Heating season?

Air source, ground source and associated systems for heating homes
MrPablo
Posts: 240
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2022 1:26 pm

Re: Heating season?

#51

Post by MrPablo »

Same here, the heating was fired up yesterday morning after the north side of the house started to dip below 16c.
Saying that, this month I did replumb a couple of rooms in copper with bigger rads, ready for the heat pump install in future.
I'm hoping that results in a little more gas CH efficiency as least.
10x 405W JA Solar panels (4.05kWp) @ 5 degrees
3x 405W Longi panels (1.22kWp) @ 90 degrees
16.5kWh DIY LifePo4 battery
Solis inverter/charger
0.6kW Ripple WT
Mart
Posts: 1006
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Heating season?

#52

Post by Mart »

Mart wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:32 pm Anyone have thoughts on running the A2A at night using cheap(er) rate leccy?

PV for the next week will be poor, and drops fast anyway due to E/W panel orientation.

So, with temps at night rising to a more reasonable 8C to 12C, is it worth running the A2A, to reduce GCH? No plans to heat the house up, in fact, the one unit couldn't do that, but is warming at night a good idea, as losses may be a bit higher than letting the house cool, but balanced against a gas boiler .... OK?
Update on my question and the many responses. May have discovered a giant 'DOH!' in my thoughts.

Should have done this years ago, but used the wifi and app options to look at the energy consumption of the A2A unit. It's a 3.5kW unit that can pull around 700W.

So, I've been running it at night, but at low(ish) temps to avoid too much heat and waste, but it has only taken the chill off (which is a great thing). But looking at the app, I've found that at 20C it's been pulling just over 200W (23.30-5.30), at 23C it was pulling just over 300W, and last night at 25C it was pulling a bit over 400W throughout.

So, the answer seems to be, as suggested by everyone (thanks), to whack it up, and spread heat through the house, otherwise it's not doing loads of work, some great work, but not as much as it could.
3.58kWp ESE PV + 2.0kWp WNW PV.
Two BEV's.
Two small A2A heatpumps.
Mart
Posts: 1006
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Heating season?

#53

Post by Mart »

Update, and question.

So ..... couple of days ago, I decided to pop the thin filter off the top of the A2A inside unit and give it a vacumn. It was very dusty, but not 'horrific'. Used a small nozzle with a brush end, and was quick and easy, popped the grille/mesh back into place.

But ..... yesterday, I noticed the room seemed warmer, so much so, I mentioned to Wifey, who said she'd noticed the same. Thought it was simply because the temp outside was a bit warmer, but it kept nagging at me. Also the room was, if anything, too hot. We have the unit at 25C, to add as much heat to the house as possible, with the door wide open. Don't use the room all the time, but have a Guide Dog trainee with us (Fri-Mon) and our dog Buster was having bitey-face fights with her, in the room, where the furniture has been pushed to the edges as a play room.

Then thought, I wonder if it's just a co-incidence, having cleaned the filter. So, checked the on-line app to see what the energy consumption is. For the last few weeks, for each hour through the night, it's been pulling about 380W/380Wh. But Thursday night it had pulled about 480W all night, and the same again last night.

Is this obviously because the unit now has greater airflow, so can process more energy? Is this well known to all? Am I really silly for not cleaning this sooner (no need to answer that).

And bonus question, to get folk thinking - will the dust have impacted efficiency? I appreciate that it can't work as hard, but would the COP have been roughly the same? For clarity, not suggesting I (we) don't clean it more often, just pondering the maths/physics?
3.58kWp ESE PV + 2.0kWp WNW PV.
Two BEV's.
Two small A2A heatpumps.
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