Ground source heat pump electricity tariffs
Discussion
I had my demo yesterday of the GSHP system in the new house. Seems remarkably simple at the basic user level, and remarkably complex at the techy level (heat curves and the like).
The supplier had a leaflet showing how to switch electricitly providers but having done the Uswitch thing the tarrifs appear like a game of smoke and mirrors TBH.
Has anyone found a good high-usage tarrif for electricitly for GSHP? The leaftlet said to look for about 6000kwh as the system has a 3.5 exchange ratio, but when pressed the agent admitted those figures were for an average 3 bed house and to expect bills of over £1 a year on the new place which equates to about 10,000KWH.
As we likely to be high users (we are at home 24/7 as I work from home and we have elderly relatives living with us) the current supplier NPOWER was suggesting paying a daily supply charge to get the lowest rate on subsequent units.
Depends, how does your system work, UFH with thermal store or fan convectors?
With a large thermal store you could use an off peak tariff whereas with on demand heating from say fan convectors a normal tariff is likely to be best as the pump will run during the day.
We use fan convectors with nPower Sign Online 21 and works out about £25ish a month for spring, summer and autum heating and DHW, winter will be higher...
With a large thermal store you could use an off peak tariff whereas with on demand heating from say fan convectors a normal tariff is likely to be best as the pump will run during the day.
We use fan convectors with nPower Sign Online 21 and works out about £25ish a month for spring, summer and autum heating and DHW, winter will be higher...
Yep, heat pumps are very simple and extremely complicated at the same time.
6,000 to 10,000 kWhrs a year would appear to be in the correct range - hence a tariff with a fixed cost plus a lower rate will probably be the best way to go (although things have changed since I left the UK in 1999).
In general low users should look to nil fixed costs and a higher rate per unit - high users should only concentrate on the rate per unit as the fixed costs are spread over a large number of units.
Only recently has a power company in NZ offered power without any fixed costs. I have three meters for my property, two are low user with a higher tariff and no daily charges, one is a lower tariff with a daily charge.
Get your calculator out.
6,000 to 10,000 kWhrs a year would appear to be in the correct range - hence a tariff with a fixed cost plus a lower rate will probably be the best way to go (although things have changed since I left the UK in 1999).
In general low users should look to nil fixed costs and a higher rate per unit - high users should only concentrate on the rate per unit as the fixed costs are spread over a large number of units.
Only recently has a power company in NZ offered power without any fixed costs. I have three meters for my property, two are low user with a higher tariff and no daily charges, one is a lower tariff with a daily charge.
Get your calculator out.
My bills are somewhere around £60 a month and I'm running an 8kW GSHP. My house is a stone detached 3 bed place, with more insulation than you can shake a stick at, but I didn't see a need to get a special tariff. Although I'm out at work all day, I heave it on all day as it suits me that way, each room set at a comfy temperature for me (although the misses is forever harking on about how cold my house is, and why don't I get a proper heating system... whilst I'm laying around in a t-shirt!)
I leave mine on all day purely due to the time it takes to heat the concrete slab - i'm not sure how long exactly it would take, but my logic is that it is better to leave on all day and the pump come on say, 5mins every hour, than to turn it off, and the pump have to work considerably more to reheat the slab from cool.
The potential cost saving by eliminating a couple of pump runs a day by running the system on a timer is negligible. The house is on thermostats throughout, so pretty much takes care of itself - I only touch it once in the spring, and in the winter.
The potential cost saving by eliminating a couple of pump runs a day by running the system on a timer is negligible. The house is on thermostats throughout, so pretty much takes care of itself - I only touch it once in the spring, and in the winter.
Theoretically yes, but I was basing my rough theory on the fact that there is so much insulation in the place, that the house is as efficient as possible, therefore the input energy required to heat is the same - regardless how quickly/slowly it is heated. I realise that in the real world there are losses, but in my mind, they are pretty small on an energy bill of ~£2 a day.
Yes, I possibly could save money, but I think it would be pence, which could be easier saved by other means if I was that way inclined.
Yes, I possibly could save money, but I think it would be pence, which could be easier saved by other means if I was that way inclined.
tom_loughlin said:
I leave mine on all day purely due to the time it takes to heat the concrete slab - i'm not sure how long exactly it would take, but my logic is that it is better to leave on all day and the pump come on say, 5mins every hour, than to turn it off, and the pump have to work considerably more to reheat the slab from cool.
The potential cost saving by eliminating a couple of pump runs a day by running the system on a timer is negligible. The house is on thermostats throughout, so pretty much takes care of itself - I only touch it once in the spring, and in the winter.
Same here, always on. System monitors outside and indoor temps, paramaeters are set so just let it get on with it... Very low running costs and house always warm. House occupied during the do so no point in buggering around with settings to save a few pence...The potential cost saving by eliminating a couple of pump runs a day by running the system on a timer is negligible. The house is on thermostats throughout, so pretty much takes care of itself - I only touch it once in the spring, and in the winter.
Our system is UFH and a 500 litre thermal store, with rads upstairs.
The economy 7 calculations suggested we need to use about 35-40% at night and the outcome from their online calculator was that we were better on a normal tarrif with a daily fixed fee and then a lower KWH rate. The installers suggest we left it running all the time at the set temperature, especially as we are there 24/7, and then controlled the night time heat upstairs with the radiator valves ( although I note the booklet says it works best if the rad vales are left fully open).
I think Npower have a sign online 25 tarriff with an annual charge of £133 (2.56 a week) and 9.85p a unit. Pocket are a local green energy company at £1.26p weekly charge but 10.18p a unit. I also looked at the Eon Age UK High user as my outlaws arer over 60 and that is 23.2p a unit for the first 900kwh and then 10.34p but with a £100 credit on arrival and extra credits if the weather gets very cold ( and some freebiews like an hypotheria thermometer and a carbon monoxide alarm, not much use to me).
As alwaya I think you have to tariiff switch once a year or even more often to keep on top of their marketing/tariffs.
The economy 7 calculations suggested we need to use about 35-40% at night and the outcome from their online calculator was that we were better on a normal tarrif with a daily fixed fee and then a lower KWH rate. The installers suggest we left it running all the time at the set temperature, especially as we are there 24/7, and then controlled the night time heat upstairs with the radiator valves ( although I note the booklet says it works best if the rad vales are left fully open).
I think Npower have a sign online 25 tarriff with an annual charge of £133 (2.56 a week) and 9.85p a unit. Pocket are a local green energy company at £1.26p weekly charge but 10.18p a unit. I also looked at the Eon Age UK High user as my outlaws arer over 60 and that is 23.2p a unit for the first 900kwh and then 10.34p but with a £100 credit on arrival and extra credits if the weather gets very cold ( and some freebiews like an hypotheria thermometer and a carbon monoxide alarm, not much use to me).
As alwaya I think you have to tariiff switch once a year or even more often to keep on top of their marketing/tariffs.
Edited by Cogcog on Wednesday 12th October 08:23
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