It is insane how many companies don't even want entertain running them a bit less efficiently. British Gas wanted to replace all the 10mm pipework with 15mm and every radiator from k1 to k2's for £11,500, and that's after the £7,500 grant. I have run the oil boiler at 50deg for the last 2 years, but "that's an oil boiler 50, not a heat pump 50" also the MCS calcs don't care what you experimentally have done. I can read the SCOP charts, for example the EBAC 9kw, I understand at 50deg not 40deg that's 404% vs 456%. It's still 404%!
Thanks for your comment! We understand your concern, and while this episode features a heat manufacturer, we have many other podcast episodes that include a wide range of experts from different fields. These episodes provide various perspectives to help give you a well-rounded understanding of the topics we cover. Feel free to explore our other episodes for more insights!
Good debate with plenty of angles discussed.. My heating & hot water is on oil. Two (or so) years back, HVO was being trialed in the UK as a bio/eco fuel alternative to heating oil. To my understanding, UK.Gov parked this alternative and opted to encourage only ASHP. I'm 100% in favour of the green energy transition and a signed up member of the fan club, however if given the option of a drop in replacement fuel that reduces CO2 emissions by an advertised 80% or having the faff of getting my house rearranged to accommodate an ASHP (both solutions which I'm confident will keep my house warm), I'd rather opt for a bio/eco oil alternative.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It's understandable why you'd prefer a bio/eco fuel alternative that works with your existing system. While the focus on ASHPs is part of a broader strategy, your point about needing practical, less disruptive options is valid. Your feedback emphasises the importance of offering diverse solutions in the green energy transition.
Heat pumps are great if you live in a detached new house with underfloor heating and good insulation, if you live in a Victorian terrace house with iffy insulation limited space for mounting one and crucially a continual wall joining other properties so when the bearings start going and they WILL start going and the fan whirrs creating a low frequency nightmare for you and your neighbours they are not so good. A friend who lives out in the sticks in a semi-detached house and a good size garden installed exterior wall insulation (along with their neighbour at the same time) put bigger rads and some underfloor heating in then a heat pump not attached the building itself it has worked brilliantly as it's allowed them to do away with the oil boiler but after 4 years the fan started whirring intermittently, fortunately it's no big deal for them but he does wish he'd went with ground source heat pump.
While certain setups might make installation easier, modern heat pumps are versatile enough to be adapted to a wide range of homes, including those with older designs
Thanks for your comment! Subsidies often exist to help new technologies gain traction and become more accessible to a broader audience, especially when transitioning to more sustainable options. Over time, as the technology improves and economies of scale are reached, the need for subsidies tends to decrease. Heat pumps, like many other innovations, are part of this process, and their growing adoption shows that they can be an effective solution for many people.
Oh at last a channel on the dreaded ASHP..OK admit live in the Highlands Scotland and DON'T get an ASHP (have a 9kw LG) it is hyper greedy on electricity.. Why because our location cold average temperature is 15 degrees and falling in the summer so May to September then 5 degrees and falling to minus 20 in mid winter.. But but but if the electricity was say 5p per kWh unit then it doesn't matter the consumption..but at 30p per kWh its totally unaffordable.. But we actually do intend to have a ASHP nut only a 3kw sobthe smallest available andnthat will be great for the summer time to heat the hot water.. Lesson learnt is 1. Insulation is paramount 2. Solar panels up to 10kw 3. 20kw battery storage or/and 400ltr hot water tank 4. Smallest ASHP 5. EV with hime plug in facility. 😂
Radiators are not efficient at transferring heat from air source at 35 degrees flow temp because they dont have enough surface area & convect the heat rather than create radiant heat . Radiatots warm the air around you not objects or bodies. This essentially means most properties are not suitable for larger radiators . Its not the air source thats the problem its radiators.
At 35 yes, because your radiator is down to 21% output, but at 45 it's at 41% output, which is not too bad if going from k1 to k2 rads with a bit of a size increase. But that's the whole point of the video, shooting for 35 deg flow to get SCOPs of 5+ is pointless, your not trying to do it to save money, but to move off gas. So a SCOP of 3.8 is roughly break even, and that's at a flow of 50 deg. As electricity gets cheaper then it gets even more favourable.