A tip if you have the space: When you have electricity prices tied to time, like hourly prices (i have that here in Sweden), then you should install large water tanks. A bit depending of the size and heat need but think at least one cubic meter. Then a pump that is connected and knows the prices per time unit. This makes it possible to heat a lot of water when it is cheap, and then use that hot water to heat the home during the rest of the period. Often it is cheaper during night as an example, and then it will run like hell during that time, and then shut off during expensive day time. To refine even more, you could tie it to weather forecast and outside temperature to find the sweep spot where the outside temperature makes it more beneficial to run since is is more efficient in high temperatures compared to cheap electricity price. This is just basic math so really not difficult at all although manufacturer have not stepped into this game yet, so you have to build it yourself. Basing on electricity prices, here there are available solutions already.

Hey Tom, thank you for this video. I am about to start our heat pump journey. We have a 1900s stone house. We are having external wall insulation and bigger radiator and solar panels. Long term plan looks like trying to buy a battery to store energy to offset electric aswell. Thanks for giving me the confidence im making the right choice

Hi Tom, a very interesting video and great to hear your getting on with your heat pump. I have pushed for the full setup of heat pump, solar PV and battery and I am getting very significant savings as you have mentioned. As I also have a electric car I am using the Octopus intelligent tariff and have been optimizing my energy use on appliances and when the heat pump heats the water tank i.e. timing the cheaper energy tariff over night and using solar during the day. What is also worth mentioning is that we don't use gas for cooking so the gas was previously only for the boiler, so once we got a heat pump the house is gas free and I no longer needed a gas meter so I don't get charged the standing fee for having a gas meter so that's another saving there.

Amazingly produced video. Using this for a essay for my degree as a experience of someone with a air source heat pump. Really helped!!!!

DUDE!!! I didn’t know your hometown was Southport? Mike Simon commissioned our Heat pump installation. I live in Crosby now, but are used to live in Southport near the football ground on Forest Road. I am more than happy with our heat pump. I ended up installing all my own solar PV and home battery, saves me an absolute fortune!!

I recently installed a heat pump and new high efficiency gas furnace in my Canadian home. This is the most efficient way to heat and cool a house. My cold weather heat pump can heat until -30 Celsius but I’ve read that the efficiency is greatly degraded. I am also getting solar panels installed so that will help as well. I should get a 0% interest loan from the government to finance my solar panels so, while it may cost me slightly more during the first five-ten years, once they are paid off in ten years I will save money on electricity!

i am moving into a new bungalow that has a heat pump, with this large thing outside and a hug boiler like thing inside, the large boiler thing seems to have a screen which says 30. I have turned all the radiators to frost as not moved in yet, and turned the therostat down yet the screen on this boiler still says 30 in fact it has gone up from 22 to 30. the housing association told me it was better to keep it running and there was no need to alter anything apart from the thermostat, but i am concerned about this 30 degrees or whatever it is. I wonder if i should switch it off but concerned i might break it or it doesnt come back on?? I am nearly 77 and just concerned that the heat on is going to cost a fortune.

Could anyone offer advice regarding when we should set the ashp's water heating timer for? We have solar and battery and i was wondering when others set their timer for both cost effectiveness and suitability for their daily hot water needs?

Thank you Tom. I am 18months in my heat pumps. We fully renovated a Georgian Iron Stone home with wall, roof insulation and new fenestrations replacing the old oil boiler with 2 x Stiebel Eltron 14kW air source heat pumps. Love it now I am comfortable with how they work and even though electricity bills are steep they still cost less than if I was using Oil like we used to do and we are warm. More importantly we are well into double digit Carbon tonnage reduction...

Hey tom! So whats the situation with the water storage for baths,showers and sinks etc. do you need a big tank fitted in the garden or loft to store the hot water? And do you ever find yourself running out of hot water? Thanks!

That's a really helpful explanation of the efficiency economics. We're about to get a whole heap of solar panels and batteries installed but I'm struggling to know just where we can fit a heat pump that's convenient and efficient due to the layout of our house. One day we'll get there (and maybe they'll be cheaper by then too).

Alot of rumours about Scotland getting forced to buy a heat pump for new builds and houses for sale. Under a new legislation So expect alot of site traffic from up north, Im also curious about how you heat your water for baths and general cleaning of dishes. Is the heat pump similar to a combi both open for hot water & closed for heating Or is this only for heating and you have an alternative gas/ electric boiler or even a quooker Just asking for curiosity sake My flat is so small and airtight, I dont need heating over the winter. (My old plasma tv is pretty warm) And I only use Gas for showers, but pay more for pipe rental than cubic flow of gas ???

Hey, just wondering what power (kW) your heat pump is and if it’s a high temperature one or not? Did you replace radiators?

Can I ask this. If you were using a gas combi boiler the heating and hot water would be instantaneous and you would only use fuel when needed. Does the heat pump store the water which gradually goes cold and if you don’t use it it’s wasted fuel. I wonder if you could explain if this is the case.

Glad you're breaking even on the Heat Pump, but solar is expensive, especially solar batteries. It would be nice if the Govt introduced some domestic carbon credit to households who've adopted renewable energy. I think there would be a bigger uptake of HP systems, if they did.

Hi Tom. Interested in how you actually run the heat pump. I’m out for most of the day so I would probably not have the heating on and therefore I would want to know how long it takes to heat the house from cold. The time this takes will likely to be longer with a heat pump vs a boiler due to the delta T.

Well, I wasn't expecting that - it certainly goes against what we keep hearing about HP's not working well enough to heat the house. Well presented, useful information Tom 👍

Don't forget the cost associated with installing a heat pump vs gas boiler. Same with solar and batteries, the energy isn't 'free'. You pay for it when you pay for the installation and should calculate the payback period or cost/kWh over the lifespan for it. I don't know which subsidies are in place where you are at but it would be interesting to me to know the payback period for the installation. Nonetheless good explanation and heat pumps are the way to go.

Hi I am trying to find out how does it work out in the summer with 40 degree Celsius

Hi Tom, Good to hear that your getting on well with your pump. We finally have ours installed, at the moment its only really being used to heat water, the engineer returns on Friday to finish commissioning the heating side of it. Ive learned loads since i last commented on one of your videos (legionella) and ive scrapped my cycle and dropped the water temp to 45... so im on your page now. (however im not recommending anyone else to do this... ;)) Ive installed 30KWh of batteries and a 8Kva inverter and solar comes next month. Im trying to work out if my battery bank is big enough or if i need more. What is your heat loss? our house sounds very similar to yours. And do you by any chance know what your highest daily use for the pump was. Im on Go charging up at night so all of my elastic trickery is at 9p for the entire day.

What temperature do you have in the house though? Due to an elderly family member’s health condition, we can’t turn down the thermostat in our house. It’s at a minimum of 22 Celsius. And my costs with a latest model efficient gas boiler were the same as yours in my 3 bed semi with solid walls (no cavity wall).

Great real time economic data! Thank you! Here in Canada some spend $2,500 for natural gas per winter. We invested in 3" going to 4.5" foam in the perimeter walls and 2" in the basement and floor. We then used our tiny wood stove daily so our electricity was $224 in Jan and $194 in Feb 2024. Next year we are getting a $15,000 air sourced heat pump and year after solar PV along the fence.

Excellent result,Tom! If the reassessments fall my way on pension, I will be going for the full 4-way switch (if you count my Aptera) so hopefully by late decade this already pretty efficient 5-bed detached can switch over to ASHP/PV/storage. If things don't go my way, it'll take a bit longer. I already see downward movement in the prices of heat pumps, though it's more than just the one item when redesigning the system - thermal storage has to be put back in, either HW cylinder, phase change, I've even seen a swimming pool as a heat buffer (but not that last one for us...😅). Running our combi at high-40s flow temp has shown us that we need to replace 4 rads (could get away with 3), though actually this place is a mess of different pipe sizes, so I'd put the whole thing back to 15mm. This year's usage is looking similar to last year's, so perhaps we've gone as far as we can with boiler tweaks - next winter will be the interesting point, after lowering the boiler output to something more realistic than 35kW!

Great video Tom. I got my ASHP in September 2022 and my experiences are similar to yours. I have no regrets, the house is warm even through some very cold snaps and it’s amazing how it works. There’s so much nonsense printed about green technologies whereas those of us who have made the switch are proving them all wrong. Good luck with your future plans! Andy

Hi Tom, good vid, thanks. We have 3.5KWP solar and I modelled our solar production against heat demand by week in KWH. We're still on gas at the moment. Solar already mostly heats our hot water anyway, at least most of the year. Basically for Dec, Jan and Feb solar comes nowhere close to meeting the electricity demand if we had a heat pump. Solar production in Dec and Jan can be

What about noise levels ? 60 houses in a village are being built next to me (30 metres from house) with these things on. Will I now suffer a drone forever more that I live here ? 60 all at once is so much, especially at night when right now it is silent.

Where do we get these solar panels and batteries? Assume they’re free or I missed the cost being included in the calculations

Thank you for your video. We are just catching up in California. I'm looking at all the options. For a small house, I'm looking at window units. Reversible heat pumps that act as air conditioners in summer and bring in heat in winter. About twice the price of an air conditioner but would quickly recoup the cost in electric savings. My cousin is a green specialist, city planner, in Shropshire. She'd be impressed with your scheme.

Tom this is helpful because I really don't know what to do. Octopus have offed me a very good heat pump deal there are so many mixed messages out there. Also what about tareifs, currently I am on GO for the EV but how does the heatpump tarrif work with the car?

The key words, conveniently omitted when stating gas boiler efficiency is " when in condensing mode". Just like heat pumps this figure is continually variable and dependent upon many factors. The stated efficiency of gas boilers is based upon the best performance parameters possible, WHEN THE BOILER IS IN CONDENSING MODE. The parameter that determines the maximum efficiency is that the return water temperature is required to be less than 54 degrees Celsius, as condensing will only occur when a change of state (of the exhaust flue gasses in this case) occur. The state of change for maximum effeciency is from a gas to a liquid when the flue gasses are at "dew point", around 30 degrees centigrade (variable). At this state change, the latent heat contained within the exhaust flue gasses is extracted, thus increasing efficiency as more heat is extracted from the volume of gas burned. So, as this efficiency can only be achieved whilst these parameters are in place, the additional metric to consider on how efficient a gas boiler is, is the length of time that the boiler is in this actually operating in this magical "condensing mode". This is extremely complex to accurately determine but what is certain, is that a gas boiler will NEVER be in condensing mode 100% of the time it is in use. Firstly, Combi boilers do not condense in hot water mode. They produce hot water "on demand" and will heat the incoming mains water to around 60 degrees centigrade, so will not be condensing. When providing heating via radiators the boiler will not be at its quoted efficiency for the whole time that it is providing heating. In reality, in the majority of such heating installations, condensing mode will only be achieved for a relatively short period of time, typically 5-15 mins from firing from cold. To achieve maximum efficiency the return temperature must be maintained at lower than 54 degrees C ALL THE TIME.....this NEVER occurs. Why? Well, unfortunately we are a nation of lazy heating engineers. To achieve these magical figures, the heating system must be designed to satisfy many parameters. Firstly the exact heat loss of each and every room must be fastidious calculated taking into account the syructure, fabric and u-values of all the dirrering materials used. Then the radiators must be accurately sized to ensure that they align exactly with those calculated figures. Then the system design must be such to achieve the required flow rate to achieve the 'delta t 'required to align with the radiator manufacturers figure to ensure that the radiators are able to achieve the manufacturers design temperature output. That done, it is now possible to calculate the heating load that must be satisfied by the boiler, thereafter a boiler with EXACTLY that specification needs to be identified. So far, so good, job done! WAIT .... it isn't installed yet! The installer now needs to ensure that the designed system is installed as such to ensure that it aligns with the design, so needs to take in account pipe sizing, routing, calculating flow resistance of each circuit (the number of bends and fittings used affect the resistance and thus flow rate around the system, also being mindful not to leave any burrs where pipes are cut or and dents or kinks when installing). Phew! a sigh of relief when this stage is reached! All that needs to be done now that all that has been achieved is commission the system, then hand it over to the delighted homeownner....except, the system requires accurate and tedious balancing to ensure that all these parameters are reached. Remember the magic number mentioned earlier? A 54 deg C return temperature is required for the boiler to START condensing, so our Installer needs to accurately balance the system to achieve this figure to get the maximum efficiency right?....well, no.... At this return temperature the boiler will not be fully condensing and will only be 87% efficient! So wheres the claimed 95%+ efficiency then? Well to achieve 95%+ efficiency the return temperatures must be 45 deg C. To achive this the flow temperature from the boiler must be at a maximum of 65°C, 20°C of heat must be emitted I to each room from the radiators, to ensure the return water is at 45°C. This makes radiator balancing vitally important to ensure that sufficient heat is emitted from radiators in every room to lower the return temperature to 45 deg C. Boilers are typically set by manufacturers to provide a flow temperature of 80 deg C and return at 60 degC. At these settings the boiler does not condense and it certainly will never reach 90%+ efficiency! Notwithstanding the above, another factor preventing a boiler reaching anywhere near the quoted efficiency is output oversizing. It is a culture on the UK to oversize boilers! Installers choose this practice as a safeguard, because they will not have undertaken all, or indeed any necessary design steps detailed above to achieve the correct system design, so they oversize output to cover their back, or if fitted as a replacement boiler, will simply size the output of he new boiler to match that of the old one being removed or even to appease the homeowner to match their expectation (see below). Homeowners are also part of the problem too. If they are getting quotes for a replacement boiler they expect it to be at least the same size (in output) or bizarrely even bigger! ....because they perceive it to be better! An installer quoting for a smaller output boiler is highly likely to be looked upon with suspicion, cutting corners to save costs to achieve a sale perhaps? Oversize boilers waste gas due to continual "cycling", their minimum output will be far in excess of that required for condensing purposes so will NEVER reach their quoted efficiency either. Then there is the issue of adequate controls to ensure efficiency is maintained. Controls, again, need to be accurately specified and correctly installed. Typically, adequate controls will not be specified or quoted by the installer to keep their quote competitive, and if offered as an option, are often declined by the homeowner to save costs. Trv's are the norm here on the UK, probably the least appropriate control of all. An easy sell and simple fit for the installer, certainly, but remember talking about the importance of accurate system balancing earlier? Well these "controls" severely impact system balance thus negating all their "perceived " benefits, and as there is no communication between them and the boiler it cannot accurately adjust for the reduced system load that is induced when they operate......so zero chance of achieving anywhere near the efficiency that you were told and expecting. So, now knowing all the above, it's obvious to the Intelligent, that there should not be any "boiler replacements " because the system that was installed a decade and a half or more will not have been designed or installed to fulfil the parameters of todays hi-tec condensing boilers and cannot achieve perceived or quoted efficiencies. Perhaps you, dear reader, have had a replacement gas boiler installed with the expectation of a 95%+ efficiency? Just a dream and a misleading marketing ploy I'm sorry to say. Considering having a new has boiler installed? ..... It's time to get your pen and pad out to document pertinent (aka embarrassing) questions for your installer when quoting you for your new all singing, all dancing state if the art, high efficiency gas boiler. Here are starter questions for you to consider... Q1. What output is the boiler you are installing? Q2. What efficiency can I expect from this boiler? Q3. Can you show me your calculations for room by room heat loss, radiator outputs and the suitability of this boiler in providing the design temperature, system design schematic detailing pipe sizing calculations, flow rates and flow & return temperatures? Q4. What controls and other measures are you putting in place to ensure that the efficiency that you have quoted can be maintained. ... if you are still engaged in meaningful discussion after these questions...Congratulations ... you may have stumbled upon a rare. professional installer who knows exactly what they are doing, however I suspect that the price that they quote will be way out of the competetive ballpark figure you were expecting.

Thanks for giving such detailed answers to the comments. Also, thanks for explaining emissions, 1kw in for 3kw out seems amazing. Is that 300% efficiency?

My radiators upstairs won't come on. Only used it few weeks ago.. know a bit about standard heating systems, but not an air to water system... any advice?? 🥶

Hi I have a brand new gas boiler in old stone cottage I have been offered a 12kw samsung ashp plus insulation and 6 solar panels for free due to benefits , am wondering what to do? Gas boiler is LPG tanked due to living in the sticks I am on top of a hill I already have new radiators. I am really worried about costs of ashp as I have heard horror stories about cost to run. This is an energy scheme so i have no choice in brand etc.. advice needed pls

Great video, I am in the North East and invested in solar and a battery. Looking at the heat pump now to reduce carbon and increasing efficiency. Can I ask what the heat loss is on you're properly?

Intending on retrofitting my ex pit house with underfloor heating and a heat pump next year as part of the full renovation of the property. The property was fitted with some leasehold solar panels so hopefully we'll get more use out of the energy it produces. Currently the property is well insulated but the old back boiler just is too inefficient. My goal is to make the house as efficient as possible to make future living costs lower

Hi Tom, Love this video this is great to dispel the naysayers and FUD we are experiencing atm. I am a year behind you but to backup what you have found I did not freeze in Dec 22 !! Our stats were were Heating 2667kwh ==> 9682 kWh (sCOP = 3.64) DHW 532kWh==> 1270KWh(sCOP = 2.39). We also have solar but no battery so we used further 867kWh using Eddi diverter 68% of which was free ! Our average cost of electricity was 24.5 p/kWh as we used roughly 50% at night rate on GO Faster. One thing you could have factored into your video is not paying the gas standing charge so saving a further £129 on top of the usage charges . WE are now looking forward to Ripple 2 savings like you and considering the final step of a battery. Keep the videos coming . Thank you

A saving of £200 a year when the upfront costs are double that of a boiler means it will take at least 10 years to pay for itself. At least.

And what was the installation cost? And what was the net cost to the environment of replacing a servicable existing system with the cost to the environment of manufacturing a new system?

Really interesting Tom, thanks for that. Did you know that Ebac down the road in Newton Aycliffe are making heat pumps in the Uk now? Looking into it for our new build...

What was the total cost of supply and fit the heat pump system?

A very genuine clear, and interesting analysis, for what I am studying!

Great video Tom, thank you. In June 2023, at our home in Kingston Ontario Canada, we installed an inverter-based air source heat pump and 20.25kW solar panels a month later (max feed to grid is only 10kW, but 20.25kW helps capture more solar when sun at unfavorable angle, cloudy days, etc.). We are now on net-metering with the electricity company, so we store our unused solar energy in our local grid, for consumption during late Fall, Winter and early Spring. As such, we don't have batteries to maintain. We'll see how it all works out, but after just 49 days we've generated over 3.01MWh of electricity, and 1,245kg CO2 emissions reduction. Of note is that our new heat pump will generate heat at down to -30C ambient. As such, I don't think we'll be using much propane this winter.

Hi Tom, thanks for the update and very interesting and looks like it is working very well for you. I have solar and battery and have Airconditioning units throughout the house as they do heat and have a slightly higher SCOP as a air to water solution (ASHP) Airconditioning units being Air to Air. they get installed next week. The main issue with Solar while it is absolutely is the way to go and absolutely get battery with it as that maximises the full potential, the winter sun is not good at a time when you have the most heat demand so while it is still great value you might not see as great a saving from solar in winter to meet the peak demand for your heating. Having said that if you match it with a battery it will give you the option to offset the time you charge the batteries with cheap Cosy rates and then use them in the evening for your heat demand. Sounds like you are on a great journey and thank you for sharing.

How's the heat pump perform during very cold spells, i.e., below freezing as has been the case recently?

the difference you didnt mention is the temperature in the house? gas may not be as efficient but the temperature in the house would heat up quicker and to a higher level? what temp do you set your house to during winter?

I dropped my boiler temperature to 45 deg and set the over night temp to 18.5deg and the day time temp to 20deg and that keeps th house. Very cozy. That is using a lot less energy compared to last year.

Terraced house... 50% less external walls! 3 of our neighbours across the road jumped on the heat pump bandwagon (detached, 1930, no insulation) and are now fuming after freezing their behinds off last 2 winters. They are all now insulating their houses. Insulate your house first, external walls, underfloor, loft! Effectiveness before efficiency. The most efficient energy tarrif is the one you don't have to pay.

How long will it take to recoup the cost of installation? Oh, you said it later on. I have a modern gas boiler (2018) very efficient. I just try to use it less and heat individual rooms with interesting vintage electric fires. They are probably not so efficient but they look fantastic (like space ships) and being fully electric I can subscribe to green energy and possibly solar panels. A heat pump works for you but I don't have space for the tanks and pipework required, that's why I got rid of my old boiler and water tank.

What is n the battery that he's referring too? I've never heard about installing them in houses

Hi Tom great post, but I would like to see more about what temperature you keep you home at and how quickly you can heat a cold house to say 21deg C, same for the hot water, I use lots of hot water and would need a system that could heat a tank of water in 20 to 30 minutes. Is your system capable to do that 👍

Great video and it's good to see numbers on a more typical potentially less insulated house. You're right, it's not all about cost it's mainly about carbon. Although I still do see the cost argument. If I spend 10k on solar panels and that saves say £500year I do not fully agree with the payback period of say 20Years as it does not consider that even the simple interest on £10k of savings would save around £450/year , so the "additional" saving above this £450 is quite negligible. . . . something always conveniently omitted from "payback time" calculations unfortunately.

Love the man maths. Gas is 4p or less on Oct variable currently. I'm in favour of ashp and just had a survey last week but genuine savings on bills are touch & go especially considering capital costs

Question is your airsouce pump is outside, if you were to house it in a shed with a radiator that obviously warms up from the pump, would warming a shed with the pump inside increase temperature and lower the costs??

Thanks for the review. Did you keep the heat pump constantly on and if so at what temperature?

Tom you are a star, already an Octopus customer and loved there green package. Wife is just about to move in to a detached bungalow and asked me about heat pump - so you have helped me as I agree very mixed views. Normally when government scheme it’s not really good idea. Only thing I am trying to work out is summers are getting hotter and thinking air to air heat pump. Going to research

Those differences are so marginal. The payback time is the issue. Even with the grant, acquisition and conversion costs can be very expensive. It's the same with solar panels because of the significant outlay initially. Not everyone can afford that. It's the same forcing people into EVs. Not everyone can afford them. We need proper government policies to address these inequalities. Reducing your carbon footprint is a privilege many can't afford. P.S. I still admire your principles and what you've done with your lovely Victorian property.

Do you see any benefit of a hybrid system of both a combi boiler and heat pump?

Hi Tom, we’re also in Durham and have bought a house with a recently installed gas and heat pump combi system. We’re getting some building work done so I’m going to have the boiler removed and go full heat pump. The original installer put bigger radiators in but left the old 8mm pipe work so I’ll get that upgraded to 20mm. Apart from that it’s a early 80s house with UPVC, recent cavity insulation and loft insulation. Judging by the window condensation on a morning, it’s well insulated. The new extension will have underfloor heating. Did you do anything else fancy to upgrade your heating and insulation systems when you installed the heat pump? My wife is concerned she will be cold but I’m confident!

We just bought a heat pump install today foe next week, we also have solar panels and an EV car. The money we have saved has been amazing can't wait for our pump

I'm getting my airex smart airbrick installed soon, and then will get quotes for a heat pump. Hopefully by reducing heat loss I won't have to upgrade the pipes. Happy to get larger radiators to heat the house more effectively but don't want to ruin my flooring by changing all the pipes. Might have to anyway 🤷 Looking forward to getting rid of gas. I suspect my usage might be similar to yours, similar property type in Whitley Bay with similar gas use per year, so hopefully get similarly great results.

However, a gas boiler can be turned on and off exactly as and when needed, which saves energy and money.

Thanks the truth is vital for decision making. Keep up the great work.

What a clear & informative video. Take into consideration that gas prices will rise much faster than electricity and how much cleaner it is. Especially with the new installation that I have to do on my new home (gas boiler has been condemned) , the grants available, it's a no brainer.

at that difference in costs/year gas boiler is still cheaper to install. here in Romania heat pumps are very expensive to buy and install compare to gas boilers

Great content and it certainly demystifies things for me. What do you suppose the reason for the bad press is all about? After all people in Scandinavia have had HPs for over 50 years!

There’s a famous case in Sunderland of a flagship development of high rise blocks taking gas out and installing heat pumps. After 4 years, they’re all being taken out. Not against heat pumps - they have a big part to play - but there needs to be a big review on training and standards.

Can I ask what type of cylinder you are using?

My heat pump is saving me money providing I keep it on at all times- That’s how it’s most efficient. I dint need other heaters anymore. There’s a lot to how you use it to find out how to correctly use one- Keep it on between 19 and 22 degrees . That’s what I do anyway. My bills have gone down.

Thank you. Really good info! 👍 Would you be willing to say what city you reside in? Your historic weather data could be useful in evaluating heat pump applications in other parts of the world. We're considering an air source or possibly a ground source heat pump. We live in the Midwestern US 🇺🇸 on the Illinois-Iowa border.

Hi Tom, thanks for your video, I have been reading and hearing conflicting views on heat pumps. I have been given a govt grant of heat pump and a radiator in every room. Ideally I would like to go 'off grid' with solar panels and a battery. Do you know what the cost of a battery would be? And do you know if there are any differences in battery type or solar panels please?

Hey we’re looking at getting one - how noisy are the fans/pumps?

Electiric heating reduces room humidity by greater amount, is heat pump provide quaity of heat / humidity in the way gas heating works or electic heating works please.

Tom, where does the cold air go? Looks like it blows across your backyard, so is it always wet or cold there? If not, why not? It must be a bit of a pain when it's frosty or you want to sit in the sunshine but it's a cool day.

The cost for heat pump systems is way more than what you will save even after many years and to spring it on normal people as what is happening here in Scotland is just unaffordable to many people. It’s a complete false economy.

What about the noise pollution and the yearly maintenance and does it really work for a couple who are out at work all day and don't need the house heated constantly

How about performance in summer. Did you have some savings on summer?

Really useful vid. Thanks Tom.

I live near an old wallpaper factory and have heated my home by burning their old reject stuff for the past 7 years and it hasn't cost me anything. I've also been generating about 4kWh of electricity daily using vinegar (bought in bulk), potato peelings and ferro-magnesium shavings that you can pick up for free at any iron mongers - it's worth the effort if you have a bit of space and don't mind the acidic smell.

simple question, what kind of temperature do you get with your water and central heating when the weather was -3 degrees few months back? Did it heat your home to 21/22 degrees for as long as you needed it ? Because I read a few people saying theirs one struggled and was at 16/17 degrees. I am planning to get a heat pump and would like to hear some real life experiences.

Please answer this question. How often do they need serviced and what is the cost? Thank you 🙏

You could always install an air to air heat pump (air conditioner) and disconnect yourself from water based heating. Or you could install an MVHR and re-use heat that would otherwise be going to waste…

I understand about global warming problem but I have a relatively small gas combi boiler and do not have room not only for a water tank but also the huge external air source heat pump. Also my son takes a 20 minute shower after that i can also take a long shower and so can I and my other son. From what i understand and i admit i could be wrong but this would not be possible with a heat pump as it only heat up water in the tank. Once that has gone water has to be heated up using an immersion heater. If i am wrong please tell me.

Hi Tom. Great video. You can only really look at this as a carbon saving. I have thought about this from a cost saving side of things, and with the heat pump batteries and solar panels, it is roughly a 20k outlay. With the solar installed since April I've saved 1.08T to date of c02 based on what the apps telling me. So still a substantial carbon saving. But unfortunately the heat pump cost is just not viable right now

WOW. You use 10 kilowatts a day on average just for the heating. I use 2 kilowatts a day total and burn free wood for heating and hot water. I use solar panels which I fitted a solar immersion inverter to send spare energy to the hot water tank. So my total energy bill a month is about £27.

For ever since I can remember, electricity has been 3x the price of gas; with a CoP of 3 heat pumps usually break even if you not on a special tariff. Then SUDDENLY in July gas prices fell much more than electricity (at least here in E Mids), making electricity 4x gas prices. Any one know why? It makes heat pumps not so great, however we are still very likely to take the plunge.

The people two doors away have a heat pump - the noise is awful. We live in a rural area and every noise can be heard. We have electric central heating - silent and very efficient no need to alter the boiler etc. is your pump silent of very quiet?

Brilliant video. Thx

Wonder how much a pcb or compressor will cost to replace i the event of a fault?

Good you are honest and show you don't actually save much money, but have a lot higher installation costs... HP are just great at reducing carbon output, but you aren't going to halve your heating bill as they would have us believe. What you say tallies perfectly with what i have said for years.

Questions, did you add extra insulation? Did you up the pipes to 28mm or 35mm , did you change any radiators to k2+, what was the heat loss calculation for your property, and what type eg detached 3 bed etc as one property with a heat pump may be better for a attached Victorian house than another type etc

, we've been quoted £2760 by Octopus fitting a Daikin, but we'd prefer our local to do it with a Vaillant, like yours, but would it be worth paying £3,000,or £4,000, or more for Vaillant over Daikin? What do you think?

what is the cost differance between a effcient heater and a heat pump

I've had ASHP central heating 9 months - and Solar Panels and battery for 6 months. The last two months, my electricity bill has been in minus figures. Octopus are paying me! Obviously, I realise it won't be the same in winter, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what a full 12 months works out at.

why is the COP so low on your installation ?

So, how much does a heat pump system, solar panels and a battery cost?

My mates put one in 12 years ago he was very keen all going well for the first three years then air flow pump failed and he needed a new one 6 1/2 thousand pounds. That one also failed, just under three years old, but was still in warranty, so he had another new one. he and his wife are 75 years of age and they can take up to 5 to 6 weeks to replace his nervous about this one breaking down and is thinking about a back up gas boiler. to be honest, it’s put me right off!

One of the problems with rising fuel prices is the tendency of companies, of whatever size, to just put up prices and let the consumer pay more. The big companies that start out thinking of the share price and the dividends will look at the cost of savings and say "Oooh, that's a lot of money and the shareholders won't stand it" while your "white van men" will just say "it's me overheads goin' up, innit?" while thinking of their next holiday in Benidorm. Yeah, stereotypes, live with them. There's a reason why stereotypes persist and it isn't that they are inaccurate.

For me its not about immediate outlay of cost. Its about purchasing things that when i retire means my pension money goes further and i am not held to ransome by world events. For me its a toss up between investing in the market and getting some extra income or investing in my home so i have less to spend out a month so my ok pension goes further.

While you are getting some saving over a gas boiler you forget the higher capital cost of a installing a HP (even with a grant). So presuming both the boiler and a heat pump cost was paid via a (fixed term low cost green loan if thats possible) then the cost of the HP was a higher overall cost (yes over a set payback term). You can't save on gas prices as its same cost 24/7 but there is potential as noted via tariffs for power use. There is some even more potential if you could use your EV car as the battery storage to feed back in peak power price times. I don't know what you invested in putting in the HP outside the HP unit itself but I doubt all the rads would have needed to be changed in a (now standard) "high efficiency" gas boiler. I would also be very hesitant to presume even a modern combi boiler (the most bought type in the UK now) is operating at such high 95% efficiency. In most cases rads are not changed, rads are not flushed out, few add TRVs and many use the existing thermostat (presuming its not the dark ages one). Few are condensing well due to weak installs (not bad but weaker than possible potential). Even less get weather compensation (more common if not standard in HP installs). Your best bet now is to see what can be done to boost the heat retention in such a home without changing its classic design. External insulation, cavity insulation, attic insulation, triple-E windows and doors, heat retention air extractors, hot water tape aerators, higher efficiency water pumps, pipe insulation, draft excluders and as noted HP refinement. One study by a university on HP installs is that all could gain meaningfull efficiency as near all were not operating at what they could save the user. Many are installed as if the humans inside the home were all the same, demand was the same, homes are much the same in X heat retention/loss. There are perhaps some water cylinder upgrades that may be on offer in future as innovation drives better water tank designs and demand for such.

I've just been on a podcast with a very experienced plumber who has just given out his experience with these heat pumps and he pretty much given them a roasting regarding pretty much in every aspect ,he says that heat that is generated isn't giving the warmth inside the house as a modern gas boiler and as for solar panels it takes a minimum of 16 years to get a return on a household financial outlay and after their guarantee runs out how expensive they are to repair that they try and persuade people to install new panels so the costs are never ending as for moving away from coal that's a falicy ,just because the coal mines are shut doesn't mean that we aren't consuming coal we are just importing it and in the transport of bringing that coal to Britain means you are emailing more co2 into the air not less