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Original poster

ground source heat pump

16 replies

Fridakahlofan · 28/10/2019 09:43

Does anyone have any experience?

Please tell me everything I might need to know. I am not sure where to start...

We live in a large, old, drafty house with oil central heating. Garden is quite big but has a lot of trees.

Interested in cost of course and also if anyone has views from an eco perspective? Did anyone use a company they recommend?

Hopeful thank you in advance!

OP posts:
RoseParade · 28/10/2019 10:01

Can't really help, but watching closely as I'm in the same situation. I think draughty houses have to be sort of sealed up for heat pumps to work and this goes against everything I've been told about letting old stone-built houses breatheSad

Original poster
Fridakahlofan · 28/10/2019 19:10

@RoseParade our house has quite a few damp patches as it is so needs to breathe!

We have electric underfloor heating in the kitchen which I love but don't think we will get away with it in any other rooms because of floorboards and the house being listed.

Desperate to get away from oil! Perhaps I will just have to live in the kitchen...

OP posts:
Blobby10 · 29/10/2019 12:30

My parents had this installed about 3 years ago and when it works its brilliant and dad loves that he hasn't paid an electricity bill yet. Their house is in the middle of a field but a relative new build (1998) so fairly well sealed etc.

However, I house sat for them for two weeks - the first week the bloody thing kept switching itself off. This is an ongoing problem which the company hasn't been able to resolve but its never been as bad as it was when I was there. I checked it twice a day and 9 times out of 10, it was showing a red light so had to be switched off and on again or I risked no heat or hot water. Second week I was there it was green lights all day and every day! No idea what was going on with it.

TheJoxter · 29/10/2019 12:33

Two separate bad experiences with them, would not recommend! Have also had an air source heat pump which was also not great. Good experience with solar panels though if that’s an option!

Original poster
Fridakahlofan · 30/10/2019 09:56

That is disappointing to hear @Blobby10 @TheJoxter but thank you so much for your helpful experiences.

Sadly I don't think solar panels are an option - house is listed and garden is quite shady.

Eugh. Back to the drawing board...

OP posts:
RoseParade · 30/10/2019 10:41

I've been trying to find a way around oil for 5 years now. Total failure so far. The way these houses were designed (with fires burning all day in damp winters and pulling air throughout the house and up the chimneys) doesn't lend itself to modern heating methods which have been designed to work in sealed systems. @Fridakahlofan Are you BER exempt? It's the only upside I can see to not fitting in to the modern vision of "good" building!

Original poster
Fridakahlofan · 30/10/2019 16:00

@roseparade excuse my ignorance but What is BER?!

OP posts:
Smallblanket · 30/10/2019 18:08

You might better off reducing your heat demand instead - draught stripping , insulation, secondary glazing? I live in a listed house and we've managed to quite a lot - there's still no danger of it being too well sealed - but we have reduced the amount of oil we need.

Also GS and AS heat pumps need either underfloor heating or larger radiators to work efficiently.

What about a pellet boiler - not for the faint hearted and you need space, a chimney etc - but also qualifies for RHI, and uses existing radiators and hot water systems.

Smallblanket · 30/10/2019 18:11

I meant to add - if a pellet boiler isn't an option, you might be able to have a log burner with a back boiler - keeping your oil boiler - when the log burner is lit it will do the central heating, when it isn't
the oil boiler takes over.

666onmyhead · 30/10/2019 19:50

I wonder if airsource hest pulp might work for you 🙄

666onmyhead · 30/10/2019 19:51

Ha - no glasses - sorry Air Source heat pump

Original poster
Fridakahlofan · 30/10/2019 19:57

@Smallblanket thank you - lots to google there!

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 30/10/2019 20:37

We installed air source heat pumps which replaced oil. They work well and we have a mix of wet underfloor heating and radiators. House isn’t listed though.

Zitouna · 31/10/2019 19:17

Hello! A heat pump could be suitable - you don’t have to be entirely sealed but you do need a reasonable amount of insulation otherwise you’ll need a huge heat pump and your running costs could be very high. Whether you need new radiators would depend on their age - sometimes if they’re reasonably new you don’t need to resize. It’s worth getting an installer to assess your house and tell you (though make sure they do a whole house assessment, not just size a heat pump for your current set up). If you’re in Scotland you might be able to get some grant funding.

Original poster
Fridakahlofan · 31/10/2019 19:53

@zitouna thanks - is there anyone you suggest for an assessment? We are in West Sussex...

OP posts:
Zitouna · 02/11/2019 08:58

Not my area so not off the top of my head - I’ll see if I can find anything though

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