Can you swap a Gas boiler for an Air Source Heat Pump?

[@xyredmax]

I have been a building services engineer most of my life, the past 20 years in local authority - It is so refreshing to listen to someone who knows what they are talking about without the spin!

[@ecobubl]

Many thanks for your lovely comments.

[@davidmcfarlane4297]

Think very hard before taking the plunge with a heat pump. I had a top-of-the-range Daikin Altherma R32 16kW split system with upsized radiators installed in June 2020. It was great for... 3 months. Then communications errors started between the indoor and outdoor units, which caused occasional glitches. The heat pump stopped completely in Dec 20 due to a refrigerant leak, and a replacement outdoor unit was supplied within 5 days (cudos to Daikin on that occasion). Then after a few months the control PCBs in both units needed changing due to ever-increasing comms errors. Then in late November 2021, the system became very inefficient due to another loss of refrigerant and could barely heat our bungalow to a modest temperature. It full-stopped a week later and the system had to be put into emergency mode, where internal electrical backup heaters were employed to heat the radiator flow water (no heat pump action, no efficiency). This went on for 9 WEEKS while awaiting spares, at an average consumption rate of over £100 per week for space heating, and the bungalow could just reach 19 deg when mild outside. At the end of this period, the heat exchanger was replaced and the system was recharged with R32 refrigerant. All was good for 3 weeks, but then the system alarmed due to low R32 refrigerant - again. TAs of now, the efficiency is going down, and the running costs are going up. I am yet again waiting for an engineer to come and fix the leak and recharge the system. Electricity is going up 50% tomorrow... My heat pump has a 5 year warranty; I hate to think of what repair costs will be after this. My heat pump has now seen 2 winters, and has let me down on both. In my opinion there are not enough spares or qualified engineers about to offer fast, effective, and economic repairs on heat pumps. I really feel I made the wrong choice (my old oil - fired boiler had one fault in over 7 years and was fixed on the same morning). In summary, if you want a heat pump, go for the simple mono block design that does not use the latest R32 refrigerant, which seems to be very difficult to keep sealed in, at least in my case, and what I have heard. Surprisingly, I don't feel any better for having written this...

[@gasdive]

I have two simple air to air mini split. Either one keeps the completely uninsulated house toasty down to -5 which is as cold as it gets here, (probably much colder, but I haven't tried), and the combined cost wouldn't be 1/4 of your system.

[@davidmcfarlane4297]

@@gasdive Don't get me wrong - when it works it is very efficient. The problems come when breakdowns occur, especially in winter. Then any savings quickly go up in smoke... as my 9 weekly costs demonstrated. Plus a repair without warranty will be very expensive, if you have an unreliable system...

[@gasdive]

@@davidmcfarlane4297 inherently air to water systems work really hard because you're pumping the heat 30 odd degrees higher than it needs to go, so they don't last as long. The leaks aren't acceptable either, but mini split air to air are much less prone to them because there's generally only one connection that's not made and tested in the factory. And having two, there's no point where a single failure means I have no heat or cooling.

[@JK-zx3go]

A very useful explanation of the state of the art. In the field development. Sounds horrific.

[@garyholden9989]

Mine was a dreadful Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan system lasted 4 years. Everyone renamed it the Broken dan! Hot Water storage tank split, refigerant leak in the condenser. Shell and tube split , oil in the water. No heating on rads. A total nightmare. Do not buy.

[@monday7150]

You should also do a video of an actual installation from start to finish to show just how disruptive an installation can be

[@ecobubl]

We have done full install videos, your see them on our channel, although doesn’t really any disruption. Many thanks for watching 😀👍

[@MartynDews]

That's a great video. Really informative thanks for posting. I also noted that you took your outdoor shoes off while in the customer's house. This is always great to see. That or shoe covers. Very respectful. You're hired! 🙂

[@ecobubl]

Hi Martyn Many thanks for your lovely comments. Yes very important to respect the customers home. Thanks for watching 👍😃

[@MartynDews]

@@ecobubl The videos you do are very informative and have helped me to come to a decision on which direction I need to go with my solar and storage plans. It's just a shame you don't cover my area,

[@ecobubl]

Oh that’s good, we are trying to show what we think are the best products or the ones we have found are best quality and value for money. We only install in the south area so we can provide the best local customer service, there’s so many direct sales type companies that just rip customers off and can’t provide any sort of customer service. All the best with your Solar and battery. 😃

[@johnduffy7502]

Very informative video, thanks. I've just fitted Central heating to my daughter's back-to-back terrace. A heat pump is not an option for her as the house only has a front! But good info is never wasted.

[@AndrewStirling451]

This is a great introductory video to the practicalities of heat pump installation. If only all suppliers were as open, honest and pleasant to deal with. It makes clear the preparation and fore-thought needed to ensure that the results will be a success in terms of the use of available spaces and aesthetics, as well as heating efficiency. The video helps build confidence that the switch to a heat pump can be managed, when you have the right company to design and fit the system.

[@Stigman101]

and the extra money that boiler not that old ive got one fitted for £2300....heatpump and upgrades will be alot more..how long to get money back? good video though.

[@willchu]

@@Stigman101 This is what the HVAC companies don't want you to know. It takes many years (decades) from the savings of energy cost to recuperate the cost of installing a heat pump.

[@1943L]

Very clear, knowledgeable presentation. Shame you’re not near us.

[@ecobubl]

Many thanks John. All the best 😀

[@thelaserhive3368]

I love this walk through. Watching it makes me aware of how careful we’d need to be about getting the right firm in to assess the property - if only you were in Yorkshire!

[@ecobubl]

Hi Many thanks for your lovely comment. Yes the design is so important and also manufacturers training. I’m sure there must be a Daikin sustainable home centre near you in Yorkshire. All the best. 😀

[@jezlawrence720]

@@ecobubl There probably is... but you seem like a 'total system' company and that's seriously hard to find. Yeah, you favour Daikin for the heat pump element but I also get the sense you're also *not* going to recommend a heat pump if it isn't the right solution, and you're one of the very few companies I've seen who just evaluate whether sunamp or mixergy is the right one for the job, rather than only knowing about one or the other. That or the other companies I've failed to find just make it really hard to see how holistic they are. And I *want* holistic. I don't want to have to become an energy and heating expert myself just in order to commission the right firm, and I need a staged transition plan to get first hot water, then heating - there's no way I can afford to do both at once - without laying a really terrible first foundation stone that has to be replaced later. And I bet you'd be able to do that. *And* everyone you've ever had from the company on your channel videos is either the worlds best liar or you're just all Good People. *That's* important too. You've no idea (probably you have every idea that's why you started your business lol) how hard it is to find a company with the breadth of experience and options as you do, never mind one being interested in lining up the right composite solution not just pushing the same combination of stuff all the time, never *mind* mind one that seems so genuine. I've learned more about a key sunamp input temperature gotcha from this video and the comments section than hours and hours of poking at websites for heaven's sake. I sound really cross with you. I'm not cross with you! The whole point is you seem brilliant and frankly there's a massive gap in the market for that! Vote #2 for a Yorkshire branch! First The North, then the world! :p

[@ecobubl]

@@jezlawrence720 wow 🤩 what amazing comments you have made. We are very proud of what we’ve achieved. We all previous worked for companies with such bad customer service who ripped off customers. We created our KZbin channel to show homeowners and installers what’s involved in the installation of the products, to make sure installs are completed correctly. We are so pleased with the comments on this video and looks like we’ve achieved what we wanted. Thanks again 😃

[@enyaq_gorm]

Great video. We had our daikin altherma 13 installed a year ago and it's been brilliant. This video would have been great to see back then as it explains way better than anything I was told at the time 👌

[@ecobubl]

Thank you, yes we wanted to show the whole process to stop these rogue installers just swapping a boiler out without doing the full checks.

[@enyaq_gorm]

@@ecobubl thankfully my installers were excellent and really knew their stuff but your explanation was much clearer than anything they provided .

[@okafka5446]

@@ecobubl Thanks for posting this video, just trying to get a handle on costs - in this particular case, what was the total cost for the installation, not including the making good?

[@timblackburn2017]

Good presentation but for me heat pumps are a total no no. The main reason being cost, I built my house 40 years ago and heating and hot water is provided by a Worcester Highflow floor mounted combi, which is cheap to run. The estimated cost of putting a heat pump system in is around £20,000, money I do not have or wish to spend. The disruption potentially caused by the installation would be enormous, something I am not prepared to contemplate.

[@gowdsake7103]

You forgot the 40 grand for insulation

[@paulgannon3261]

totally agree and if and when your old highflow ends most of the new Worcester , Ideal , Baxi etc boilers are all Hydrogen ready so no need for any major install changes or costs.

[@mbak7801]

I bet you did not insulate the house very well. A modern house and heat pump is an excellent combination. The problem is the UK housing stock is in dreadful condition. Most needs demolishing. The next problem is finding a competent firm of builders to replace them with and in the UK is nigh on impossible.

[@timblackburn2017]

@@mbak7801 The insulation was to the standards of the day. All cavity walls had Rockwool insulation from day 1. All accessible insulation has been upgraded. Not withstanding all of this, the bottom line is the costs involved are prohibitive to do the job properly. That combined with the potential disruption to the household just doesn't bear thinking about.

[@gowdsake7103]

It will last a bloody sight longer that the shit they throw up now !

[@nixonsmateruby1]

I'm a Geordie, in winter I just stick a jumper on and some socks on me hands like, bonny lass.

[@96Lauriz]

Curious engineer here. Very good video and considerations. Some questions here based on my scandinavian experience. Do you ensure most efficient operation by using weather compensation, which is I think is very important? I saw a lot of UK installers ignoring weather compensation and run very high LWT as a shortcut to minimize callouts sacrificing customers COP. Do you recommend your customers balancing the radiators and upgrading valves to maximize flow and thus COP? Also underfloor heating balancing. And do you inform your customers that most efficient operation for HP is stable operation avoiding night setbacks and such? Happy to see promoting HP's in UK where conditions are challenging to make install financially feasible.

[@ecobubl]

Thank you for your nice comment. Yes agree with all points and we do the same.

[@woodydroneson]

I live in the UK and so funny that you know just how crazy the English weather can be, no matter what system you have it cannot make an exact prediction on if it will be a stable temperature throughout the day, it could be 2c in the morning, 18c by midday, suddenly drop again and then rise within less than 12/24 hour period. I presume you have worked here at some time :)

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Obviously the best time to absorb and collect heat is during periods outdoor temps are highest, but at what expense? There are storage system losses to consider.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

So in this example a small two bedroom end of terrace built in the 70s meaning it will have cavity walls that are probably not insulated and has double glazing. To move to a heat pump they need to lose a wardrobe for the tank, have all their radiators increased in size and will still have higher energy bills than the gas combi they are replacing. Plus this new system is very complex with many failure points meaning higher cost of servicing or when things go wrong. Plus the cost of such a system is going to be in the £10k+ range with all the installation work required. Then in winter when it is really cold outside the efficiency falls and you are using huge amounts of electricity for your heating. They would be better off spending that money on better insulation for their home and triple glazing and latest boiler tech to reduce their gas consumption. This would reduce their bills considerably and would reduce their energy consumption overall below that with this new heat pump and probably wouldn't even cost as much to do.

[@MrQwerty3000]

The idea is to move people off gas and onto electricity to meet environmental needs and avoid excessive climate change. Boring but true

[@schrodingerscat1863]

@@MrQwerty3000 Thinking that something like this will have any impact on global CO2 is crazy, the increase in CO2 emissions from China over the last 2 years is more than the UK produces in total. This is just gesture politics, insanely expensive and ultimately pointless.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

@@schrodingerscat1863 Textbook example of whataboutism. Of course it will eventually have an impact on global CO2 emissions. We have to start somewhere.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

@@Simon-dm8zv Starting with bankrupting half the country is not a good start, there are many way to have real impact on CO2 emissions with less impact on individuals. How about persuading countries like China to reduce their emissions rather than keep flogging our population who have already reduced per capita emissions by half. To have an impact you need to concentrate on something that has an impact rather than gesture politics like heat pumps that the vast majority have neither the room or the money for.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

@@schrodingerscat1863 You clearly have no clue about how heat pumps work and save a lot of emissions. Also, I am not sure what you are referring to with 'Starting with bankrupting half the country is not a good start' as sticking to gas fired heating will definitely bankrupt countries sooner or later.

[@jeffjsmith]

This video communicates such a positive image of EcoBubl - I so wish we had used you to install our ASHP. We had a nightmare of an installation - 3 days turned into 16 days over two months! Experience, knowledge and competent planning up front … Great video, informative and entertaining too!

[@ecobubl]

Hi Jeff Thank you for your lovely comments. We want to make sure that every installation is designed and installed correctly. The idea of the video was to show homeowners what’s involved from the initial enquiry, so they don’t get ripped off by rogue installers skipping the most important part, which is design. Thank for watching we really appreciate it. 😃👍

[@ChrisG1967]

As a heating engineer with over 30 years of experience working on gas and oil and now training on renewables I agree we need to look to the future but there aren't enough skilled service engineers out there. Watch Roger Bisby's videos as he makes sense!!

[@roscopeco2000]

Yes some of it but his also talks alot bollocks. Watch Heatgeek debunk alot of what he says

[@hvacdesignsolutions]

@@roscopeco2000Roger doesn't really understand the technology or how it should be applied. As a Chartered Building Services Engineer, i've watched enough of his vids to come to that conclusion. Heat Geek have their own agenda and have told a few white lies recently, about HP SCOPs and running costs. Do your own research and homework. You'll soon come to the same conclusion i have about the UK domestic HP market. It's immature and lacks transparency.

[@Purebeltersteve]

Northern ireland has used heat pumps for a very long time. We have a colder climate than England and i can tell you, if you want massive electric bills crack on and get a heat pump. Cost for maintainance is gonna cost a fortune.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

If your resistive heat strips are engaging, then yes. Otherwise (aside from failures), the most economical means of heating available aside from solar. I successfully heat my home to comfortable levels without using resistive heating down to outdoor temps of -6C using only a properly sized heat pump. Cooling mode in summer is less challenging to these devices than heating mode, IMO.

[@dorsetengineering]

@@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259 We don't use resistive strip heaters over here - 99% of our heat pump installs are monoblock, air-water, heating radiators (aka hydronic heating). The alternative is natural gas which has historically been one fifth the cost of electricity. So everyone compares their electric bill to their previous gas bill and has a shock. Now that we're seeing natural gas at only 3.5 times cheaper than electricity, as ashp running at a cop of >3.5 makes sense financially. Come october when the energy shakeup happens again, I expect we'll see the carbon tax moved over onto gas from electricity and the economics of a heat pump will then look even more appealing.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

@@dorsetengineering I don't have the option of natural gas due to proximity, the heat pump system is air to air with electric resistive (for assist and backup) LP gas would be an option but rather expensive. Aside from the defrost strip, normally I leave the resistive elements disabled for various reasons. FWIW. I'm interested in learning the feasibility of collecting heat for storage (during the warmth of day, for example) and use during colder periods (during night).

[@dorsetengineering]

Cost for maintenance? It’s a fridge, in your garden…. When was the last time you paid someone to service your fridge?

[@Purebeltersteve]

@@dorsetengineering how many electricial component parts are in a fridge lol.

[@averyvaliant]

Great video, thank you. Are there any documented studies or feedback from people who've had these pumps installed and the total costs of both the installation and running costs, vs a gas boiler system?

[@averyvaliant]

@flippy5118 Yea, but their homes aren't ancient like ours here in the UK.

[@hrvojelasic5794]

I sold hundreds of heat pumps (I was working for CARRIER) and really don't understand people throwing out an already installed gas boiler to replace them with a heat pump. Nowadays you can't really get information about how heat pumps work in various conditions (you get very basic info of several points - before you had tables with air temperature vs water temperature for any points) and many heat pumps use electrical heaters to compensate for inefficiency during low air temperatures. Heat pumps are expensive to buy compared to gas boilers (you may never return investment), difficult to maintain (just ask for a service cost) and as a minimum, you could keep the gas boiler with the right hydraulics and run both. Of course, you need to do a heat calculation.

[@cuckingfunt9353]

You must know then that they had to remove the gas boiler to get the subsidized energy thing. Or am I wrong about that, was there a workaround ? I was looking at the customer in this video... Had a fairly new Worcester, they would be mad to waste all that money, their old gas boiler is good for another 20 years, it would be a crime to rip that thing out. .... If I was doing the job that boiler would be coming home with me ! I'd say no problem, I will give you free waste disposal, hehe, and all the copper as well ! I often make more on the copper I remove from houses than I do from the job I'm doing, that's just the way it is going in this county.

[@hrvojelasic5794]

@@cuckingfunt9353 Agree, I am not living in UK but this policy looks madness to me. It is completely illogical and it will hurt customers and taxpayers. As I said I was living from selling HP, but they have their specific reason where and when to install them. Not every case is suitable, like not every time gas boiler is suitable for installation.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

You do not see the benefit of lower CO2 emissions?

[@hrvojelasic5794]

@@Simon-dm8zv what would be the benefit of lower co2 emissions?

[@Simon-dm8zv]

@@hrvojelasic5794 Riiight 😂

[@john3Lee]

This is a great video that's put me off converting to any form of heat pump system - Thanks

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

The reasoning in this video is pretty dumb at times. All done from a sales perspecrive. There is virturally no home that cant be heated with a heat pump.

[@eatsoupwithafork1]

No mention of cost, I wonder why...

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

@@eatsoupwithafork1 because the equpment is cheap but the markup is criminal. You are better off doing it yourself

[@razvanlex]

And you can wait for the gas price to get the same or double the electricity and enjoy the gas bills. Wait, it's already happening in the world!

[@razvanlex]

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld Yes, in Norway, Sweden and Denmark they are idiots for using heat pumps. It's not like it's cold there.

[@jonb5493]

Great prez, thanks. IMHO a critical issue with all these tecs (I am also looking at "big-battery+inverter from off-peak" and "Zepeo -or competitor") is finding a *REALLY* smart installer who understands the tec. Good luck with that! If you find one, his calendar is full until 2029.

[@chrisweston9764]

These sort of videos always make it feel like it would be a complete ball ache for us to make the change to an ASHP

[@richardlewis5316]

I install conventional gas heating systems(Combi) and the simplicity of the installation means we can do the whole job in two days with minimal disruption to the house. I have seen many installations where the old copper cylinder has been removed and a shower put in its place. I could not imagine what a customer would say if I told them they had to have a big tank back instead of the shower!!

[@kevf4537]

With prices rising I wouldn't advise it. And I've been installing them for 10 years.

[@HeatGeek]

Not installing them too well then.. well installed hps are cheaper than gas boilers.

[@kevf4537]

@@HeatGeek well that comment was 9 months ago. Things have changed.

[@timdixon928]

Good explanation but for this house example it would be good to give real installation costs and running costs v the existing gas CH system?

[@cuckingfunt9353]

Installation costs are typically £10,000+ . This house with all the extra plumbing, using the split type, even with the smaller unit would cost £15,000+ . Running costs would be 25%-30% higher than gas, with the recent price hikes. The biggest problem would be if something goes wrong, these things are super complicated and there are very few people who can fix them. Without a lifetime guarantee you would be mad to buy one. If in 3 years time the compressor pump starts burning out boards you could be looking at £5k+ repair bill, you can get insurance for gas boilers, not for these things. Many people say that they don't go wrong, but that isn't true, the power electronics they use for the drives and inverters will start going bad after 10 years. It's a real liability.

[@razvanlex]

@@cuckingfunt9353 I don't know the UK gas and electricity prices, but here in Romania we historically had gass 6 times cheaper than electricity. But since autumn of 2021 the gas price got higher, being 4 times cheaper, than 2 times cheaper and now after the Ukrainian war begun the price is the same and depending on the company as much as double the electricity price, which is insane in such of short time. I have a modern gas boiler, a pretty well insulated house but I'm preparing to install a heat pump also in parallel with the gas boiler and a photovoltaic system, and wait for the next winter to see what will happen. I've managed to order from Spain a 6kW Gree Versati monobloc air to water heat pump at about €2.500. I have also a Gree 24.000 BTU, about 3,5 kW air conditioning unit (air to air heat pump) which works both ways (cool and heat) but I don't like this type of fan air blown heating which is noisier and not that comfortable as radiator heating.

[@hazmat5749]

@@cuckingfunt9353 Realistically here in the UK electricity prices are going to go up but gas will go up even more. Also the green tariffs that are currently on electricity will be gradually transferred onto gas to discourage people from using it. I think your figures are out of date and you will find heat pump running costs are presently the same or slightly lower than for gas.

[@chrisbailey1966]

Good video, however if you included a few points regarding running and installation costs it would save people time in tracking down the information themselves. For instance if you have an oil based system and can't get mains gas the running costs should pay you back for the installation within the system lifespan. Until gas costs in comparison to electric change the actual running costs will at best be around the same assuming good design. I have recently got a 2 year fixed deal and the gas/electric ratio is 3.74 so a SCOP of 3.00 with the benefit of summer hot water would bring things level. That does not help with the installation cost which would be similar to this project circa £12,000. You don't mention the BUS grant but as it's not clear how available that is going to be, probably a wise choice. It's always expensive to be a pioneer with technology and if people want to do it for ecological reasons and they can get mains gas they should do so realising that the system life costs at the moment are higher than a gas boiler. The only way to reduce running costs further would be to have additional mitigation of solar / home battery again at more capital cost.

[@ecobubl]

Hi Chris Yes you are totally correct, running cost would be similar, unless you had already locked into a low electric energy tariff for a few years. Talking about running cost is very difficult at the moment with a constant change in energy cost, in all fuels like electric, gas and oil, it’s so unstable everyone is paying such different rates. As you say the BUS scheme hasn’t stated yet, so no point talking about it until customers are actually receiving the payment. For a lot of our customers payback is not at the forefront of their mines. They want to get off fossil fuels and purchase a complete system including solar and battery storage. Thank you for watching and your valued comments.😀

[@aub8670]

Great video! What is the pros and cons of Mixergy vs Sunamp? Also can Sunamp be used with a monobloc heat pump?

[@eliotmansfield]

You go to considerable effort designing the system, so well done on that aspect - but completely omit the crucial part, which is how much electricity will it use to keep the house warm when the outside temperature is below 10’c ? The fact that it needs a 16A or even 32A supply means that it’s not insignificant when you need it the most.

[@richardlewis5316]

A heat pump has to run 24/7 so if it requires 16amps this equates to about 3.5 KW per hour which is 84kwh per 24 hours.. My current EDF rate is 37 pence per KWh ie about £30 per day. Surely this cannot be the cost of running a heat pump. I know there is a factor of 3 x efficiency but even allowing for this it seems a heat pump could be costing £10 per day in winter and unlike a gas boiler which can be turned on and off - it runs continuously.

[@johnhunter4181]

@@richardlewis5316 The 3x efficiency is irrelevant - if the pump still consumes 16Amps which would cost over £900 month. I think you're right, their sizing calculations are nonsense.

[@richardlewis5316]

The daily cost to run a heat pump is NEVER mentioned but as they say it has to run 24/7 even if 1kwh this is 24kwh PER day which on my rate of 37p means it costs nearly £9.00 PER day. And thats after an installation cost of about £8000

[@richardlewis5316]

@@johnhunter4181 To be fair the 16amps is so that the HP can switch on heater to defrost and even heat the water in very cold conditions.

[@CraigGriggs]

Great video. But why did you not consider putting the tank in the loft? I currently have my unventes cylinder in the loft with no issues as I have no room on the ground or upper floors for it. Cheers

[@woodydroneson]

Interesting and informative video, I work in Architecture, so it makes sense if you have the space to consider this as an option, however, I live in a small house that has limited space for all of the refrigeration units/tanks, concrete and suspended timber floors, etc. I think after doing research, my best option is for an efficient gas/hydrogen boiler until renewable electricity prices/solar, etc enable me to install a combination of renewable energy sources in the future. 2.5k boiler upgrade vs ? I just cannot afford to go green! :(

[@ecobubl]

That's a very sensible way of looking at it, many thanks for your comments, and thanks for watching.

[@gasdive]

Consider a split air to air. An 8 kW system should cost around 1000 UKP installed. The efficency of a heat pump is strongly tied to the temperature gradient. By making the unit heat water to 50C, rather than just the indoor air temperature you're losing most of the advantages of heat pumps. A split air to air needs only a hole in the wall and an outside power outlet rather than ripping floors and walls. Installation should take less that 2 hours. The indoor head unit goes on a wall, taking up no floor or storage space. Plus you get air conditioning and indoor air filtration as a free bonus.

[@woodydroneson]

@@gasdive Thanks for your suggestion, like ​Simon Hutson's reply above, I have looked into the air to air heat pumps and it has been difficult to get a decent amount of information together to form an opinion. Looking into virtually all of the options available, I think I need to consider a combination of replacing my combination boiler and at the same time removing some radiators from some rooms and or just turn them off and install an air to air system that I can easily connect some rooms too, as well as adding in some solar panels to reduce my electricity consumption. After many months of research, this would probably be the best solution for the size, shape, and location of my house.

[@gasdive]

@@woodydroneson further research on my part seems to indicate that good air to air systems as used in other 240V countries simply aren't imported into the UK. So that might make things unreasonably difficult.

[@richardlewis5316]

A pretty useless video which is all sales and no substance. Heat pumps are a retrograde step to when we had cylinders in the cupboards. As for low temperature radiators they will not heat a house quickly so will need to be on all day using electricity - even 6kw per hour will cost more that a 37kw gas boiler switched on for a couple of hours when getting home. Removing an efficient gas boiler and spending £10,000 on a heat pump installation makes no commercial sense

[@johnhunter4181]

So many comments slagging off heat pumps and the people that install them when the real problem is the shameful building standards in the UK. We were raised on stories about the three little pigs and their straw or wooden house that gets blown down by the big bad wolf. And so we build houses using thousands of tiny concrete bricks and tiles - pandering to every English twit that thinks his home is his castle. Open fireplaces and period features are what sells houses, MVHR is almost unheard of and still not standard in new builds. Builders putting a couple of solar panels on new builds now to meet the regs for a minimum EPC 'cos it's cheaper than adding insulation or triple glazing.

[@BabyGonzo5]

Great video. Really informative. I have read the reviews good and bad, normal stuff some people unfortunately have had horrendous experience some no issues. So helps no understand the failure modes and where to talk about during installation.

[@Lord-hoboco777]

If you've got an old property where insulation is thin forget it stick with gas

[@ChrisLee-yr7tz]

Found the video very interesting but can we please have some numbers?? What's the current annual gas and elect kwh consumption? What's a real world CoP achievable for that system in the UK? What are the predicted annual gas / elec kwh consumption after installation? Net fuel cost change? What's the full installation cost? Plus making good? Looks like the customer would be binning a relatively new Worcester boiler and all their rads. What's a realistic remaining useful life if they kept the current system?

[@john3Lee]

They conveniently hide the price... All I know, its too high, and very expensive to run !!

[@ChrisLee-yr7tz]

@@john3Lee ssshhhhhhhh...... Just let them answer...

[@monday7150]

@@ChrisLee-yr7tz they won't answer

[@ecobubl]

We have already answered in other comments, £10,500 -£12,000

[@ChrisLee-yr7tz]

@@ecobubl Sorry, I can't see the answers to my questions. Have you made a video about the economics of the whole thing? I'm really interested in it but don't see how it's economically feasible.

[@john3Lee]

You forgot to film the part where the customer depicted in this bit of fiction fainted when told running costs and installation charge !!

[@zincbod]

Great video. Well put together and informative. I work in the industry and learnt a few things. Keep them coming :-)

[@ecobubl]

Thanks Rob, there’s a lot more to come. Thanks for watching 😃👍

[@Greguk444]

Great video, very informative, but can you give a ball park general advice on the cost of this installation as I have a similar house and am looking into a change to my combo boiler. I appreciate costs are specific to the situation. Thank you

[@OHYEAHGAMEVIDEOS]

Nice video. All of these things should be considered when installing heat pumps. If it is not done properly you will likely have an expensive system that is not up to the job.

[@ecobubl]

Hi Diego Many thanks, that’s exactly what we wanted to show, there’s so many bad installations out there giving heat pumps a bad name. 😀 thanks for watching.

[@owenjones-wells9395]

Very interesting to see the process. We would love to upgrade to a heat pump but, living in a Victorian mid terrace (max width of 16ft) house, with a loft conversion and combi boiler situated in the loft (no cylinder or water tank), and the rear of the property being all glass and covered by trees (so nowhere to place the heat pump), it might not be possible.

[@philstixuk]

Really good, clear, informative and helpful video. Thanks for putting together!

[@ecobubl]

Thank you and thanks for watching our channel 😀

[@ON-THE-DRIVEWAY]

This lady on here going far, 👍

[@ecobubl]

Thank you Mark, and thanks for watching 😀👍🏻

[@trakside1]

what an excellent video, made it really easy to understand

[@ecobubl]

Thank you Mike, glad you enjoyed it.

[@mikecole4952]

I did the Lailey and coates installer course quite a few years ago and they said that the split system is more efficient. Due to the refrigerant condensing earlier and giving the condenser plate more heat. Not sure if you agree and have your split installs performed better? Great video and would be awesome working with some one with your knowledge 😊

[@ecobubl]

Hi Mike many thanks for your lovely comments, and Yes we find the split units more efficient than the Monobloc units.

[@markcranmer92]

Every point made is perfect for engineers to consider and the home owner 👍

[@ecobubl]

Thank you Mark 😀👍

[@jeff4493]

What a great video, anyone considering a Heat Pump should watch this for an easily understandable explanation of the really rather complex design issues. One question is that in this video you state that Sunamps and Monoblocs are not compatible but don’t explain why (??). I recall seeing a video a year or so ago showing an install of Daikin Altherma 3 paired with a Sunamp. Is there a simple explanation?

[@ecobubl]

Hi Jeff Many thanks for your great comments, we wanted homeowners to fully understand the process, as there are many companies out there doing a poor job for calculations and very quick one day installations. Regarding the monobloc comment, we were referring to the daikin mini 7kw R410a monobloc, which currently only has a max flow temp of 55dc. So the sunamp is not compatible with that.

[@jeff4493]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. Another mystery ( dark art!) seems be calculating the size of the buffer tank ( I’ve seen designs for what appear to be similar systems ranging from 25 litres to 180 litres) - perhaps something for another video? I have also had friends with designs for 11kw units but on install ending up with larger output units ( in one case 16kw) my guess has been limited supply of popular unit sizes ahead of the closure of RHI.

[@ecobubl]

@@jeff4493 yes buffer tank is a strange one. All Daikin specify is a minimum water volume of 10 litres on small units and 20 litre of the larger units with a bypass valve, this is for defrost mode, so technically no buffer required. Yes there’s a big shortage of heat pumps at the moment.

[@brackcycle9056]

Good video .. Many questions. What does the indoor hydraulic unit do ? Sounds like the Buffet tank just slows down heating , but whats its advantage ? Are you suggesting pressurised hot water cylinder? Why would I want such a large HW tank ? What is the advantage of Air to Water over the cheaper Air to Air ? Especially if a split system & you have the complexity of refrigerant pipes.

[@dorsetengineering]

1. Indoor hydraulic unit contains the refrigerant-water heat exchanger and allows you to site the outdoor unit a good distance from the house, using buried refrigerant lines. 2. Buffer tank is used when the flow rate between the heat pump and the heating system doesn't match - you use the buffer tank to deal with that issue. Heat pump has a high flow rate through it's exchanger, vs a slower rate through the rads. 3. Yes, pressurised DHW cylinder. Or a sunamp if space wasn't available 4. The DHW cylinder needs to be larger because it stores a lower temperature of water. Using the heat pump to heat above 50 deg is inefficient, so a larger cylinder is typically used, mixed with less cold water. 5. Air-water comes with a govt. grant and can drive underfloor heating or rads. Air-Air (mini split) is much cheaper to install will cool your home too, but won't heat your hot water.

[@guuuuustaf]

Cant say anything negative about this company. From the video to judge. They seem to be a top notch company.. And this comes from a fellow Swede hvac installer himself.

[@ecobubl]

Thank you that’s very kind 😀👍

[@ori4640]

Great video, you covered almost everything, why not share the average cost of this specific split heat pump system, and what will be the average installation costs, including savings, ROI, etc. thanks.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

The system they installed there will be north of £10k and will never pay for itself because it will cost roughly the same to run as the gas system it replaced and may even be more expensive to run, plus will be very expensive to maintain. It would have been better to upgrade the properties insulation and fit triple glazing together with the most efficient gas boiler available. That would reduce their energy consumption, reducing bills paying for the upgrades. Heat pumps just don't make financial sense.

[@ori4640]

@@schrodingerscat1863 Many thanks for your answer, cheers.

[@razvanlex]

@@schrodingerscat1863 Wait until the gas price gets the same or double the price of electricity. Wait... in my country it already is! And last winter the gas price was 6 times cheaper than electricity!

[@tonyparkin3379]

Best way is to gut the house. Then add under floor heating top and oversized rads are not pretty. Also compact means 3 extra units to find space for.Customers are not keen. Especially when the quote hits them.

[@pau1phi11ips]

I'd only do that for a complete renovation.

[@jonathanlake6053]

Or move to a warmer climate!

[@1943L]

Brilliant presentation, some fun but lots of knowledge there.

[@ecobubl]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@joaosidonio7562]

What I find is there is little information to equate x to y. So I have about 70sqm heated floor, two radiators upstairs and 1 kitchen, 2 bathrooms, all from the same tank. I also know how much I spend kW wise in gas. But I cannot find a gas to heap pump conversion anywhere.

[@m.haslam8495]

There are a couple of points where this Daikin Altherma can be installed more conspicuously thereby reducing the cost of installation. (Daikin certified engineer for many years)

[@ecobubl]

Please feel free to share your ideas 💡

[@m.haslam8495]

@@ecobubl My expertise is Heat-pump technology and I've been in this profession for over thirty years. Also, we design, commission and trouble shoot Daikin VRV Systems since 1993. Getting on a bit, but still extremely active.

[@juliebrooke6099]

I’d like to know more about the noise issues. I don’t really have any outdoor wall space that is not adjacent to windows or neighbours windows. I even find next doors bathroom extraction fan annoying and that’s usually only running for half an hour at most. What would the fan noise be like if a whole street of tightly packed homes all had them whirring at the same time?

[@ecobubl]

The Split outdoor unit is extremely quiet, you can only hear the fan, so less than 41 DB, still has to comply with the noise calculations.

[@richardlewis5316]

If there were several heat pumps working close together you would hear reverberation and constant acoustic beats as the motors synchronised and unsynchronised. Would make living unbearable.

[@neilwilliams5645]

Very well explained but I wasn’t clear what the advantage was of the split system over monobloc. Split takes up more space and looks more complicated to fit but I couldn’t see why this would be better.

[@ecobubl]

Hi Neil The split outdoor unit is much quieter than any other product on the market. You also have advantages of locating the outdoor unit away from the house by burying the refrigerant pipe work between indoor and outdoor unit. You don’t need to install glycol in the system, they’re also more efficient.

[@p-jan5747]

@@ecobubl the split units are not more efficient. Nice faulty information.

[@homeschoollifelessons972]

Fantastic explanation of the process 👍👍👍

[@dawid8844]

The problem for most people is a well insulted home with a combination boiler is so cheap to run and so good with space this sort of deployment is just not worth the expense.

[@naratipmath]

Don't want to sacrifice a wardrobe space for that massive tank. I may want to put it in the loft, but how to do this properly to accommodate a loft extension in the future?

[@gazzaman28]

As well as not having a budget close to what is needed for a ASHP, and whilst my gas boiler still has some life left in it, I'm holding out until companies like Tepeo have a viable product which can be a straight swap for a gas boiler without needing expensive upgrades to radiators too. Is this something you're planning on getting involved with?

[@ecobubl]

Hi Yes, we certainly are, watch this space as they say. Thank you for your comments and thanks for watching 😀👍

[@victorclemente9538]

Have you got any training centres in London? Awesome video btw 👍

[@ecobubl]

I’m afraid not, however Daikin have one in Working

[@jorgealves397]

great way to present a quote, greetings

[@MrDgenerize]

amazing video, hilarious and informative!

[@ecobubl]

Thank you x

[@gwynnej3]

Very helpful video. How much was that installation going to cost?

[@ecobubl]

Many thanks, this sort of job would be between £10,500 - £12,000

[@gwynnej3]

Thanks. Looking at the equipment and the property those numbers sound realistic and quite attractive.

[@SSS02010110]

Do you have a balance point of outdoor temperature for the options beyond which natural gas is cheaper?

[@phonlife]

Fantastic video but I'd like to ask where on the govt planning portal does it say you have to have planning permission if in front of the house? I haven't read that. As long as it's 1m away from boundary, not in a conservation area or adjacent to a highway at first floor level it is permitted development as far as I can tell. I have heard this confusing potentially misinformation about planning permission before so can you check this is correct please?

[@TheGriffmandude]

Does it matter what size pipe work is supplying the rads ? My understanding was 15mm pipes to radiators was required not microbore 10mm or 8mm

[@hazmat5749]

Microbore is ok provided it is for small radiators. With a heat pump a 10mm pipe is ok for a radiator up to approx 750 watts.

[@tipperarymick5337]

Fantastic video! Incredibly informative and interesting video as usual :)

[@ecobubl]

Thank you Mick 😃👍

[@marloweye9188]

so, for UK summer months, is a heat pump more economical for only heating the domestic hot water or is it an electrict immersion heater?

[@SpannerAT34]

Great video. Start up in Ireland

[@carlyonbay45]

I think these will be a good idea in the FUTURE but thats like most inventions that get improved over time . I know someone in a new build that has this type of heating and it takes about 2 days to warm the house properly - once its running its fine - but starting it up for first time takes a while .....also the running costs are not really any cheaper - electric prices are constantly going up

[@schrodingerscat1863]

Heat pumps tend to have to be run 24/7 to maintain temperature, you can't shut them off at night like with a gas system. If your house is well insulated they can be ok but most properties here in the UK need extensive and expensive insulation upgrades to make these things anywhere like affordable to run.

[@LT-nd3ov]

Good video that highlights just how much of a faff these set ups are and how wholly unsuitable they are for most people and situations. New builds, larger properties yes but not for the majority. Customers having combis installed for that extra storage space will be scratching their head at moving back to losing cupboards for the cylinder, larger radiators and a large unit in their garden. The unit itself outside is also an eye sore imo. As has been said before it will also cost a fortune to install and the savings on bills will never fully be realised to justify the initial cost and disruption.

[@frederickbowdler8169]

Heat pumps work but only really well when conditions of humidity pressure temp and demand match most of the time they are slow to respond sometimes taking days to warm your house . Gas boilers just work and have been made super efficient over the last forty years .Most users of heat pumps are disappointed and also don't like the noise they make.

[@MrD215]

Need advice, I have a common 3 Ton split system gas furnace. My compressor failed after 15 years of service. I recently purchased a new 3.5 Ton heat pump condenser as a replacement. I would like to take advantage of the heat pump technology and use the gas furnace as backup heat. My question revolves around the specifications of the new replacement evaporator coil. I noticed that most heat pump condenser units are married to an air handler with electric backup heat, instead of an evaporator coil box on a gas furnace. I understand that gas heat is possible as backup with a heat pump, but I'm confused about what modifications need to be made to the evaporator coil TXV. Please advise if there are special TXV for heat pump evaporator coil configuration and if there is something that is needs to be done to the furnace. Thanks Kevin

[@colingathercole391]

Dont fit heat Pumps, unless you have a roof full of solar panels. The running cost are extremely high. Air source heat pump in the winter???

[@iareid8255]

Ecobubl, Can you explain exactly how you measure the Coefficient of Performance please. Having been involved in refrigeration plant for many years I do not understand how such gains are claimed? I can understand that refrigeration plant is effective as a cooler, as the physics of change of state of a liquid removes a lot of heat from boiling the refrigerant. There is no such heat gain produced in condensing the gas from the compressor. By the way I see so many times that efficiency is confused with coefficient of performane, the efficiency figures are much much lower.

[@hitub3]

Is the tool you used open to public or just for installers/sellers?

[@CaptainLeo]

Thanks for this great video :)

[@iaingray594]

110 cylinger and put it next to asph out side . Like a mini plant room .

[@johford]

Very useful. Thanks

[@yapproger]

I have a new house plus Worcester boiler. If I had a heat pump for my underfloor heating and kept my combi for hot water plus heating backup would that work? I intend getting solar and batteries maybe too!

[@ecobubl]

Yes that would work, apart from you wouldn`t get the £5,000 grant, as you are keeping your boiler.

[@yapproger]

@@ecobubl Thanks for reply…although not getting the grant I’d be saving needing a new hot tank I suppose or perhaps the new electric instantaneous water heater boiler could be an idea to save a big tank.

[@elmafudd9703]

No. Next question. They only work in modern highly efficient and insulated houses. Never found a system that can make rads hot enough in winter at - or next to - temperatures esp for the old. Solar thermal backed up with gas is still better for most. A very good company though.

[@MrQwerty3000]

what do you mean by no, next question? What was the first question?

[@elmafudd9703]

@@MrQwerty3000 The question is the tittle of the video.

[@willchu]

This is what the HVAC companies don't want you to know. It takes many years (decades) from the savings of energy cost to recuperate the cost of installing a heat pump.

[@LabRat6619]

If you need lots of insulation before you get a heat pump, thats the crux of the issue. You see if you bulk out your insulation then your gas boiler usage drops and drops! The British are so gullible I could cry, I'm a heating engineer.

[@williamwilson4518]

I Will stick with my combi boiler thank you 😁

[@razvanlex]

And you can wait for the gas price to get the same or double the electricity and enjoy the gas bills. Wait, it's already happening in the world!

[@zakyharris]

Hello what app/software do you use for the design from the site visit?

[@davidw460]

Good to see your extensive site survey, but you are not going to be certain of electrical supply without removing the supply fuse. Which I am sure you didn’t :)

[@ecobubl]

H David Thanks for your comments. The fuse doesn’t need to be checked if the heat pump supply is 16amp or below, although the electrician will check it on install, if a pre-installation noticed is required than the DNO carry out a load check before approval.

[@ianskeet]

Did they put the cylinder in their bedroom cupboard? They do get noisy. I would'nt recommend any of these systems are put close to sleeping areas/walls, having done it myself.

[@imranmajid1978]

Absolutely excellent video 10000%!

[@ecobubl]

Thank you Imran that’s very kind 😃👍

[@EpicWinz]

Great video, answers lots of questions we had about changing our oil fired combi to an airsource heat pump, what with kerosene prices going through the roof. As an aside, I gotta ask, what was that measuring device you were using? Not seen one before, looks like a cool device.

[@ecobubl]

Many thanks for your great comments. The measuring device is a LEICA DISTO D110. Great little tools.

[@AR-dn6kh]

Electric prices are going through the roof as well ,plus dont forget the standing charge which seems ro increase by the month ,another stealth tax

[@Greggspies]

Well presented you know your product

[@marclang7431]

How much did the quote for this chaps system come to? I keep asking the same question on various videos, but no one replies.

[@willeisinga2089]

I have for 10 years a Heatpump no gas. Solar Panels, Induction Cooking, Heatpump. LG and Vaillant have good Heatpump for House Warming.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

Well done.

[@nixonsmateruby1]

The more I learn the more I see that air to water heat pumps are not the way forward, unless you have solar panels and battery storage.

[@jezlawrence720]

I so want to use this company to redo my heating/hot water but... they're southwest only :( Open a branch in The North, it's flippin' cold up here!! :)

[@ecobubl]

Hi Jez Thank you for the lovely comments. That would be great to have a branch up North, but its all about local customer service, if we stick to local installs we can provide great service and not spend all the time travelling. 😃👍

[@jezlawrence720]

@@ecobubl ...I can put up a tent? 😂

[@kevinmatthews2620]

a melon scratcher for you, my end of terrace house has 3 different build types one third of the house is solid stone construction circa 1800 ish,another third(2 storey extension circa 1986) is standard cavity walls with cavity insulation, and the final third is a 8m by 3m single storey rear extension 7 years old of block construction ,inner & outer skin with solid insulation in the cavity, plus 10 triple glazed windows (7 yrs old), and 2 external half glazed triple glazed doors, hows this figure in the workings out ??

[@ecobubl]

Hi Kevin That’s actually really easy to calculate, the Daikin software we use can change the u value of every wall, ceiling, floor, windows and doors. We just need to gather the information and insert it into the software. Many thanks for watching. 😀

[@The_Original_KL]

So the answer is no then, Nice video though it was very helpful.

[@DIYwithBatteries]

Nice video 😊👍

[@magicker8052]

great video..thanks

[@richardwills551]

Who left the globe bar in shot?!?! 15:10 lol 😂

[@ecobubl]

That’s the Friday afternoon bar, opens at 4pm 🍺👍

[@simonward1598]

In the right situations a ASH is a great solution but remember Fabric First. Without a fully insulated fabric of the building an ASH can tip you into fuel poverty. Without an insulated floor slab you are likely to be wasting money.

[@Lewis_Standing]

Did not realize that a sunamp only worked with a split system. Interesting.

[@bm8641]

There is not enough electricity in UK to handle a complete electrification of heat. Then is the high price to install these and then a massive electric bill for the next thirty years.

[@MATTP545]

Honestly a lot of this is way over my head but wondering if someone here in the community could help me. My single unit air source heat pump system is on its way out and looking for a replacement. We just received a quote for a 4 ton amana heat pump system AVZC18 18 seer with AVPEC variable speed air handler and 10kw heat strips for around 15.5k installed. In the USA is this a ludicrous price or is this actually what this kind of system is running right now? Property is around 2400 sqft