Our Stiebel Eltron Air Source Heat Pump Installation, together with a Mixergy smart hot water tank.

September to November 2021 - and a number of issues.

[@dorsetengineering]

Shocking install…. Glad the installer did a better job on your Swanage install.

[@jeffjsmith]

Yes, the trouble was we didn't know enough to start with to judge them I fear. As the installation progressed we learnt a lot and knew more in some ways than the company seemed to. And we certainly had better diagnostic skills!

[@piee683]

I know I know this is what we all will be mostly heating our houses with but its hard to beat a simple oil boiler or gas boiler installation and simplicity so much parts to go wrong with this tech glad you got sorted in the end

[@jeffjsmith]

Yes, I love simplicity too. In fact, heat pumps are pretty straightforward to install - they are used everywhere, and they are a very reliable technology - like fridges and freezers. We are in Spain at the moment and the same technology is used everywhere for air conditioning and heating. The only additional thin that we had with a heat pump was the use of a buffer tank - itself very simple indeed. The issue was that the installer was not careful with the pipework, and just did it wrong. We are now very satisfied with the the heat pump, and it is proving efficient from an energy point of view. I would rather not burn any more fossil fuels than I have to - and going electric has to be the best option. And we are happy to have got rid of that smelly oil!

[@justinwelsh9880]

Hi Jeff I watched your video ref the heat pump installation, you said you would do a follow up I look forward to seeing how you and you very entertaining wife have managed with the heat pump over the winter months and if you bills have changed at all. Thanks Justin

[@jeffjsmith]

@@justinwelsh9880 Hi - yes, we will be doing a follow up - probably in April when we have had a full winter with things pretty much settled down. Thanks for your interest! Jeff

[@colinwellman9480]

Hi Jeff, That's very interesting, I suspect you are amongst the early installations. Things can only improve as more systems get installed and companies become more expert. A friend here (France) has recently had her gas boiler replaced with a heat pump system. After her first year she says her bills for electricity are a little less than her gas but not massively so. She also found that her radiators weren't as hot so she runs them for longer. Overall she's pleased with the system and had no problems after the installers left. France gave grants towards the cost of wall and roof insulation, also for moving from oil or gas heating. Her installation after subsidy was a few €'s over 5000. We don't have radiators but rely on electric heating and a wood burner. Shame as we can't benefit from the grants. We once stayed in a property that had a heat pump in the next door garden and found it quite noisy at times. It could be a problem with high density housing but not if you lived away from the neighbours. You're both looking well I must say. The holiday must have benefited you. Thanks for the interesting video.

[@jeffjsmith]

Thanks Colin. It was a shame that the company did such a poor job at quality control. The mistakes were all avoidable and really nothing to do with it being a heat pump - it was just plumbing that was wrong. We kept warm enough in the winter, and the hot water for the shower etc is really hot and efficient. It will be interesting to see what our annual bills are, now we use no oil our electricity use will be significantly higher. But of course both oil and electricity are much more expensive now too. It is all very difficult, especially for those who were already finding money tight. Difficult days. How are things for you in France? Jeff

[@colinwellman9480]

@@jeffjsmith Costs of petrol and diesel have shot up. Seems to work out about the same as the UK. Food costs (already higher than the UK) have increased, also restaurant prices. Electricity remains about the same but no idea on gas as we don't use it. We rely heavily on a wood burner and wood from a local farmer. Not sure if I'll be able to continue as I get older, wood burners are a lot of work! Our fear that Le Pen would get elected has proved unnecessary so no worry about staying here. We're off next week for a weeks cycling holiday in the Mayenne. Fixed base and various day rides planned. It will be nice to think about something other than the cost of living and the war.

[@jeffjsmith]

@@colinwellman9480 Have a good time cycling - is the Mayenne up near Le Mans? BTW - diesel here cost £1.80 (of more) a litre, we use it in our campervan. It has increased in price significantly of late. Electricity is generally about 28p / kWh, although we are fortunate to have solar panels and a Tesla battery and have a great rate of 11.7p / kWh - import and export. I hope you get fine cycling weather!

[@1943L]

Found it a bit strange to move the heat pump outside then start cutting into the concrete. Dust in the air next to the unit.

[@jeffjsmith]

Yes, you make a good point. Another black mark ...

[@juliandclarke]

Hi Jeff. Thanks for the vid. Sorry you had such installation problems. I’ve had a Daikin Altherma 3H HT system with a 180L Mixergy cylinder since April 21. SCOP 3.78. I looked at many systems and discounted your Stiebel Eltron as it was £2k more. Why did you go with them? What else did you look at? Julian

[@jeffjsmith]

Hi - thanks for the comment. We went with the Stiebel Eltron since we liked the solid German engineering and my partner liked the sales guy…. I actually prefer the look of the Daikin, and I suspect that the software control is a bit more modern and capable on the Daikin. But the Stiebel works well and seem very efficient and works well with the Mixergy too. All good stuff. How are you finding the Daikin? Jeff

[@juliandclarke]

@@jeffjsmith I’ve been very pleased over 18 months. And more importantly, my wife has too. Works well with the Mixergy. I’m trying to improve the SCOP to closer to 4.0. I chose the Daikin in the end because of a 10 year fixed price service and support contract.

[@Warwick_zlyuka]

спасибо за видео.

[@DragonXDrei]

How is this going as I didn't see any follow-ups? We have the choice between Mitsubishi, Samsung and the Stiebel Eltron. It is £3000 more expensive than the other two and the MCS listed SCOPs are lower too. I am wondering why the so much higher price tag and if it is worth paying the premium price for it. Our sales rep said, this is the Lamborghini of Heat Pumps... but is it really practical to buy a lambo?

[@markgaudie80]

Looks like the installers are still new to this type of install. Baffles me how many installers get it so wrong. Maybe they should seek more training with the Heat Geeks. I’ve had a quote for air source heat pump and I requested a Mixergy slimline tank. They told me that Mixergy don’t manufacture slimline tanks. Clearly this is utter BS as I’ve seen them on the Mixergy website. How are you finding the efficiency so far with the heat pump?

[@jeffjsmith]

Hi! The ASHP in conjunction with the Mixergy is pretty impressive, especially during the recent summer months. As an example, yesterday the heat pump consumed 1 kWh heating our hot water, and generated 4.5 kWh of heat. It means that on a daily basis we use just about 1kWh to maintain our 210 litre Mixergy (slimline!) at around 50c degrees. We don’t have a very clear view in the winter since we didn’t have easy access to the heat pump performance figures until this Spring. We will see how it goes, but it does seem reasonably efficient and effective.

[@markgaudie80]

@@jeffjsmith that’s great to hear. I’m a big fan of the Mixergy cylinder. They are a fantastic piece of kit! All I need to do know is find the right installer for me to fit the whole system.

[@jeffjsmith]

@@markgaudie80 Good luck with the install - yes, we are delighted with the Mixergy.

[@wobby1516]

I’m about to head down this road all be it a much smaller install, problem is who to trust. Octopus Energy quoted for my installation but the heat pump has to go on our side wall 7 feet up and Octopus Energy won’t install unless it’s on the ground. Shame really because Daikin the heat pump manufacturer that Octopus use have wall brackets for mounting their units and indeed have advertising showing them.. Having seen how your installation has gone with all the problems I’m even more nervous.

[@kenbone4535]

Those pipes through the wall should be insulated. Poor insulation. Shoddy job IMO.

[@jeffjsmith]

You are right there. There were really poor and we would never recommend them. The technology is good, the implementation was haphazard and error prone.

[@IanSHarrison]

So which model of ASHP from Stiebel-eltron did you install?

[@jeffjsmith]

Hi Ian - we have a WPL 25-AS. It works well for our house which is reasonably large, but well-insulated. Jeff

[@kenbone4535]

You will regret the Mixergy choice.

[@jeffjsmith]

You are wrong there - we love it and have had it for almost two years now. It is very efficient, easy to control, and is totally reliable.

[@allthingsrenewable9017]

@@jeffjsmith I've installed a few, no real advantage over a normal heat pump high gain cylinder.

[@GordonHughes-y3h]

Best reason not to have one