Climate change, heat pumps the answer?

[Exfarmer]

It is minus zero outside, thank god for my heat pump?

oh dear it is not working that well, despite all the promises!

 

[Shep]

Funny how all the answers seem to involve some kind of new technology or taxes.

 

[Bogweevil]

A vast one heats the local garden centre - works well enough after some teething problems.

 

[DaveGrohl]

It is minus zero outside, thank god for my heat pump?
View attachment 995178
oh dear it is not working that well, despite all the promises!

I think the idea is you generate your own climate friendly heat by jumping up and down and getting angry as fekk with Boris. Quite tiring but I can see how the idea works.

 

[robs1]

A vast one heats the local garden centre - works well enough after some teething problems.

But what does it cost to run ?

 

[aidan]

It is minus zero outside, thank god for my heat pump?
View attachment 995178
oh dear it is not working that well, despite all the promises!

jokes aside does it not work in below 0C conditions

 

[Exfarmer]

jokes aside does it not work in below 0C conditions

Actually they can work very well in below zero conditions provided the air is dry, the problem today is that it is dank ( misty / light mizzle ) they obviously prefer warmer conditions.
My Electric bill last month was £268 but I do have 8 KW of solar panels as well helping the situation. That figure includes a 5 bed house

 

[Exfarmer]

I should say this also includes a well insulated swimming pool

 

[chickens and wheat]

does the pump cabin have an air vent at rear ? why no insulation on hot pipe?

 

[DrWazzock]

I recall from college days that these things have a maximum theoretical efficiency limited by the laws of thermodynamics and isnt very impressive. Something like 50% I think. So essentially you have to spend a quid to get £1.50 back, something like that. And as your heat source (ground, air or whatever) gets colder, heat pump has to work harder to extract heat from it so for every electricity you put into it you get less of a return.
They maybe help a bit but aren’t fantastic in my view. I’d also imagine if it’s ground source you will get a bit of a fall off in performance as you cool the local area round your pipes.
I’m seriously looking at all options though. My mate had a heat pump installed to heat his jacuzzi and he’s had big electricity bills since.

 

[happycows]

It is minus zero outside, thank god for my heat pump?
View attachment 995178
oh dear it is not working that well, despite all the promises!

Yours is still fitted. Dads is chucked in the corner of the machinery shed.

 

[Hampton]

I still don’t get heat pumps.
Can someone explain to me why a heat pump would be better than and electric boiler like one below running off solar panels on the farm buildings roof or AD on certain farms or Wimd turbines. Surely the elctric boiler panel system would be better both in terms of heating, but also cost

Electric Heating Company Comet 14.4kW/180L Electric Boiler W/Preplumbed Cylinder EHCCOM15/180PPC

Comet 14.4kW/180L Electric Boiler W/Preplumbed Cylinder

www.cityplumbing.co.uk

For the price of the heat pump and all the attached nonsense, you could run 2 boilers and still have change left over for more panels and an electric range rover

 

[Paddington]

We've had a couple of heat pump firms ring up touting for business, when I told them we don't have double glazing and the dog is always leaving the back door wide open, they lost interest.

 

[DaveGrohl]

I still don’t get heat pumps.
Can someone explain to me why a heat pump would be better than and electric boiler like one below running off solar panels on the farm buildings roof or AD on certain farms or Wimd turbines wouldn’t be better both in terms of heating, but also cost

Electric Heating Company Comet 14.4kW/180L Electric Boiler W/Preplumbed Cylinder EHCCOM15/180PPC

Comet 14.4kW/180L Electric Boiler W/Preplumbed Cylinder

www.cityplumbing.co.uk

For the price of the heat pump and all the attached nonsense, you could run 2 boilers and still have change left over for more panels and an electric range rover

Oh do come on at the back there, they're the new smart meter.

 

[Campbell]

The prime ministers husband is handing out £3.9bn get the heat pump ball rolling, but if they are that good at saving us money, folks will buy them anyway.. As we all know, subs just end up in suppliers pockets. When I ask people how their bigger type systems are working, the answer is usually about how much sub [i.e tax payers dosh] they have harvested. Friends have a system with new build house, after two years they are still trying to get the installers to get the system working correctly, meantime their electricity bills are higher than ever.
Based on what I currently understand "I'm afraid I'm oot"

 

[Hindsight]

I recall from college days that these things have a maximum theoretical efficiency limited by the laws of thermodynamics and isnt very impressive. Something like 50% I think. So essentially you have to spend a quid to get £1.50 back, something like that. And as your heat source (ground, air or whatever) gets colder, heat pump has to work harder to extract heat from it so for every electricity you put into it you get less of a return.
They maybe help a bit but aren’t fantastic in my view. I’d also imagine if it’s ground source you will get a bit of a fall off in performance as you cool the local area round your pipes.
I’m seriously looking at all options though. My mate had a heat pump installed to heat his jacuzzi and he’s had big electricity bills since.

Of course the irony in your post is 'to heat his Jacuzzi'.

 

[Vader]

Heat pumps only really any good if you got underfloor heating.
I don't rate air source.
When gets to cold, don't work.

Also if you can afford it, I would have the bore hole as more depth, or go at least double trench depth they recommend.

Had ground source for 15 years now.
Plenty of problems and tweaks along the way.
Mainly because firm fitting them knew very little.
If could go back in time, would still have it, but would be done right first time

 

[aidan]

Heat pumps only really any good if you got underfloor heating.
I don't rate air source.
When gets to cold, don't work.

Also if you can afford it, I would have the bore hole as more depth, or go at least double trench depth they recommend.

Had ground source for 15 years now.
Plenty of problems and tweaks along the way.
Mainly because firm fitting them knew very little.
If could go back in time, would still have it, but would be done right first time

How much water do you need for ground source, will a shallow well do

 

[D14]

It is minus zero outside, thank god for my heat pump?
View attachment 995178
oh dear it is not working that well, despite all the promises!

My brother put one on a barn conversion and after 12 months he had a refund from the supplier as it just didn't work and they couldn't get it working as it was sold. The engineers said numerous times that the sales people are over selling the systems and they had loads of disgruntled customers.

 

[DrWazzock]

Of course the irony in your post is 'to heat his Jacuzzi'.

Absolutely. The heat pump is not replacing existing energy usage. It’s a net increase in energy usage to heat the newly acquired jacuzzi.
And therein lies the fundamental problem with all of this. Nobody really wants to reduce or conserve or retreat as it’s seen as going backwards.
How much RHI money is heating swimming pools that would otherwise not have been built? Whole thing is a bit of a swindle in my view which will add some icing on the cake of the already well off but won’t do much for those in the middle who have limited scope and resource to exploit such measures.