Heat Pumps, One for the engineers

[Peter.N.]

The problem at the moment is that although they do have some efficiency they use the dearest fuel available! Electricity is around 23p per Kwh at present, my oil fired boiler delivers it at about 6p per Kwh.

Peter

[bobins]

It's interesting, or possibly deadly dull !, to reflect on the brouhaha over the price per MW/h that the government struck with EDF over the Hinkley C nuclear plant electricity production. The deal was struck at £92MW/h. Current 'forward delivery' prices in the UK are hovering around £80 MW/h, with 'day ahead' prices over £100 MW/h. Perhaps those negotiators knew better than most the general direction of travel for wholesale electricity prices

[Dormouse]

According to this "FullyChargedPlus+" contribution, Heat pumps for homes are old hat and not efficient enough, and as for being environmentally friendly it depends on where your electricy from?

I used Jigsaw's HEAT CALCULATOR for our Porch and this is what they estimate-

This ties in with our experiences with no wind chill or drafts.
I used the Mediocre Insulation option as it is more realistic for people with similar porches to ours. We would have been around 500 according to their calculator.
Wind chill can easily double and treble this heat requirement so take a lot of care estimating your requirements.

[Dormouse]

Panels like these have been available for years. Infrared wall and ceiling bars/tubes have been in sports halls and changing rooms for a very long time now. Another Amazing New Discovery that has been under our noses.

[Dormouse]

If you apply this to putting dry or wet floor heating systems into the ceiling then you can achieve similar results. I have seen videos from POLAND that show underfloor wet piping being installed in an insulated and reflective lined ceiling behind a lightweight skin. I have been planning our home fittings for years now and this is not news to me. But it does work and with the automated controls available now, they make a lot of sense for flats for instance. A guest bedroom, games room, whatever, virtually instant heat and minimal installation issues, no loss of wall space so furniture placement is easy. This was a main reason why we put it in our Porch ceiling.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Panels like these have been available for years. Infrared wall and ceiling bars/tubes have been in sports halls and changing rooms for a very long time now. Another Amazing New Discovery that has been under our noses.

I was looking for one of those bathroom heaters which I remember from my childhood. Was going to put it up on the "Remember these" thread.

Quite a pleasing shape sort of an elongated elispse with either one bar or two bars and a shiny reflective back and probably some sort of metal grill at the front but I'm sure the determined could still poke a finger through

Can anyone come up with an image of such a thing

Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

I know I am known for being Parsimonious, so I am going to confirm this point by comparing what I paid for ours to the list price on Jigsaw's website.
Jigsaw list their basic aluminium 800w panel at £595 ex works. I bought our 3 panels for less than £200 delivered. So, now that these panels have become "mainstream" you can see the mark up involved. Just south of £1600 for the privilege. 4 years ago since I bought ours!!!!!
LOML was Very Sceptical when I wanted to buy them but now that they are fitted she loves them and can't stop telling people how wrong she was when we have people in the Porch at Christmas or New Year.

[mickthemaverick]

I remember exactly the one you are referring to Neil with the pull cord switch on the end. However the nearest pictures I can find are of two Dimplex models from the 60's:

BFTW

BFTW

[mickthemaverick]

Further to those two we have one in our downstairs loo which I converted from the old front porch when I moved in with SWMBO. I originally bought it and fitted it in my garden office in 1983 and then have had it with me ever since moving out of that house in Watford. It is still performing excellently when needed!!

Own work

[Dormouse]

When we bought our panels the type shown below was available at similar prices shown today. If you shop around and do a bit of homework then you too could get Infrared Panels for a reasonable price and installation is simple and relatively cheaply.

[Dormouse]

This mirror is combined with a 400w infrared heater and is ideal in place of a normal small heater/radiator. Space saving but no use for towels.

But you can get an infrared panel with an oil filled towel rail as well to fit on a wall at radiator level or a roof mounted plain panel with a side lit led light.
If you do your homework there are all sorts of infrared panels available.

[mickthemaverick]

I came across another modern installation of the single bar infrared heaters today. I stopped at a local hostelry for a swift lunch and was delighted to discover their new outdoor space:

Own work

[Dormouse]

Found this article which ties in with the current Government TV Ads for reducing Boiler temperatures.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64261457

I currently run my boiler at a tad under 60 C ( 2 years now ) and it works well in all the conditions we have experienced this winter so, maybe I already have my system close to Heat Pump ready without planning it that way.

[GiveMeABreak]

Our friends have a heat pump in their new build (about 3 years old now) and they said the heat output is pretty derisory. It packed up over Christmas and they had to wait to get an engineer out to sort it - something had failed electrically, I didn't ask the cost, but they're not exactly fanatical about them, having to subsidise the hot water with an electric immersion heater....

[myglaren]

He's got heat meters fixed to the pipework. Room temperature monitors. And gadgets tracking how much electricity his solar panels are generating.

The jewel in the crown of this system, though, is a recently installed heat pump.

"It's like a geek's paradise, really," says Mick Wall of his 1930s semi-detached house in Sheffield.

Mr Wall, who works in IT, has made a hobby out of monitoring his household energy consumption and honing his heat pump's performance in a dogged pursuit of maximum efficiency.

The UK government has set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.

Heat pumps: The 'geeks' obsessing over their new heating systems