Comments on: Domestic heat pumps: enthusiasm needs to be tempered http://www.carboncommentary.com/2009/06/12/663 A critical appraisal of issues in the move to a low-carbon economy Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:39:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tom Bowen http://www.carboncommentary.com/2009/06/12/663/comment-page-1#comment-2946 Tom Bowen Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:57:48 +0000 http://www.carboncommentary.com/?p=663#comment-2946 We moved into our house last July and have lived through a, so far, rather cold winter. We have LPG central heating but can only use cylinders, which is expensive. The cost of LPG means we can only use the central heating for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour before we go to bed. Our village is not on mains gas. Fortunately we also have a wood burner so part of the house is kept warm by that. We recentyl retired and would like the house to be warm during the day. We are considering whether to have an air-source heat pump fitted or to have two electric storage heaters in the part of the house that is not warmed by the wood burner. The storage heaters would not be in bedrooms and would be use to heat the 'other part' of the house during the day. We are on Economy 7 metering and the hot water is heated by this at night and during the time when a decent amount of sun shines by solar panels So - the ASHP would not need to heat the water at all. We have an out-building which is suitable to have the ASHP etc and would require a trench to be dug - approx 15 to 20 m. I feel that 45degrees C all day and night would be plenty warm enough. Clearly, the elec storage heaters would be cheaper to install. I cannot get any idea yet as to how much electricity would cost us daily for the ASHP. Any comments would be appreciated. We moved into our house last July and have lived through a, so far, rather cold winter. We have LPG central heating but can only use cylinders, which is expensive. The cost of LPG means we can only use the central heating for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour before we go to bed.
Our village is not on mains gas. Fortunately we also have a wood burner so part of the house is kept warm by that.
We recentyl retired and would like the house to be warm during the day.
We are considering whether to have an air-source heat pump fitted or to have two electric storage heaters in the part of the house that is not warmed by the wood burner. The storage heaters would not be in bedrooms and would be use to heat the ‘other part’ of the house during the day. We are on Economy 7 metering and the hot water is heated by this at night and during the time when a decent amount of sun shines by solar panels
So – the ASHP would not need to heat the water at all. We have an out-building which is suitable to have the ASHP etc and would require a trench to be dug – approx 15 to 20 m.
I feel that 45degrees C all day and night would be plenty warm enough.
Clearly, the elec storage heaters would be cheaper to install. I cannot get any idea yet as to how much electricity would cost us daily for the ASHP.
Any comments would be appreciated.

]]> By: Martin Pollentine http://www.carboncommentary.com/2009/06/12/663/comment-page-1#comment-2809 Martin Pollentine Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:18:47 +0000 http://www.carboncommentary.com/?p=663#comment-2809 We are currently assessing several installations of Air to Water Heat Pumps for a Housing association. We currently upgrade / replace existing gas boilers with modern high efficiency condensing boilers. However those remote properties without a mains gas supply are currently heated by oil or electric storage heaters. These properties will be able to benefit from an Air Source Heat Pump installation. The issue of increased size radiators can be addressed during the design stage. Coupled with Solar Panels to pre heat the domestic hot water, such an installation would benefit the end user enormously by way of reduced energy savings and significant grants are currently available to the landlord for each section of these works. We are currently assessing several installations of Air to Water Heat Pumps for a Housing association. We currently upgrade / replace existing gas boilers with modern high efficiency condensing boilers. However those remote properties without a mains gas supply are currently heated by oil or electric storage heaters. These properties will be able to benefit from an Air Source Heat Pump installation. The issue of increased size radiators can be addressed during the design stage. Coupled with Solar Panels to pre heat the domestic hot water, such an installation would benefit the end user enormously by way of reduced energy savings and significant grants are currently available to the landlord for each section of these works.

]]> By: Chris Goodall http://www.carboncommentary.com/2009/06/12/663/comment-page-1#comment-2761 Chris Goodall Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:43:18 +0000 http://www.carboncommentary.com/?p=663#comment-2761 To Helen Day Thank you very much for your comments. Very useful to have your numbers. If anybody else has got cost or savings estimates for using air source heat pumps, please do note them down here. ASHPs are potentially a very important technology but more information about how they actually perform and the likely costs will be very useful to everybody. Thanks again Chris Goodall To Helen Day

Thank you very much for your comments. Very useful to have your numbers.

If anybody else has got cost or savings estimates for using air source heat pumps, please do note them down here.

ASHPs are potentially a very important technology but more information about how they actually perform and the likely costs will be very useful to everybody.

Thanks again

Chris Goodall

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