Hi Trail Rat,
The kwh values I quoted are export, after all home use, not generation. The ASHP will run for some of the day in winter and we wash clothes, dishes and charge the car when the sun shines.

My PV system is 4kw and produces >25kwh per day in summer so broadly what I would expect.

I agree with most opinions above, for one week a year hire premium skis in resort.
I have my own skis as I ski in Scotland both resort and backcountry where hire is not so suitable.
When I skied one or two alps weeks a year I hired skis.

I have both an ASHP and solar PV on my house in Central Belt of Scotland.
As stated above the two systems do not interact greatly and should be considered separately.

This winter our 4kw solar array has exported between 40 and 120 kw per month. Most of the export will be during the middle of the day and is highly variable.

ASHP will normally require larger radiators and possibly large bore water pipes, however in an 80s property pipes will probably be OK.

I am happy with both ASHP and solar PV, ASHP has significantly reduce kwh used and CO2 generated even more, it will probably not save ££ unless the balance of electricity and gas prices change.

@rents I’m happy to discuss ASHP and PV further if it would help.

Link doesn’t work but going to Evans website directly works.
Spray shorts ordered in two sizes to see which fits!

I am in my second winter with an ASHP, installed on the North Wall of a house in Scotland.

As stated by others ASHPs work but design is more critical than a gas CH system.

They do not normally work with a gas boiler, though I think there are hybrid systems. We removed the gas supply.
We have solar panels however they do not really interact with the ASHP as there is normally not much solar when you need heat.

You should notice large radiators or underfloor heating and large pipes. ASHPs work at lower temperature and higher flow.

We asked a lot of questions when getting ours installed, I would advise making sure you know who installed it, check out the company etc.

As a above you will use more electricity but no gas. Use in terms of kWh will be much lower than gas heating however this will not likely give a cost saving as electricity is more expensive. I’m not sure how the price ratio of the two fuels compares today.

Importantly do not listen only to those who will tell you that ASHPs do not work. They do and like all choices there are pluses, minuses, balances etc.

I like my ASHP and do not regret having it installed.

I have just landed in Austria, followed Edukator’s advice and showed my papers to the nice military gentleman with a smile.

We chose Austria due to the strict rules as if I am spending time on an aircraft and coach with people I like to know that all have had to prove vaccination, recent test etc.

I will trade some rules and restrictions for less concern about those around me and have a better holiday for it. Each to their own I guess.

Hoping to go to France by train in March.

Just taken a PCR test for a trip to Kitzbuhel, Austria. Really hope that it’s negative!

We were due to travel to France this weekend but have postponed that until March.

We have been looking for the country with the strictest rules rather than the least restrictive, sad I know.

My order is showing as cancelled on the email tracking link and payment no longer showing on my card.

Looks like no luck for me.

No a disaster as I didn’t really need a new watch anyway.

We have just called off our January trip to Val Thorens and moved it to March.
Hopefully things will be more settled by then.
We could have cancelled however we have booked with Travel Ski on the Ski Train and wish to support their initiative in getting the Ski Train running for 21/22.

We strongly prefer train to flying so are trying to move our booking to March 22, February seems too uncertain.

Not much snow in Scotland right now, hopefully that will change in 22. We should be open for visitors in February unless something dramatic changes.
Last winter was not good with plenty of snow but also plenty of travel restrictions.

We are booked to France in mid January by Ski Train and consider the trip unlikely to go ahead.
We can cancel up to 15 days before so we are doing that now.

Mid January I consider will not happen. End of January I consider unlikely, but who really knows.

Maybe Edukator will be kind and able to advise the word on the streets of France.

Does anyone know what the score is with ski areas that cross borders?
Specifically if you are staying in La Thuile, Italy can you ski over into La Rosiere, France?

Thanks all.

Standard ordered in flame red, early birthday present to myself.

Thanks 5lab!!

Cool, good shout.
Can anyone confirm whether the Instinct Solar can display position in OS grid?
I am 99% sure it can, this is a key feature for me.
Thanks!!

Another vote for Snowcard.
We recently took out an annual policy for two covering off piste and ski touring for just over £300.

This seems to have been a rare moment of optimisation as the January ski trip to France is looking shakey.

I commute by ebike when I do not have a stinking cold. This is basically to get some fresh air rather than save money as my car is an EV.

Many of the points above regarding speed limiters are valid. It does feel weird and slow on the flat but headwinds are a non issue.

You need to ride ebikes with a different mindset, settle at the limit and chill out.

I purchased a Giant hybrid as it had a low front end, many ebikes are too upright if you are an experienced cyclist. (I am only 5 foot and a bit tall so I also wanted a bike with ‘GIANT’ written on it!

Hi,
Does it have to be Nevis Range?
I have not hired kit in Scotland however my observations are that there are more hire options at Glenshee and Cairngorm than other resorts.
Hire is only one aspect of choice obviously.

I believe that the only option for hire at Nevis Range is the centre itself, others may know more.
Stock is limited at Scottish resorts, I would always recommend booking in advance.

Just to bring folk up to date.
Chargeplace Scotland is no longer fully free. Many sites are now charging, as the Northumberland example I think most sites were free for 2 years.
Still only 15p per kWh with 35p connection charge for all charger speeds so good value compared to dinosaur juice.

I am bored enough to check the V5 for my campervan and it states ‘Motor Caravan’ as the body type, thus subject to higher speed limits on some roads.
I thought that to qualify as a Campervan the vehicle had to not only have the required features by to have been reclassified by the DVLA, thus recorded as such on the V5.
As others have suggested, more reaearch may be appropriate before missing the Fixed Penalty.

Heat pumps do indeed produce more heat output than electrical input. Closer to 3 than 4 stated by TJ.
This reduces energy used significantly for the same warm house but does not reduce running cost as elec is more expensive.
That may, and should, change if charges on gas increase as has been rumoured.

My view is that we all have a responsibility and should lead by example. Waiting on others to move before we think about it makes no sense to me.

Irc,
I am not saying it is easy, simple etc. More support is needed.

The key to me is to define ‘worse.
The scientific consensus is that we need to change, doing nothing is to jeopardise the future of our children.

Evening all, I am a happy owner of an Air Source Heat Pump,now entering the second Winter.

This replaced a gas system in a detached house built in 2013, well insulated but ‘standard’ rather than any special build. The heat pump, installation etc was free as part of a trial installation scheme in Scotland so very good financially. We would have upgraded to an ASHP when the gas system died but did it earlier with such a good deal.

Our Winter energy use is less than half the kWh of previous winters so very happy with that.
Electricity is also less carbon intensive than gas and likely to get better.
Cost of electricity per kWh is higher than gas but I have no gas connection or standing charge to pay so overall I have not noticed an increase in cost overall.

House is nice and warm, cost is similar and CO2 is significantly less, sounds good to me.

The heat pump technology is mature and works well if used correctly.
If specified, installed or operated badly it may not be suitable as for any other technology.

Modern heat pumps are not noisy, they are designed for use in residential areas. We have a neighbour who complains about everything and she has not noticed any noise!

For those who are saying that heat pumps are no good because your particular house is poorly insulated I would advise trying to sort the insulation, grants may be available. This is always the place to start on energy efficiency.

Heat pumps are not a cure all, we need to make major changes as a society however I consider them to be better on balance than just burning old sea creatures…..

A couple of days ago I mentioned that I had gone fully electric with an Air Source Heat Pump and EV apart from a diesel campervan. I checked the numbers and they are interesting.

Annual use in 2019/20 was approximately 10,000kWh gas and 2,000 kWh electricity.
Annual use in 2020/21 was approximately 5,500kWh electricity and no gas.

Using the heat pump for space heating has made a significant difference in energy use and carbon footprint though not cost as electricity is more expensive.

I have read unconfirmed reports that environmental levies in the UK will be moved from electricity to gas bills which would change the balance of pricing in favour of electricity if done. This appears to make sense if we wish to reduce use of fossil fuels such as gas.

Still a looooong way to go to match Edukator’s <2,000kWh though.
Good man!

I am almost all electric now, heat pump, solar panels, induction hob, e bike and car.
Just the campervan burning dead sea creatures.
I also had the issue with small bore heating pipes mentioned by Hagi when installing the heat pump but went ahead. You hardly notice the pipes on the wall so glad that I did.
Solar PV alone to run a heat pump in my opinion. When you want heat there is normally not much Sun.

Cvilla,
The JV rider passing the bottle to the young lad at Lasswade got a cheer from the crowd gathered at the finish.
I ride that hill on the way to work, slowly.

Great atmosphere at the finish, good to see the breakaway keep clear and well done to Matt Gibson.

Lots of good points made from different perspectives.

I personally would prefer to be part of ‘fixing’ the UK however there are two major reservations.

As Convert states, a possibly sufficient number in the UK, mainly England, do not wish to fix or change anything. They will continue to support the status quo in sufficient numbers to prevent change.

The current UK government and its likely immediate successors do not appear to me as trustworthy partners to work with. The UK gov may be speaking about ‘Team UK’ however actions in recent years show a different story.

When I look at the Parliments in Westminster and Holyrood it is the Holyrood one which is closer to my vision of the future. Not perfect by any means but better.

I agree that many of the arguments for staying in the EU could apply to Scotland and UK, however so could many of the arguments for leaving (Sovereignty, Control of our fish etc).
As is so often the case the discussions take place in black / white, good / bad positions while the actual situation is very grey.

I am English born, moved up to Scotland and plan to stay. I now consider myself a Scot.
Voted ‘No’ in 2014 but now may be a reluctant yes voter, not 100% sure.
For people like myself independence is not a good outcome but may be the least worst.

I look at the politics of England and the likely future direction and think that its not for me.
As one of the previous posters stated many in Scotland wish to be in a more ‘Scocial Democratic’ type country, this does not look likely as part of the UK.

Do you have solar PV on the roof?
If so you may wish to consider a charger which can use solar generation to charge.
We have a Myenergi Zappi charger and are very happy with it.

I am 5’2″ on a good day (hence the username) and have ridden a range of drop bar bikes. My wife is 5’1″ and has no issue getting frames to fit.
Everyone has different dimensions however 5’2″ is not likely to be smaller than available frames, most manufacturers will offer suitable sizes.
The fit is likely to be S/XS or 48/50 depending on how sizing is described.
As a reference point for a 5’2″ rider, I ride a Van Nicolas Zephry endurance road bike, 370mm reach and 470mm seat tube.
For small riders sloping top tubes are handy to give some standover clearance.
As stated by others lever reach can be an issue for small hands, some levers are adjustable so this is worth looking for.

Happy shopping.

All the cats in my area are working cats, it’s hard work being my counsellor/ emotional support worker.

Apart from the work shy ones who don’t let me stroke them of course.

As mentioned by others this thread is interesting to those like me who have just turned 50 and thinking about retirement.
I hope to retire fairly young while I am still able to walk, bike etc. Now paying more in to my pension each month than I take home!

Leffeboy, the ship is steered by a rudder at the stern, just a very large one!
As you state the ship needs to be moving for the rudder to work typically 2 or 3 knots minimum but faster is better.

Zoe is fine for small people.
I am 5’2″ on a good day and have been happily driving one for two years.
Can’t help with suitability for tall folk unfortunately.

Can any of the lucky people with Ti Caminos confirm the frame weight?

This thread inspired me to investigate Caminos and I am impressed, however the frame weight of 1.73kg for a small seems too good to be true compared to my current 1.4kg road bike frame.

Cheers 😀

If you are interested in current traffic density check Flightradar24 or similar, shows information without getting Cobrakai into trouble 😀.

Yesterday evening there were 10 or so flights over UK, mostly cargo passing over.
At 0900 on Sunday there appear to be only one aircraft up over Scotland, a North Sea helicopter.

Dubai airport was as busy as normal pre covid levels according to one of my contractors recently, I was surprised at this.
I didn’t ask about the UK airport he flew from.

Evening all, checking back in after a day in the (home) office.
Lots of good stuff above, responding to some points in no particular order…

Kcal, we were told that a ground source heat pump would typically require a ground area approximately twice the house area which we do not have (not sure about 1 vs 2 storey houses). You can drill a bore hole but that is more expensive. I believe that ground source is technically better but more expensive and not an option for many.

We replaced a 27kW gas boiler with an 8.5kW heat pump to heat a 4 bedroom detached house with good but normal insulation.
So far in 2021 my heat pump controller is telling me:
Consumed energy: 550kWh (23kWh per day)
Delivered energy: 1550kWh (65kWh per day)
90% of this energy is for space heating and 10% for hot water
These figures suggest a coefficient of performance of approximately 2.7, this is lower that the 3.3 listed on the heat pump data plate, however heat pumps are less efficient at cold temperatures and January 2021 has been consistently cold in my part of Scotland.

It is clear from all contributions and my own experience / research that if you have gas heating then that is is lowest cost option. In almost any situation improving insulation will be better financial and CO2 payback that changing a heating system. I agree that the UK housing stock has scope for significant and relatively low cost improvements to both reduce fuel use and improve quality of life, unfortunately the boring type of actions such as improving insulation on the scale required do not seem to tick the boxes for finding political will in the UK.

Mick_r, I think that you could programmed controls as you describe, will vary by brand. I am currently WFH so keep the house at a reasonable temperature all day and let it cool down slightly at night.

toomba, we have a heat pump rated at 8.5kW output for a 4 bedroom house. The hot water tank is 170 litres, for the previous gas system it was 100 litres. For the use you describe with lots of hot water use this will need to be considered in system design, maybe a larger tank or higher rated heat pump. We run the hot water heating at night only for a couple of hours, you could boost a couple of times during the day. As correctly stated by others, heat pumps are less efficient at higher water temperatures however I can heat water overnight and have a 35oC shower in the evening with no issues.

Trail_rat, where are you? Our heat pump is fitted to a shaded north facing wall in Scotland, never sees the sun and temperatures have been below freezing for days but still working. You do need to take care to ensure good air circulation, if the heat pump recirculates its cooled output air then efficiency will be poor.

i_scorr_cake, I think that you have hit the nail on the head, correct planning and specification is vital as mentioned by others. Many of the issues you have described may be down to poor specification. We have a simple system however it appears to be correctly specified and works.
Difficulties in planning and specification can be overcome with work, it will never be as easy as a gas system I agree.

Trail_Rat, my heat pump is fitted on a north facing wall, no issues so far.
i_scoff_cake, no we have a single, single stage heat pump, properly sized for the house. All hot water for the day is heated on low rate overnight power for about 2kW. My house is about 10 years old cavity brick, double glazing etc, well insulated but normal not passivehaus or similar.
There is no such thing as an average home, each installation will be different.

For avoidance of doubt for the wider community, heat pumps can operate effectively in below freezing temperature and heat hot water also. No special tricks, just a suitably specified system for the house.

I am not a heat pump salesman, just sitting here in cold weather, warm and with plenty of hot water while reading opinions to the contrary. :-)

Evening all,
Lots of good questions and points above so some responses are due:
I have no direct efficiency data however I can confirm that efficiency is maintained at low temperatures. We are using 20-30kWh electricity while last year we used >50kWh daily gas only.
This is in below freezing temperatures
We heat all hot water including shower using the heat pump, water temperature is lower but the shower does not mix as much cold, still hot enough for a shower, washing up etc.
Our outdoor unit is not noisy, the next door neighbours complain about absolutely everything and have no issue with the heat pump noise!
The heat pump has provided heat and hoot water perfectly well with consistently below freezing temperatures, defrost only activated on one day

i_scoff_cake, you may wish to repeat your research as several of the points you raise are simply not true in many cases. My house is well insulated, however:
My heat pump supplies water for a shower, no supposedly, it does :-)
No massive bills or not working when cold, see above
A heat pump may not suit you however to dismiss in the terms you did does not provide a balanced service to other forum members, hence why I started the thread to bring forward some real experience of using a heat pump in UK winter for those who may be interested.