My sense is that the tech will and has to evolve. Now there is more interest politically there will be a lot more money around for RnD. I think efficiency is one of those areas that govts could have radically developed fifty years ago but ignored it because there was no profit in it. They shrugged it off and cut potential funding avenues.
Heat pumps seem to be part of the current solution in play but others will emerge.
No big cupboards or space in my little open plan bungalow.you wouldn't be able to add them to flats that have been converted from former houses either. New houses are getting smaller and smaller. I understood years ago all new properties were going to have solar panels,what happened to that. Thankfully it's stayed mild here. I see folk talking about the noise of heat pumps, saying it was less than a fridge,is mine unusual then,it doesn't make any kind of noise,only the alarm big you leave the door open.
Fridges and freezers have compressors in them and they all make a noise, but most modern ones are very quiet so unless your house is also very quiet, you probably aren't aware of it. My heat pump is also very quiet but that's because it's a ground source type so it doesn't have a fan on it. The one Fire showed is an air source type and they have quite large fans (as you can see) so they inevitably make some noise. But they are becoming quieter, a ten year old one will be probably twice as noisy as a current one.
There are a few different 'indoor' type units which have different purposes. Many older houses and flats were originally designed with hot water tanks in them, and those can usually fit the new heat pump but the ducts to outside are a problem if the airing cupboard is right in the middle of the house. Modern houses and flats are small but have better insulation. There are ways to change more or less any home over. The hardest ones are listed buildings and conservation areas.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
When we had our new kitchen built we had a gas pipe extended (deliberately put in and capped when we had the combi-boiler fitted) so we could have a gas fired hob - as we had in our last house. Just couldn't get on with an electric hob. Now of course realise that was the wrong thing to do. But on the plus side - it is fully insulated from top to bottom and is the warmest room in the house. Can even walk on the stone flag floor barefoot in winter. Our house is mid-Victorian, a semi-detached workers cottage with no proper foundations and single-skimmed walls. But it is small and we have now had the bathroom and stairs insulated too (which has made them smaller). The bedrooms and living room also need insulating on the inside, and the windows replaced with properly fitting double glazed ones but - £££££££s we don't have. So we keep the thermostat as low as we can, curtains to the ground and have handy throws to snuggle under when sitting watching tv of an evening. The radiators are all on internal walls. And the north side of the house is the bit attached to our neighbour - so that helps too!
Our air source heat pump, installed early 2020, is very quiet - not much louder than the fridge. As I said before, it's 5ft from our (open) bedroom window. I'm a light sleeper but it doesn't wake me up.
Edited to add: I think the sound through its exhaust pipe of our combi boiler in the previous house starting up, was a similar volume when heard outside the house.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
- obviously there are other suppliers but this was the first link I found... the blurb which came with ours gives the energy rating as A+++ if you run it at a water temperature of 35C, which we do practically all year (we turned it up to 37 when we had minus 6 overnight last year) - so it's pretty efficient. It also gives the dB as 60. It's not a "pitched" sound, which helps, I think; and ours is mounted on thick vibration-deadening feet.
Here in Ireland we got a grant of €6000 (a bit over £5000) to do the work, which had to include insulation to a high level.
Best wishes to you too!
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Mine’s on 20.5 degrees for November. I spent October turning it up and down and off depending on the weather and whether I felt cold/too warm etc. I’m going to compare how much leaving it to be constantly 20.5 inside compares to me interfering with it/warming up a cold house.
In terms of airflow and ventilation/humidity: unused room has rad on 3 and doors are always open throughout the house (apart from bathroom when in use).
All windows are on the latch apart from kitchen which is opened during, and for a while after, cooking.
It was 2 degrees here the other night and the boiler only fired up a couple of times so I’m guessing the insulation is working as it should.
Looking forward to my bill on December 1st to see which one is more cost effective.
Hygrometer for downstairs shows average of 48.7 for the month; upstairs 49.9.
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There are a few different 'indoor' type units which have different purposes. Many older houses and flats were originally designed with hot water tanks in them, and those can usually fit the new heat pump but the ducts to outside are a problem if the airing cupboard is right in the middle of the house. Modern houses and flats are small but have better insulation. There are ways to change more or less any home over. The hardest ones are listed buildings and conservation areas.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Edited to add: I think the sound through its exhaust pipe of our combi boiler in the previous house starting up, was a similar volume when heard outside the house.
This is the link: https://www.saturnsales.co.uk/LGTherma-V-HM091M.U43-Air-Heat-Pump.html
- obviously there are other suppliers but this was the first link I found... the blurb which came with ours gives the energy rating as A+++ if you run it at a water temperature of 35C, which we do practically all year (we turned it up to 37 when we had minus 6 overnight last year) - so it's pretty efficient. It also gives the dB as 60. It's not a "pitched" sound, which helps, I think; and ours is mounted on thick vibration-deadening feet.
Here in Ireland we got a grant of €6000 (a bit over £5000) to do the work, which had to include insulation to a high level.
Best wishes to you too!