Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

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Moxi
Posts: 2327
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2021 3:46 pm

Re: Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

#41

Post by Moxi »

Hi Mart,

Sounds like the same set up as mine and would work fine with a standard heat pump running low and slow as required to get the best CoP out of them. Do you already have a HWC ?

Moxi
Mart
Posts: 1329
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

#42

Post by Mart »

Hi Moxi. Haven't got a HWC.

My current plan, which changes every two or so days, is to add a HWC, a small leccy boiler (maybe 4/5kW), and perhaps a leccy element to the bathroom rad. I'm guessing at around £3k to £4k, but really don't know. have been looking at HP HWC and clever ones like Mixenergy. But keep coming back to our low needs, about 4 or 5kWh (including losses) per day. So perhaps a cheap, medium sized, bog standard tank with elements is all we really need?

Kinda shocked atm how easy it is to heat the house with just limited use of the 2 A2A units, and occassional oil rad* in smallest room (away from airflow). Of course, things will change massively when we hit the colder weather, and then the extreme 2 or 3 weeks that winter usually provides in Jan or Feb. But for now, if anything, the house is too warm, as I keep playing with reduced A2A use.

My guess, is that even with falling COPs, my heating limitations will be the temp in the two downstairs rooms (with A2A units). They may be too hot / umpleasant, to get the necessary heat out of the doors, to warm the rest of the house/upstairs. Now ...... can I fit a third unit upstairs somewhere, and forget the leccy boiler/wet system?

*Only 400W and modulates on and off every 5mins, so averaging ~200W.
8.7kWp PV [2.12kWp SSW + 4.61kWp ESE PV + 2.0kWp WNW PV]
Two BEV's.
Two small A2A heatpumps.
20kWh Battery storage.
Countrypaul
Posts: 577
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:50 am

Re: Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

#43

Post by Countrypaul »

Mart,

You mention adding a leccy element to the bathroom rad, which suggests to me that the rad is on the wet CH. Is the lecy element to operate when the CH if off ? (otherwise presumably it would just be conriuting to the CH). I would reccomend you get one with a settable thermostat built in, we have wet towel radiators with only leccy elements and have had problems with one overheating when covered with towels.
Mart
Posts: 1329
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

#44

Post by Mart »

Countrypaul wrote: Tue Oct 22, 2024 12:42 pm Mart,

You mention adding a leccy element to the bathroom rad, which suggests to me that the rad is on the wet CH. Is the lecy element to operate when the CH if off ? (otherwise presumably it would just be conriuting to the CH). I would reccomend you get one with a settable thermostat built in, we have wet towel radiators with only leccy elements and have had problems with one overheating when covered with towels.
Thanks CP. yes rad is on the wet GCH system. It's quite a large towel rad, and does a good job ..... or at least did, since GCH is still off. I'm thinking that ading an element would allow it to work (with the A2A units), since it looks like at least half of the heating months won't need the boiler on now. And of course, we all like a warm bathroom(?) Have also pondered whether in the future it would be better/simpler to disconnect it from the wet system, but I have no idea/experiance tbh.

Just pondering the issues of solving the problems on the edges, such as harder to heat rooms. Just did the washing up, of pans and pots etc, and there are 3 dishtowels hanging off a frame, that in turns hangs off the large kitchen rad, but that rad is off, and will probably remain so till Dec now.

Perhaps a good compromise will be to run the GCH for just an hour a day, with it being a leccy boiler in the future.*

Again, just ponderings, no real problems, just enjoying the thought process and of course overthinking it, as that's what I do best. :cat-shock:


*Edit - Even starting to wonder if oil filled rads are a solution, v's the wet system and a leccy boiler. If I'm right (and I'm probably not) that a 4kW leccy boiler would suffice in conjunction with the A2A units, then logic(?) would suggest that 4kW of oil rads (distributed where needed) would do the same job? That sounds crazy, but I can't see where I'm going wrong. Certainly easier than adding a leccy boiler, and the necessary cabling.
8.7kWp PV [2.12kWp SSW + 4.61kWp ESE PV + 2.0kWp WNW PV]
Two BEV's.
Two small A2A heatpumps.
20kWh Battery storage.
Countrypaul
Posts: 577
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:50 am

Re: Stop pushing heat pumps or face major backlash, Dale Vince tells Labour

#45

Post by Countrypaul »

Mart,

FYI: I never put any CH into he bedrooms when renovating this place - but if do not we leave the bedroom doors closed the bedrooms get to cold for SWMBO in the colder months. We therefore have a couple of oil filled radiators for those times the bedrooms need help. You can now get WiFi enabled ones so can be controlled remotely, ours are usually connected by WiFi switches so simple on/off no anility to control the output remotely (I assume the WiFi ones are more flexible).
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