Heat Pump

[Lavinda Past]

Not all companies are reputable unfortunately, happens in all walks of life.

True, but as I understand it, the government grant is only available if you use an approved provider/installer.

It's part of the government aim to meet climate targets at any cost. They've set aside a pot of money and they don't care who gets it.

 

[Coatigan]

Its funny but the 70's estate I live on features loads of houses - semi's and detached - that feature dormers with a tile hung fronts. About 6 inches thick with minimal insulation so they are not very good summer or winter. The big fad ( ie some salesman had a great success ) last year was to have the tiles removed and the fronts fitted with some sort insulated cladding. I thought I'd get some feedback before spending £3k minimum on each dormer front.

Feedback? Still stifling in the heat and cold in winter. There has been no discernible savings on utility bills but I accept its hard to do that when prices have doubled and summer was mostly shite so lights were on even on longer nights as dark clouds rolled in and some nights it got cold enough for a few hours heating anyway.

For any of this to work we need a fundamental re-think on our housing stock. Of course there was some progress on this when loads of people spent their own money to train up to perform surveys on homes for the Warm Homes push - then the govt pulled the plug on that idea due to costs.

You pretty much highlight the biggest issue right there. Spending to improve one small bit of something that makes very little difference to the overall.

The point of heat pumps, is not to save people money. It is not even efficiency. It is to help the push to using renewables and phase out fossil fuels, for the long term. And it works on new stock where for the best part it is becoming compulsary by legislation. And even then, it needs thought about as a whole. But adding it to existing stock, would usually need other upgrades to make sense. By which point you might as well accept it and let it phase out naturally over time.

 

[bluethrunthru]

You pretty much highlight the biggest issue right there. Spending to improve one small but of something that makes very little difference to the overall.

The point of heat pumps, is not to save people money, it is not even efficiency. It is to help the push to using renewables and phase out fossil fuels, for the long term. And it works on new stock where for the best part it is becoming compulsary by legislation. And even then, it needs thought about as a whole. But adding it to existing stock, would usually need other upgrades to make sense. By which point you might as well accept it and let it phase out naturally over time.

also has to be remembered that the dormer "fades" down below the pitched roof over the lounge. Therefore an external "fix" only goes down to roughly the window meaning below that to the floor is not clad anyway - if anything a sensible approach would be to apply insulation internally then decorate over it that was you get floor to ceiling insulation. We do have loft insulation and the gable end has foam cavity insulation.

I am talking this type of dormer

Property valuation - 11 Falcon Way, Guisborough, Redcar And Cleveland, TS14 8HW

11 Falcon Way, Guisborough is a 3 bedroom freehold semi-detached house spread over 557 square feet, making it one of the smaller properties here - it is ranked as the most expensive property* in TS14 8HW, with a valuation of £205,000.

themovemarket.com

 

[Coatigan]

These heat pumps seem to be a bit like electric cars. On the face of it a good idea, but in reality something only owned by utter cunts.

There you go @jrb , of all that you have read, if this doesn't help make your mind up, nothing will.

 

[i kne albert davy]

True, but as I understand it, the government grant is only available if you use an approved provider/installer.

It's part of the government aim to meet climate targets at any cost. They've set aside a pot of money and they don't care who gets it.

Last year we got a call from a elderly guy who'd had one fitted his house (on moors above Burnley) was fuckin freezing, wanted his house insulating got there 1950's random stone couldn't be fitted checked his EPC see how the twats had got a recommendation to fit heat pump. House was down as insulated assumed to get that result would have to be built after 1990. Some bent cunts out there approved or not I'm afraid.

 

[Blue Til Death]

Forget about heat pumps unless your house is one of these super eco friendly, super insulated ones.. They are useless.

 

[i kne albert davy]

You pretty much highlight the biggest issue right there. Spending to improve one small bit of something that makes very little difference to the overall.

The point of heat pumps, is not to save people money. It is not even efficiency. It is to help the push to using renewables and phase out fossil fuels, for the long term. And it works on new stock where for the best part it is becoming compulsary by legislation. And even then, it needs thought about as a whole. But adding it to existing stock, would usually need other upgrades to make sense. By which point you might as well accept it and let it phase out naturally over time.

Awful lot of social housing being converted to air source now, along with extra loft insulation and old mineral wool insulation being removed from walls to be replaced by thermal bead system instead.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Last year we got a call from a elderly guy who'd had one fitted his house (on moors above Burnley) was fuckin freezing, wanted his house insulating got there 1950's random stone couldn't be fitted checked his EPC see how the twats had got a recommendation to fit heat pump. House was down as insulated assumed to get that result would have to be built after 1990. Some bent cunts out there approved or not I'm afraid.

Our society is in a mess. :-(

 

[Sk@mcfc]

Its funny but the 70's estate I live on features loads of houses - semi's and detached - that feature dormers with a tile hung fronts. About 6 inches thick with minimal insulation so they are not very good summer or winter. The big fad ( ie some salesman had a great success ) last year was to have the tiles removed and the fronts fitted with some sort insulated cladding. I thought I'd get some feedback before spending £3k minimum on each dormer front.

Feedback? Still stifling in the heat and cold in winter. There has been no discernible savings on utility bills but I accept its hard to do that when prices have doubled and summer was mostly shite so lights were on even on longer nights as dark clouds rolled in and some nights it got cold enough for a few hours heating anyway.

For any of this to work we need a fundamental re-think on our housing stock. Of course there was some progress on this when loads of people spent their own money to train up to perform surveys on homes for the Warm Homes push - then the govt pulled the plug on that idea due to costs.

Again it’s pretty much useless in older homes as the cavities are shite and domers ,vaulted ceilings etc don’t have big enough rafters in to put decent insulation in
On our builds now we have to put 150mm cavity insulation in then insulated boards ,similar on the roof structure and you do see a massive difference

 

[jrb]

Thanks to everyone. Interesting reading about heat pumps. Some of it is at odds with what I’ve been reading online and from what the (so called) heating experts are saying about heat pumps, but I’m happy to go with what has been posted on here. :-)

I live in an ex-council house. TBH It’s a pretty cold house, especially during the Autumn and Winter months. It takes a lot of heating via the central heating system to get the house warm during the winter months. The double glazed windows are at least 20+ years old, if not older, and need replacing. I’m not sure if the house has cavity wall insulation or not. How do check that? The loft is insulated, but even that doesn’t look great, when I’ve looked at it. That probably needs replacing. I’ve got laminate flooring throughout downstairs which isn’t great at retaining heat or keeping heat it in. I’ve got a new combi-boiler that was installed about 2 years ago, which works really well. My radiators are a few years old, so they should be efficient. I bleed them on a regular basis. In a nutshell, I just want to get my house warmer in the Autumn and Winter months, as well as trying to keep my energy bills down.(see below) ATM I’m keeping warm via fleece clothing, an electric blanket on my bed and in my living room, which are really good and cheap to run, and the central heating when it’s really cold. I’m a bit of a tight b@stard with money, if the truth be told. :-/

My last online electricity and gas bill from the 13th of November to the 10th of December was, Electricity £85.26, Gas £18.27.

I’ve ruled out a heat pump after reading your advice. :-)

What about solar panels? As you can see from my electricity and gas bill, my electricity is pretty high in comparison to my gas. Again, I’ve read positive reviews and articles on solar panels. Obviously they save you money on your electricity bills long—term, but you can also sell your spare electricity back to the energy company/national grid. I don’t use much electricity in the Summer months, so that would produce some additional incoming for my electricity and gas bills.

Which of the following 4 would you invest in first this year in time for the Autumn and Winter months?

1. New double glazing throughout the house.
2. Cavity wall insulation. (If I need it?)
3. New loft insulation.
4. Solar panels.

Once again, thanks for all the advice. :-)