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The 5MwH is the amount bought in plus your own production on top?
Yes the 5000kwh is from my energy supplier any of my production is additional.
Any idea how much of the 5.4kw ASHP comes out of PV?
To be honest no but as you say in winter, when the heat pump is in use, there is minimal PV supply. However the heat pump is often supplied with PV power in the summer when it detects the need for hot water. It kicks in and replenishes the tank with water up to 42deg. Once the system is satisfied the PV will kick in to carry on heating the water via the immersion heater. This is the most efficient way of heating the water as the heat pump is about 200% efficient in water heating mode. ( at a guess I would say maybe 10% of energy is supplied to the ASHP by PV.)
In winter the PV power and hours are low and possibly do not overlap heat need unless you accumulate heat during the day have enough thermal mass & insulation to stay warm at night or reduce heat needs. Can that be, or is it, that sort of thing designed in, programmed in; part of the plan and discussions?
Due to the vagaries of the British weather I would say that designing in use of PV to power heat pumps would be difficult.
Regarding the house staying warm at night, my house has 3 thermostatically controlled underfloor zones on the ground floor and radiators with thermostat valves on the first floor.
The zones are set to 16degs overnight and I have never known the heating to come on overnight in the 7 years since it was installed.
In the morning the zones are activated at 30 min intervals from 5.30am to enable the heat pump to work at its most efficient, heating small volumes of water rather than having the whole system at one hit.

Our burner is also to the small end and likewise tends heat the house with the lounge door open, plus I only burn 3 or 4 logs per night by running down between logs, 5 or 6 kg maybe so nothing like flat out. I do get complaints that the heating has not come on and so some room is not warm enough :( but then our insulation is currently really poor with solid walls.
I do the same with the logs but it did take me a couple of winters before I sussed how to best use the burner.
 
Regarding the house staying warm at night, my house has 3 thermostatically controlled underfloor zones on the ground floor and radiators with thermostat valves on the first floor.
The zones are set to 16degs overnight and I have never known the heating to come on overnight in the 7 years since it was installed.
In the morning the zones are activated at 30 min intervals from 5.30am to enable the heat pump to work at its most efficient, heating small volumes of water rather than having the whole system at one hit.
Thanks! Interesting about the phased-in start up working better, it sounds a good set up. I guess us Southerners have less weather challenges than many! I could ask questions for ever but I'd love to hear more on:
What sort of heating temp. settings work best across the day?
Does this profile make a large difference & in what ways?
Were your settings obvious or a long process to arrive at?
 
So with a pump I guess the panels can be sited more flexibly (as opposed to passive thermal circulation where tank must be above panels) which makes a lot of sense.
How many sq m. of panels do you have and would more be better? (Always seems like a good source for heat pumps to me)
Water might freeze so what is the circulating fluid - just added antifreeze like a car radiator? - or are there other protections?
Grants etc:
Yes I'm often caught unsure which way to go on things, just do it myself with more care and much cheaper or the grant routes. Many of which are risky as RHI seems to be do it first and apply after, and others are a pain with short windows of opportunity and contractor pressures/problems. There was a R4 slot the other day where people talked about all the ways they were let down by contractors after very long waits and closing time windows. Even HMG added a year when they realised the last incentive was just about impossible to do it the time available and so extended by a year.
New scheme offers very limited numbers given the nationwide task out there so it is no way near a plan to make significant changes, more of a test pilot it seems. I have heard talk (Clean Heat Grant: further policy design proposals) of the need for stable and suitable delivery and moving it to Ofgem as a longer term, or ongoing process, which sounds like some sense at last.
The solar hot water panel is approximately 4 feet square in total. The circulating fluid is water with antifreeze. As far as I have noticed there isn't any other frost precaution such a low collector temperature running the circulation pump although it does have inhibition of overheating the cylinder by stopping the circulation pump. I guess this would lead to the water in the tube header vapourising but expansion is accommodated by a diaphragm type expansion vessel and a safety pressure relief valve that's never operated yet.
I don't think using solar hot water would be effective for underfloor or space heating as the high demand period would coincide with cold, dark weather. However I've never investigated that aspect.
I have a neighbour with a professionally installed set up that has automatic air vent valve at the high point of the system. It caused a lot of problems during the first year as their panel did create steam in the header and the auto vent thought the steam (gaseous phase of water) was air so it vented and the system consequently lost liquid. I installed mine with a manual vent to use when filling the system and don't have the problem.
 

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Antifreeze used in these systems should not be automotive types. Ethylene glycol type is extreeemly poisonous and alcohol types contain methanol, which is also fairly deadly, so neither should be allowed anywhere near where a leak could develop.

Propylene glycol is ‘food-safe’ and should be the type used. I think it is mpg (mono-propylene glycol), not dpg (di-propylene glycol), that is the food grade material.
 
Antifreeze used in these systems should not be automotive types. Ethylene glycol type is extreeemly poisonous and alcohol types contain methanol, which is also fairly deadly, so neither should be allowed anywhere near where a leak could develop.

Propylene glycol is ‘food-safe’ and should be the type used. I think it is mpg (mono-propylene glycol), not dpg (di-propylene glycol), that is the food grade material.
Interesting bit of information RAB. To be perfectly honest I've no real idea which compound is actually in the system save to say it was supplied by the same source as the panel. As a sealed system which I installed using copper pipework I reckon the chances of a leak are infitessimally small so on balance it's not something on my list of household hazards requiring improvement. I haven't any inclination to drink the fluid in the system although I understand certain individuals have tried drinking antifreeze in the past.🤔
 
My SO Energy supplier is giving a £40 sweetner if a pal switches to them.
I also get £40 for the recommendation.

The reference code is so.energy/r/SQMKMHQHH

I have used them for several years and get Priority Service Meter Readings at no charge.
 
Bulb went into liquidation today! They are continuing to trade while talks continue. Another one bites the dust!
 
My SO Energy supplier is giving a £40 sweetner if a pal switches to them.
I also get £40 for the recommendation.

The reference code is so.energy/r/SQMKMHQHH

I have used them for several years and get Priority Service Meter Readings at no charge.
They won't quote me as I don't use enough gas! 🤔
 
They won't quote me as I don't use enough gas! 🤔

Out of interest, I tried, and SO Energy did give me a quote just now, for a 12 month fixed tariff.

It's about double the current Ofgem price cap for gas, and 30% more for electricity. As such, switching to So Energy would cost around me £1,500 per year more.

Given that this would somewhat offset the £40 bonus for joining, I politely declined.
 
Bulb went into liquidation today! They are continuing to trade while talks continue. Another one bites the dust!
I'm glad I jumped to octopus when bulb notified me of a second electricity price rise in the year. I was apprehensive that I would lose the money they owed me but it arrived safely in my account a few weeks ago😀
 
It looks as if UK Gov is now running Bulb as there are too many customers for others to take on, any future companies to go under may well see the same result as the others don't seem to want to be burdened any further.
 
You mean the taxpayer is?
well if this carries on we might have the utilities back in public ownership - which where it always should have been
 
well if this carries on we might have the utilities back in public ownership - which where it always should have been
Electricity, gas, water, health dustbin and effluent disposal should never have been privatised. They are public services not profit sources. Don't even mention the grinning jackanapes and his PFI schemes.😨
 
Electricity, gas, water, health dustbin and effluent disposal should never have been privatised. They are public services not profit sources. Don't even mention the grinning jackanapes and his PFI schemes.😨
But then they would be understaffed and under payed just like the police and the NHS!
 
But then they would be understaffed and under payed just like the police and the NHS!
but instead we saw all the profits being siphoned off into shareholders' pockets and raw sewage pumped into our rivers and beaches
 
Just had an email my energy costs are going up a again from April and expected to be at least another 1/3 higher then it is currently.
 

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