get his ceiling replaced. So I am considering/ have decided that a new one should be bought for us and then leave Jim with the older unit for his place full time.

Moxi

We run two. One upstairs and one downstairs. The upstairs is the new unit bought last month. I ran it flat out for about 10 days. The hopper was full in 24 hrs. Downstairs was reduced to about 1/2 ltr in 24 hours. Dropped the upstairs unit to 1/2 speed and the 24hr volumes swapped dehumidifiers. Just goes to show they are effective. I could probable get away with one but prefer the extra cost and knowledge that the whole house is covered. I would love to fit a mhvr system but it wouldn't be easy or even moderately difficult. It would be a bugger and remedial pricey.

[AGT]

Well that’s the OVO FIT payment in the bank, so paid that to Octopus to cover this winters increase in consumption.

[Stinsy]

This is how it is supposed to work!

[Stinsy]

I best turn something on!