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March 22, 2024

Air Source Heat Pump: Electricity bills have tripled since having solar installed - any advice?

  • March 22, 2024
  • 80 replies
  • 3135 views

Help, we have had air source heat pump fitted with solar panels and back up battery. This is our first winter with this new system and our electricity bills have tripled, we are afraid to turn the heating on. Our bill for the last 3 months is £1150 when it hasn’t been exceptionally cold. How can this be?

Pinned Reply By juliamc

Updated on 12/05/25 by Ben_OVO

Without any more to go on this is what I suggest you do: 

Turn the hot water down to 50 degrees C. Make sure you’re only heating it on a schedule, not on ‘reheat’. I heat our hot water at night during my cheap rate hours and again in the afternoon when the outside temperature is warmest. The space heating (ie radiators) won’t get any heat when the hot water cycle is running so do it at a time when you won’t notice it missing. Mine takes about 45 mins. If you have a ‘legionella’ or disinfectant’ cycle enabled you can disable it. It’s reckoned to be unnecessary in a domestic setting where you’re using and refreshing the contents of your hot water cylinder every day.

Next, rather than have the radiators on for a few hours at a time (generally an inefficient way of running a heat pump) run it at a lower temperature for longer hours. Without knowing what heat pump you have it’s a bit difficult to explain the changes you need to make. Mine is a Daikin Altherma 3 and I have a Madoka room sensor. I’ve set the controls to Weather Dependant, which means the radiators are cooler when it’s warm outside and warmer when it’s cool outside. You may have been set up with a fixed flow temperature which is not an efficient way to run it. Open all your radiator valves (the adjustable ones) fully so they all receive heat at the same time. The heat pump needs a good flow of water pumped around and there’s no benefit closing some off here and there. If that sounds extravagant then don’t worry, you’ll save by the hp running at tickover rather than having to burst into life every time a change of heat is called for, as it is currently. You can turn the overall temperature down to use less electricity rather than turn it off. This does all sound involved I know. With more info on your system I might be able to explain better how you can do all this. 

Tips for Air Source Heat Pump efficiency can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website, and further discussion on the subject continues in these other Forum topics:

 

 

80 replies

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
April 8, 2024

There should also be a web based monitor .. not sure if this was set up for you

https://www.sunsynk.net/login

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
April 8, 2024

@serennu  re the heat pump: is the house warm enough and have you had enough hot water ? 

@BPLightlog should the battery have space around it for cooling ?

serennuAuthor
Rank 2
April 8, 2024

@serennu  re the heat pump: is the house warm enough and have you had enough hot water ? 

@BPLightlog should the battery have space around it for cooling ?

No,Julia, the house isn’t warm enough as we are afraid to turn on the rads, we just got one rad going in the lounge and our log burner.

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
April 8, 2024



@BPLightlog should the battery have space around it for cooling ?

It’s looks like a pylontech battery which uses convection cooling so there will be vents which need some space

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
April 8, 2024

@serennu If you’re happy to look up the ‘working figure’ on the control panel that would show the heat pump is  performing. (I can have a go at explaining what buttons to press if you don’t know how). 
 

juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
April 8, 2024

@serennu if ok with you I’ll delve into the manual for the heat pump. I’ll be back later. Can you tell me what model Vaillant it is please ? It’s probably written on the back or side of the outdoor unit.

serennuAuthor
Rank 2
April 8, 2024

There should also be a web based monitor .. not sure if this was set up for you

https://www.sunsynk.net/login

I can find something under the inverter that looks like that wifi thingy, it has a flashing red light on it but I can’t see anything that looks like a ct clamp. The only wifi that was set up was to connect the rads to the control hub which controls the temperature.

serennuAuthor
Rank 2
April 8, 2024

@serennu if ok with you I’ll delve into the manual for the heat pump. I’ll be back later. Can you tell me what model Vaillant it is please ? It’s probably written on the back or side of the outdoor unit.

The serial number is 21230400100473831300105046N5 aroTHERM plus.

VWL 105/6 A 230V S2R1

I have no idea what a working figure is or how to find it 

serennuAuthor
Rank 2
April 8, 2024

There should also be a web based monitor .. not sure if this was set up for you

https://www.sunsynk.net/login

I can find something under the inverter that looks like that wifi thingy, it has a flashing red light on it but I can’t see anything that looks like a ct clamp. The only wifi that was set up was to connect the rads to the control hub which controls the temperature.

The hub is a Honeywell monitor just used to control the temp

BPLightlog
Super User
Super User
April 8, 2024

There should also be a web based monitor .. not sure if this was set up for you

https://www.sunsynk.net/login

I can find something under the inverter that looks like that wifi thingy, it has a flashing red light on it but I can’t see anything that looks like a ct clamp. The only wifi that was set up was to connect the rads to the control hub which controls the temperature.

Yes the flashing red light sounds like a WiFi connection (although they’re often green when connected).

You should be able to set up an account either on the app or web to look at the inverter set up. This shouldn’t need much adjustment but it would show how things have been set up. 

Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}