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?
Electricity bills have tripled since having solar installed - any advice?
Can you tell us more about the heat pump, include some photos and say what temperature you have the house set to. The more you include the better.
Further thoughts: are your bills based on estimates, and is the solar correctly recorded as generating power ?
Hi, thanks for the reply. The bills aren’t estimates as I sent in an up to date reading. I am so ignorant about how this system works but we have 2 rads in the lounge set at 21 degrees on for 8 hours. Bathroom rad on for 2 hours at 21 and upstairs one rad on for two hours. Hot water is set at 60 and we use the shower once or twice a day. Have asked OVO for a visit from the Energy Efficiency Person but there isn’t one in my area.
If you can post photos of the outdoor unit, the hot water cylinder and the controller that would help. Are you using a Hive system to get those timings on the radiators ? There are a few things you can change on the setup which will help but I need to know what your system is. There are many makes of ASHP and the controls are all different!!
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.
Thank you for all the information you have sent me, I appreciate the time you have taken. What you have told me makes a lot of sense but I am not confident enough to alter any settings. I really need someone to show me hands on how to do it. I contacted Warm Wales and they have put me in touch with a local organization who will come to my home in the next two weeks. They will sit down with me and help me to find the best, most efficient and cheapest way to run this system
This stuff is complicated,
Let us know how that visit goes. Was it free?
This stuff is complicated,
Let us know how that visit goes. Was it free?
Thanks Tim, it really is complicated for an oldie like me. I asked OVO about the Energy Expert visits but my area is not covered at the moment, very disappointed about that as my county Powys are really pushing this Eco4 scheme and I am sure there are others like me in need of help in understanding the ins and outs of my system. I am waiting now for the organisation to get back to me but was told it would be about 2 weeks because of the bank holiday. They are SevernWye, a charitable organization and their services are free and they were recommended to me by Warm Wales. Thanks to you and juliamc for taking the time to help me.
You’re very welcome
I’ve been monitoring it and learning as I go.
What make is your heat pump ? Mine is a Daikin. I don’t have battery or solar.
Thank you for sharing,
We will wait to hear how your visit goes!
You’re very welcome
I’ve been monitoring it and learning as I go.
What make is your heat pump ? Mine is a Daikin. I don’t have battery or solar.
My heat pump is a Valiant. I too was told by installers to touch nothing, system would run itself. Do you not find it very expensive to run without solar or battery? I didn’t expect to make much of a saving through the winter months but I didn’t expect it to cost me the equivalent of my annual electricity bill either. I, like you are determined to learn as I go and am taking readings everyday. Hopefully will be savvy enough to avoid this happening next winter.
I don’t know the Vaillant controls unfortunately, however I’m sure the principles are the same for all heat pumps. Does your controller look like this ?
![](https://uploads-eu-west-1.insided.com/ovo-en/attachment/ce9c5189-fb2c-4fbf-9616-1ef21506cce8.png)
I’ve added up the electricity bills for December January and February and they come to £731 (we only have a gas hob so that’s minimal). With solar and battery that would have been less of course. We have a 3 bed 1960s bungalow and I like it warm so it’s set to 22 degC. The main bedroom is 18 deg.
I should point out that only about half of the electricity usage in the bills total above was due to the heat pump ! Approx 1500 kWh for the three winter months.
It is possible but I would expect to have noticed that separately unless both were connected at the same time.
It might be possible to check by comparing a sunny day to a cloudy one (should use less power from the grid on a sunny day) or even look at the monitor for the inverter.
Can you see by looking at the clamp itself ? Would it make the usage fingers triple ?
Can you see by looking at the clamp itself ? Would it make the usage fingers triple ?
You can but it’s not straight forward unfortunately. It depends on the system, set up etc but generally you would find the CT (probably near the meter) and look for the arrow that’s moulded into the side. It should be on the cable after the meter, pointing back towards the meter .. I’ll try to find a photo.
If the previous usage noted was before the installation, then a CT positioned incorrectly could add double the solar feed level. (So possibly near to tripling).
Edit: arrow not always easily visible
![](https://uploads-eu-west-1.insided.com/ovo-en/attachment/74077778-7e3b-4025-aad7-3431124c83e5.jpg)
If
The more photos the better
If
The more photos the better
I can’t see a clamp, would it be near my meter or near the heating controls which are situated in my airing cupboard
If
The more photos the better
I can’t see a clamp, would it be near my meter or near the heating controls which are situated in my airing cupboard
It’s more likely to be near your meter if there is one there.
If
The more photos the better
I can’t see a clamp, would it be near my meter or near the heating controls which are situated in my airing cupboard
It’s more likely to be near your meter if there is one there.
There doesn’t seem to be anything like that in my meter box
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