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Thinking about heat pumps, since there's been waffle on the radio about them recently. My mental model of a heat pump is that you have unit(s) outside, and aircon unit(s) indoors which you can run either to cool or heat your preferred rooms.

However, what's being talked about on the radio seems to consist of hooking a heat pump up to replace your gas boiler and warm your radiators. Is this more effective or efficient? It seems to me that as the chances of hot weather increase you'll want to cool your house for some of the year, and this doesn't do that.

in reply to Alexandra Lanes

Not directly answering, but in general I commend Technology Connections on heat pumps: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0…

Bit of a USian perspective; for instance, IIRC talks about ducted air for HVAC rather than a water system, which makes heating & cooling simpler. Does occasionally acknowledge that UK/Europe exists though.

in reply to Alexandra Lanes

Traditional model in this country has been to hook them up to low-temperature wet-underfloor systems. Recently they've started producing higher efficiency/temperature ones which can hook into an existing CHS, but you might need your radiators upsized.
in reply to Sion [main]

@Sion [main] I think @mobbsy has underfloor heating (wet, if I remember seeing the spaghetti of tubes rightly) and described it has having horrid latency so it takes forever to get to whatever temperature you wanted.
in reply to Alexandra Lanes

indeed, not helped by the giant mass of poured concrete that the pipes are set into.

However, it's unobtrusive, no radiators on walls, warm floors are lovely in winter and the house stays pretty much constant temperature.

in reply to Alexandra Lanes

daikin.be/content/internet/int… sort of thing
in reply to Adam

AIUI they're basically "drill hole through wall of the room to be heated; install unit A on the outside and unit B on the inside; supply with electricity. I think they'd be an adjunct to the existing gas CH rather than a replacement.
in reply to Adam

@Adam Yes, I think that’s probably what I’d want for the downstairs living area.
@Adam
in reply to Alexandra Lanes

Do let me know if you find anything interesting in your research!
Unknown parent

@Peter Ellis If I were to do this I think I’d have ducts in the loft for the upstairs rooms. Maybe the two big downstairs rooms would be more of a challenge.