Just starting my third winter with an ASHP, still like it :-)

I would emphasise the comments above about finding an installer who knows what they are doing.ASHPs are different to gas CH and not as well known .

An installer should measure up the house, check your requirements then go away to run the sizing calculations.

I am sure that many of the heat pumps don’t work stories are down to poor specification. This can be so with any technology, especially when not well known.

As pointed out above, ASHPs consume about one third the Kwh of gas for the same heat output but electricity is more expensive per unit.

I had an ASHP installed 3 years ago and love it.

They work is the short answer and our energy use is significantly lower than with previous gas central heating and CO2 emissions lower still.

I live near Edinburgh, happy for you to call round if you are local or have a chat.

Hi Bob,

No, what you are describing is not normal. I run two EVs and frequently use Chareplace Scotland. Both of my cars clearly show charge state and rate, as have all chargers I have used, though some are difficult to read.

I am not familiar with using Chargeplace Scotland on the app as I have a card on both cars. The only other network I have used is Tesla via the app.

Sorry that you had a bad first experience, it is not typical. I would not have purchased a second EV three years after the first of it was.

I love my EVs and would not go back to ICE.

I am an engineer and strong supporter of renewables.

My take is that nuclear is relatively safe, far more harm is caused by extraction and burning of fossil fuels, just as an everyday background that doesn’t make the news.

Having said that I do not support nuclear development as I do not consider that we should be generating products that will be harmful for hundreds of years. That just seems like pushing the problem onto future generations.

Just my input, I do not consider the choices available to be simple black/ white.

I also use bar end mirrors on both flat and drop bars. Large ones for commuting are best.

A mirror does not replace an over shoulder check before you manoeuvre but I find them useful for general Situational awareness.

Evening all, just watched a few highlights on YT and noted that the Arenberg seemed very quiet for spectators, lots of gaps on the barriers. This surprised me as I recall great difficulty getting a view when I have been there live.

I am missing something obvious here?

Just a bit of balance on why use a roof tent.

We have one and find it ideal for roadside one night stops in Scotland. Ours is a hardshell type, very quick to open / close and bedding already set out.

They are expensive however we tend to make plans at short notice and may not be able to book accommodation where we wish.

Not for everyone but they do have a niche for some like myself.

Another vote for Paramo here, lasts for ever and easy to repair.

Paramo is an unusual choice however I find it ideal for UK conditions, I have two sets in different weights depending on the season. Paramo is not 100% waterproof however I have never found a membrane shell that is 100% waterproof in real world use, Paramo is more comfortable when damp and dries out better.

I purchased an AXS equipped Sonder Camino and charger was supplied.
I would expect one.

We have also just returned from the Alps via Eurostar. No issues with skis on a standard train, several people had them.

We took ours on LNER, Eurostar, RER, SNCF and SBB with no issues. Lots of trains, I like trains…..

Another recommendation for Thermarest NeoAir XLite. Not sure exactly which one I have, the yellow one.

Used it for three weeks backpacking last summer and found it excellent.

Top tip if you are short like me is to check out the Women’s size, perfect full length mat for a short person without extra bulk / weight.

I use tile trackers on keys and similar items.
Very useful when you need them.
The ones I use are powered by replaceable coin cell batteries, I have a reminder in my diary to check them every month.

Not sure how they would work for tracking luggage that could be in many places not under your control. With keys at least I know that they should be somewhere that I placed them….

Evening all,

I have finally got the roof tent lifting system sorted using an SGS engine crane and lifting arm from Adventure Equipped. It works!! I can now easily and quickly fit and remove my tent  :-).

Somewhat complex to get it sorted, need a low profile crane to fit under the car and slightly longer than standard slings to go round the tent.

I have a hard top roof tent and it is great for one or two night roadside stops in Scotland, very quick to  useable in windy / wet conditions. I am looking forward to Spring though…..

Evening all,

I have finally got the roof tent lifting system sorted using an SGS engine crane and lifting arm from Adventure Equipped. It works!!

Somewhat complex to get it sorted, need a low profile crane to fit under the car and slightly longer than standard slings to go round the tent.

Thank you to all above who took the effort to reply and provide advice. What I would say to some is please consider that the situations of others may not be the same as yours when providing advice :-). For some the option to ‘just lift it’, ‘get some mates round’, ‘hang from the garage roof’ are not practical so we have to think of other options.

I have a hard top roof tent and it is great for one or two night roadside stops in Scotland, very quick to  useable in windy / wet conditions. I am looking forward to Spring though…..

I have worn hearing aids for almost 50 years, making me feel old now….

One tip is  to try wearing a headband to reduce wind noise. Modern aids are much better in wind but still not perfect.

Noisy, complex environments are a pain.

I have both NHS and private aids, mainly use the private ones as they are rechargeable. They are also waterproof which is very handy, I have swum out of a kayak several times wearing them and they still work.

Slightly off topic but I just returned from a week in Les Arcs France by train.

Eurostar from Bourge Saint Maurice to London with Change at Lille then LNER.

Left Les Arcs at 0700 and back home near Edinburgh before 2300.

I do not wish to fly and have used Eurostar ski trains for many years. We are looking at options for Austria, Briancon and Italy but keep using the Eurostar ski train as it is very easy.

I have purchased two bikes via GCI, works very well and recommend.

As others have said, lower fees than C2W.

I can’t help on scheme choice, our scheme was set up by a cyclist, not HR so he looked at the options and selected GCI.

A boy walks into a pet shop and asks ‘Excuse me mister, do you have any manx cats?’.

Pet shop owner replies ‘no but I can make you one’.

We have recently purchased a 2021Kona Electric and loving it so far.

It keeps the Zoe company on the drive but with longer range and the capability to take a roof rack and towbar.

We have fitted a roof tent for Highland weekends!

OK, I’ll bite….

I am considering a roof top tent for use on my electric car, sorry if that offends you.

They seem to be ideal for one night roadside stops in the Scottish Highlands, especially the hardshell ones that open in seconds and you can leave your bedding inside.

Each to their own I guess, probably best not to get too judgemental and wound up by the choices of others. Maybe this thread should be merged with the ‘Things that makes you disproportionally cross’.

You’re welcome

:-) Dave

Fun fact on non Tesla supercharging.

There are only a few sites in UK currently as stated above but the map for other European countries shows many more.

Well worth knowing if planning an EV trip to the Alps or similar as I intend next year.

BAnana, I can fit 2 road bikes or HT MTBs into the Zoe with front wheels removed. This is only possible as I am short!

For normal size humans of FS bikes this may not work.

Kona boot is similar to Zoe, if my experience is any different I will post an update.

Steering the thread back to more mainstream cars after the recent high performance posts….

I have recently put down a deposit on a 2021 Hyundai Kona to complement the Renault Zoe that we have been running for several years. The Zoe is a great car, really happy with it, however it is not able to accept roof rack or tow bar both of which the Kona can. That and 50% more range should be good.

I sold my small ICE campervan recently so this has pretty much completed the energy journey that I have been on since 2015 when solar panels were fitted to the house, followed by first EV, heat pump and battery. The only fossil fuel burning items now in the house are a couple of small camping stoves, very small in the grand scheme of life.

I am really looking forward to having a more capable EV for weekend trips as driving ICE with manual transmission has really felt old fashioned in recent years.

Thanks for the replies guys.

It looks like Dex Shell are worth a look. Longevity and feel is not so important to me as my intention is to avoid wearing waterproof socks only in extremities……
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Can anyone let me know how thick the Dex Shell Ultra Thins are compared to a ‘normal’ running sock? Not much extra room in my shoes.</p>

We walked two weeks of the GR5 in July and saw lots of Hoka boots and shoes. They looked good in the kit shops of Cham.

My dear wife bought a pair of Anacapas following this. I walked two weeks in La Sportiva Ultra Raptors that are a similar light boot, maybe a bit tougher. They were great.

We did an eight hour Scottish rocky walk recently, the Hokas were comfortable and soft, wear is visible in some areas of the sole.

We are off for another week of GR5 shortly so this will be a better test.

My thoughts so far are very good for alpine long distance walks, not so suitable for UK conditions.

Thanks all for the thoughts, some things to think about.

My potential use is mainly one or two nights in remoter parts of Scotland so no campsites and moving the car each day. I’m not likely to plan camping in poor weather, however this is Scotland.

Still thinking…..

I have Tailfin cages on my forks.
As Dove1 says, expensive but well made.
Only thing to be aware of is strap length if you order bags and straps. I followed the Tailfin advice to buy long straps with 5 litre packs and the straps seem way too long.

I am up to £32 earned so far with Octopus, and I was not wasting energy beforehand.
My heating is by Air Source Heat Pump so electricity rather than gas, by setting the heating to holiday mode I can significantly cut energy use during the high demand periods.
Make sure the house is sufficiently warm by late afternoon and the heat pump can be switched off for 1 or 2 hours without the house significantly cooling down.
This type of demand shifting will become more significant if / when a greater proportion of heating is electric.

I recently went out on my new Decathlon fish scale skis on a railway track locally.
Not Decathlon boots so can’t comment on them.

Skis were fine, do what you expect from basic Nordic skis. For messing around I recommend them.

Last year Decathlon had skis with hair patch bases rather than scales, if these are available they are probably a little better.

The quoted ASHP quoted figures sound reasonable, however the comment that GSHP work in the cold has potential to mislead.
I have used an ASHP for two years in cold weather and can assure people that they work.
The frequent statements that ASHP do not work in cold weather are not helpful.
Norway and Sweden have higher % ASHP than UK.
Rant over 😉

Morning all,
TLDR,
Heat pumps work in cold temperatures and IMHO have advantages over gas going forward.
If replacing an old gas system as in the OP then ASHP should be considered.

I had an ASHP installed in my home just over two years ago replacing gas.
The house is 2013 build 4 bedroom in Scotland, well insulated but nothing special.
ASHP is installed against a north facing wall, never sees sunlight in winter.

The ASHP has kept us warm through a long cold spell in 20/21 and the last cold week.
If an ASHP is not operating correctly in low temperatures then there is something that needs to be check for that installation.
Please do not believe those who tell you that ASHP does not work in the cold, they just do.

My normal winter daily electricity use is low 20s kwh normally, can be up to 30 kwh on a very cold day.
That is all heating, cooking, lighting etc and two people in the house all day so kept warm.

We had small diameter ‘microbore’ heating pipes for the gas system, all of that needed to be replaced so it was a big installation. Larger radiators also but not obtrusive.

Regarding the point of burning additional gas at peak times, yes but no.
ASHP will use about 1kwh of electricity to produce 3kwh of heat, you therefore burn less gas per kwh of useful heat.
In the future the % of fossil fuels will reduce so the advantage will increase.
I personally see electrification as the way forward as it allows for better control and diverse sources of generation.

I am taking part in the Octopus Saving Sessions and have earned ‘Octopoints’ worth nearly £30 so far.

My house is heated by a heat pump and well insulated so if I turn the heating off and avoid cooking I gen hold my power consumption below 0.2kW and the house does not cool down noticeably in an hour or two.

I think that only those using electric heating have significant potential for shifts in electricity use away from peak periods, though not cooking until later will also help.

I took part in the Octopus Saving Session last week. Intention is to reduce peak grid demand and avoid having to start up another power station.

I saved 2kwh during the one hour period by turning most things except lights off.
Total saved compared to baseline values was 0.1Gwh for octopus customers, compared to a peak demand of 40Gwish, estimates are that 1Gw could be achieved nationwide.

Small beginning but an indication that demand side management can do something.

I also got paid £4.60 for being in top 10% of reductions, though having a heat pump to turn off for an hour helps.😀

I am with Octopus and a low user, £65 per month DD and in credit.

Recently I received an email informing me that Octopus will not be taking any DD payments this winter as my payment is less than the UK government support.
This was a surprise, not what I was expecting.

The support scheme is very poorly designed to provide this level of support to folk like me.
The money will be going to local charities.

I have worn hearing aids since an early age, now in my 50s.
The technology has improved greatly in that time.
I have NHS digital aids and they are good but used as my back up set.

My main set are Phonak, not sure which.
The main plus point is that they are waterproof which may matter to some on here.
I had swum out of a sea kayak wearing them and they still work.
Expensive but worth it for me as I can wear them more, just use a head band to cut out wind noise.

Like many I fly for work, though much less long haul than I used to.
Personally I avoid flying, don’t like it and can’t justify the fuel.
For skiing we take the Eurostar ski train and for biking drive via Newcastle Amsterdam ferry for two weeks.
Bring on the Rosyth ferry!

I have accepted that I will probably not travel beyond the continent of Europe on holiday again. Bit of a shame, but plenty in Scotland/Europe.

I am heading for Morzine tomorrow so hope France isn’t closed!!
Morzine and other places open weekends as far as I can tell, not sure how late into September.
Weather looks reasonable for next four days or so.
I think that Cran Montana in Switzerland is open during next week.

Will report back with any new findings !!

Morning all,
Efficiency is not something that will be a significant variable between heating water by gas or electricity. The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of water is a constant so same energy required.
Using the rates above it will cost almost four times as much to heat with electricity as gas using a ‘simple’ boiler stlye heating system, no technology will change this.
To reduce energy use and thus cost for electricity you will need to use some form of Heat Pump as they generate more energy output then they consume, typically up to 3:1.

I think that the Yamaha system may be the one used on Giant bikes, may be worth checking.
If so I recommend speaking with Pedal Power in West Calder if they are local enough.