More Renewable Shenanigans at Nowty Towers

[Adokforme]

That's a great install Nowty and huge applause to you for completing it single handed. We had two similar units, but only 2kW, installed four years ago, initally just to cover the shoulder months too. They coped so well during the next two winters that we eventually did away with GCH entirely, so now leccy only.
I hope your experience of it/them proves as impressive as ours has been.

[nowty]

Nice one, it will be interesting to see how well it copes with the winter load, I trust you will keep a record.

if only out GOVT could recognise the merits of a hybrid type system for heating and hot water instead of slavishly sticking to HP only.

Desp

I'm not expecting to use it in mid winter, as that's what my GSHP and storage heaters are for, but there are many milder days in winter when it might be tactically used.

A simple change to planning law like allowing more than one unit on your house without planning consent. Your allowed one up to 0.6 meter cube which is huge as mine is little over 0.1 meter cube. So why not allow several up to an aggregate volume so you could have 2 or 3.

Oh and according to having it as permitted development, its only allowed to be used for heating. So to use it in cooling mode, I need to apply for planning permission. I can understand the reasoning about increasing power use, but in my case for cooling its all solar powered anyway.

[chris_n]

Good job, well done. I am interested in one of these units for my daughter's house with a view to providing some 'free heat' when possible. The house is in the North East and has 3.75kW of panels on a south facing roof. At the moment we use a smart switch to switch a small oil filled radiator using the timer function. If the weather is looking better there is another heater to turn on or if it is a poor generation day it is turned off completely. The idea is to avoid import as much as possible as there is no point in paying for electricity when there is a gas central heating system fitted. I know I could use an Iboost or something to control it better and that is certainly an option, but I am thinking with a heat pump it doesn't matter so much as efficiency is better.
What I would like to know is if there is an option to use less power e.g. an Eco / low speed mode where no matter the difference between set and actual temperature the unit never uses more than say 400w (probably ignoring defrost cycles), and whether the WiFi (app) is useable from outside your own network ( I am in Austria and normally control thing from here).
Any advice / answers gratefully received.

[Stinsy]

Good job, well done. I am interested in one of these units for my daughter's house with a view to providing some 'free heat' when possible. The house is in the North East and has 3.75kW of panels on a south facing roof. At the moment we use a smart switch to switch a small oil filled radiator using the timer function. If the weather is looking better there is another heater to turn on or if it is a poor generation day it is turned off completely. The idea is to avoid import as much as possible as there is no point in paying for electricity when there is a gas central heating system fitted. I know I could use an Iboost or something to control it better and that is certainly an option, but I am thinking with a heat pump it doesn't matter so much as efficiency is better.
What I would like to know is if there is an option to use less power e.g. an Eco / low speed mode where no matter the difference between set and actual temperature the unit never uses more than say 400w (probably ignoring defrost cycles), and whether the WiFi (app) is useable from outside your own network ( I am in Austria and normally control thing from here).
Any advice / answers gratefully received.

All the A2A HPs I’ve seen have an “eco” setting. What it does I don’t know (the eco setting on my oven uses way more grid power than the standard setting).

[nowty]

There is an eco setting but all that does is change the preset temp setpoints in Auto mode by 2 degrees.

But it does have a sleep function which I believe is a low fan speed to reduce the noise of the indoor unit, and maybe lower power overall. I've not tried it yet.

[nowty]

Planed a bit off the lower insulated square which was used for the balanced flue of the old gas stove heater, so managed to get the soundbar fitted today. The last once had a fibre optic connector, but the new one recommends a HDMI ARC connector which seems to be the new thing.


Another job done.

Still working on the final electrical connection solution of the aircon unit as I need to do some under the floor exploration of my earlier work, where I can't remember which wire goes where.

And then there's the heat recovery ventilation unit which is going where the balanced flue hole is.
Estimated completion date of that, before winter.

[chris_n]

Where the pipes go through the wall what have you done to seal the hole, squirty foam?

[nowty]

Where the pipes go through the wall what have you done to seal the hole, squirty foam?

If I used that, the indoor unit would be fixed for good.

I've used nothing so far, its a fairly snug fit, but I will probably stuff some easy removeable insulation in any gaps from the outside.

I've left the hole for the power cord as that goes into a chimney cavity which is blocked off with insulation both top in the loft and and bottom where it now goes under the floor. I use the old chimney channel as internal wall cable trunking.

[Mr Gus]

Nice one, it will be interesting to see how well it copes with the winter load, I trust you will keep a record.

if only out GOVT could recognise the merits of a hybrid type system for heating and hot water instead of slavishly sticking to HP only.

Desp

I'm not expecting to use it in mid winter, as that's what my GSHP and storage heaters are for, but there are many milder days in winter when it might be tactically used.

A simple change to planning law like allowing more than one unit on your house without planning consent. Your allowed one up to 0.6 meter cube which is huge as mine is little over 0.1 meter cube. So why not allow several up to an aggregate volume so you could have 2 or 3.

Oh and according to having it as permitted development, its only allowed to be used for heating. So to use it in cooling mode, I need to apply for planning permission. I can understand the reasoning about increasing power use, but in my case for cooling its all solar powered anyway.

I noticed that bit-o-stupid too Nowty, ..it is unlikely to ever be followed up unless there is a rumpus / summer climate related brown outs, ...govt needs to be nudged over this, & solar, & solar powered cooling ..after all it could be revenue for another piece of crap tick box paper (sneaky tax)

[nowty]

Gave the new sound bar and its associated bass unit and good test drive last night watching some of the Glastonbury footage from BBC iPlayer last night into the early hours, mostly Pet Shop Boys and Paul McCartney.

And to really test the bass unit, I had a real surprise when I found the BBC had covered "The Jesus and Mary Chain" gig. I saw them at my first ever live gig in a basement nightclub "Clouds" in Preston when I was 16 years old. Possibly the loudest event I have ever been to, those were the days.

I had to crank up the volume to SWMBO's displeasure when "Some Candy Talking" came on. That band wasn't quite her cup of tea.