Advice on Air to Air Heat Source System please

[TaffyDuck]

I am thinking of fitting an Air to Air heat system into my house to offset the increasing cost of oil.

The questions I have are that I am looking at fitting a 6kW system. Because of the layout of the house I am hoping to put the internal unit in the downstairs hall at the front of the house because this would allow the heat to flow throughout the house but being in a conservation area I need to put the outside unit at the back. How far is it possible to put the 2 units apart before you loose a significant amount of heat and what would be the cost of a good quality 6kW system.

Also can this be fitted by an experienced sparky and would I get the Energy saving trust grant if it was fitted by me?

Thanks for your help.

 

[JD6400]

Hi Taffy , do you mean a air source pump , a little like the ground source pumps ?

 

[TaffyDuck]

Hi Taffy , do you mean a air source pump , a little like the ground source pumps ?

Yes mate thats exactly what I mean. But air to air not air to water

 

[Megavolt]

Hi no you wouldn't be in titled to the grant if you fitted it as is has to be fitted by a approved company to qualify.

 

[TaffyDuck]

mmm, well maybe I`ll have to look further afield, the two local approved companies couldn`t fit a boot on a foot. Level of electrical installation on PVs that I have seen has been dire in general so they are going nowhere near my house. NIC MCS is a joke. Maybe I can find someone who will fit it and I`ll do the electrical installation to a standard that a professional electrician would do it not a chancer with a screwdriver. Sure theres some decent guys out there.

 

[JD6400]

We have installed the supply's and controls on a fair number of these for several different company's that have used varying quality of makes , and as the saying goes " I would not touch em with yours yet alone mine ! ".
The fact they need a back up 6kw or so in line heater to give em a boost when it gets any where near cold , just about says it all in my book !
They are pretty much just refrigeration units in reverse that from my experience in the dairy industry are the main consumer of power and always tend to be the weakest link in the chain after 5 or 6 years use and the fact of as and when they do go ---- up , that is going to be a very expensive specialised call out !
Speaking to one of the company's that installs them it was said that unless you have a nearly new property that is insulated up to the nuts then they are just a waist of time !!! And that came from the man that sells them ?