Air-source heat pumps - are they good/crap?
Discussion
Am considering a property which has an air source heat pump - apparently suitably well-insulated etc to make the most of it along with underfloor heating for the downstairs while the upstairs has rads.
I've no experience of them but rightly or wrongly I immediately have some reservations which, in farirness, may well be unfounded. Are they a good idea? Costly to run? Slow to warm up a property compared to GCH? I can see how having UFH could be a good thing - concrete will absorb and hold the heat nicely for a while. The property doesn't seem to have solar fitted which to my mind would be a great way of offsetting some of the cost of running the ASHP?
If the ASHP is crap it doesn't look like there'd be any option to retrofit gas. I have GCH at the moment in a reasonably well-insulated property and pay peanuts for what little I need to I use (around £15-20/mo during winter months) so I'm a little hesitant about moving to a new(er) technology I have no experience or understanding of.
Should ASHP be of concern when it comes to how well it works, what it costs and maintenance compared with a gas boiler? I had a new boiler fitted about 9-10 years ago and touch wood it's been completely trouble-free - I have an inspection annually which costs about £50. How does ASHP reliability and servicing compare etc?
Is ASHP fantastic and everyone should be adopting it? Does it work best with solar (ie. should I put that in a budget for future installation etc)?
I've no experience of them but rightly or wrongly I immediately have some reservations which, in farirness, may well be unfounded. Are they a good idea? Costly to run? Slow to warm up a property compared to GCH? I can see how having UFH could be a good thing - concrete will absorb and hold the heat nicely for a while. The property doesn't seem to have solar fitted which to my mind would be a great way of offsetting some of the cost of running the ASHP?
If the ASHP is crap it doesn't look like there'd be any option to retrofit gas. I have GCH at the moment in a reasonably well-insulated property and pay peanuts for what little I need to I use (around £15-20/mo during winter months) so I'm a little hesitant about moving to a new(er) technology I have no experience or understanding of.
Should ASHP be of concern when it comes to how well it works, what it costs and maintenance compared with a gas boiler? I had a new boiler fitted about 9-10 years ago and touch wood it's been completely trouble-free - I have an inspection annually which costs about £50. How does ASHP reliability and servicing compare etc?
Is ASHP fantastic and everyone should be adopting it? Does it work best with solar (ie. should I put that in a budget for future installation etc)?
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