With a recent Air Source Heat Pump installed we felt it would be beneficial to hear a new customer’s views on the technology, their concerns and initial thoughts on how it’s been since the installation.
In our meetings with new customers the questions raised are similar and we hope you find the following of benefit. GSM would like to thank our customer for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive review.
GSM always are happy to take interested parties to local installations so that they can ask questions of the owners and experience first-hand the workings and benefits that these solutions can bring to their homes.
Call us for more information or perhaps you would like a personal site visit to gather more knowledge, 01531 – 828 782
What were your reasons for choosing an Air Source Heat Pump? (ASHP)
We moved to the property in the summer of 2013. When we purchased the property we knew that it currently used electric storage heaters for the heating and an electric immersion heater for the hot water. We had no knowledge of the previous owners heating costs but we knew that we did not want to go through a winter with such a system both for cost and general performance reasons. The property is located in a village with no mains gas and therefore we considered all other available options to us; this consisted of oil, LPG or air source heat pump. When looking at the costs involved for all systems, the air source heat pump would cost slightly more to install but data showed that it should not only be more efficient (and therefore save money in time) but also the new Government RHI initiative would mean that we should actually recover the majority of the installation costs over a seven year period. It was effectively a ‘no-brainer’ decision based on outlay and running costs.
What about any initial concerns?
Air source heat pumps, even though the technology has been around for years, initially seemed to be a relatively risky option in that not many people had heard or seen it when discussing it with other people. Also the thought of extracting heat out of the cold air you were trying to keep out of your home was hard to grasp. Fortunately we were able to visit a nearby property which had an ASHP installed the previous year and their positive experience through a severe winter gave us the assurance we were looking for.
When trying to choose between an ASHP and an oil system, we were aware that the ASHP would only be more cost effective if its performance efficiency was better than the comparable cost difference of electricity to oil. GSM were very helpful in providing the calculations that the ASHP maintained enough capacity / efficiency even at very low temperatures.
At the time of choosing the ASHP we also had to specify the radiators for each room. We knew these had to be oversized to that which would be required for a traditional oil system due to the lower operating temperatures of ASHP and therefore were concerned that these may be overpowering for each room. Again GSM took the time to calculate and detail the size of radiators for each room and due to them being double radiators the overall size was not really bigger than we were expecting.
How you have found the heating and hot water so far?
In the first 2 months since it was installed, we have been extremely pleased with the heating and hot water. During some very cold nights and days we have actually had to turn the radiators down due to the house feeling too hot at times.
The most pleasing aspect with the heating system, and something we were not expecting, was the oversized radiators operating at a slightly lower temperature to the more traditional oil or gas systems, seemed to provide a more pleasant warmth in the house. Previously living in a gas centrally heated property we were used to the radiators being very hot to touch and creating hot zones in the room. The ASHP lower temperature radiators created a more ambient temperature throughout the room.
What about Noise levels of the outdoor unit?
The ideal site of the ASHP was on the side of our property which was close to our neighbour’s house. We were worried that the noise of the heat pump may disturb our neighbours. Following the installation, the noise of the unit has not been an issue for our neighbours or us. The unit can only be heard when you are outside and near to the unit. When not in line of site of the heat pump it is very hard to hear it in operation.
How easy is the ASHP to use?
The heating system has been incredibly easy to use. The Daikin controller has a very simple interface and once the settings have been in putted for house temperature at different times of the day and week, it can basically be left to do its job. If for any reason one room gets particularly cold or warm, the individual radiator thermostat can be adjusted accordingly.
