Home and heating

Discussions around the latest home tech: solar, smart heat, battery storage and more

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273 Topic threads

Tim_OVO
Community Manager
Tim_OVOCommunity Manager
posted in Home and heating

Air source heat pumps (ASHP) and drainage - Why do heat pumps emit so much water?

As we’ve got plenty of Air-Source Heat Pump early adopters here, we’re hoping you might be able to share your experience of a little discussed aspects of your heating system: drainage. Have you noticed your outside unit emitting water? If so are there any factors that increase or decrease the amount of water released? 

6
juliamc
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
Posted in Home and heating

Wet Underfloor Heating systems: Domestic Heating How To series Part 2Tutorial

Part 2: Wet Underfloor Heating systems Whatever is the final floor surface, water needs supplying to the heating pipes at around 45°C. That should allow the surface temperature to be maintained at about 22-27°C.Wooden floors can be damaged at higher temperatures whilst tiled/stone floors cease being comfortable in bare feet.The optimal method to supply the required 45°C to the distribution manifold is to use a Thermal Store. A Thermal Store looks similar to a traditional hot-water tank. However, instead of the main body of water being that which comes out when you turn on a hot tap, the tank is filled with the water that supplies the UFH pipes and is heated by the boiler. The tank must be tall enough to provide a thermal gradient from bottom to top. Taking out water at a midway point creates the required 45°C for UFH. In the above diagram I’ve added one top-coil to generate domestic hot water (DHW) on demand, and one lower coil to provide a second heat-source besides the boiler. In pra

31238
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
Jess_OVO
Retired Moderator
Jess_OVORetired Moderator
Posted in Home and heating

Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) and radiator replacement: How to work out the optimum radiator size for maximum efficiency?

Updated on 14/12/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO: We’ve been keeping an eye out for some commonly asked heat pump questions our community members might be able to offer insight on. As we’ve pretty thoroughly covered pipe insulation, now it’s the turn of the radiators. How many of you were able to keep the existing radiators when your heat pumps were fitted, and if these needed replacing how were the new radiator sizes worked out?  Do any of you have heat pumps powering underfloor heating in any part of your home and was this existing or has it been added along with the heat pump?  How is someone that’s considering a heat pump able to review their current radiators to know if they’re suitable or will need replacing? Tips and advice needed here! Be great if anyone’s happy to share any before/after photos of any changes made to their radiator/underfloor heating set-up too.

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S
Carbon Catcher*
2 years ago
M
Carbon Cutter*****
Mbu1982Carbon Cutter*****
Posted in Home and heating

The import readings on my Secure Liberty S1 meter don't match the energy purchased figure on my Solar PV and Home Energy Inverter - Which figure is correct?

Updated on 14/12/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO: - Note that this discussion originated on our Secure Liberty 100 Smart Meter guide topic Hi Tim, Can you please confirm if the Historical data shown should match to the import readings? For instance the historical data says I used 600kwh for September and the import readings say I used 800kwh.  Should these figures match?  If not, why not? Thanks,Joe

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M
Carbon Cutter*****
2 years ago
D
New Member***
DaveRalphNew Member***
Posted in Home and heating

How can I link my Tado smart thermostat to my OVO account?

I have a Tado system, had it before joining OVO, installed it all myself with the wireless extension kit as our combi boiler is in the loft and TRVs on all Rads.Best solution I could find as the system supports the OpenTherm bus standard (amongst others) for those boilers that can use it.I saw that there is meant to be a way of linking your Tado account to your OVO account. I had a Smart Meter installed a couple of months back and was hoping that this would trigger the ability to link, but still nothing.I have called customer services, but they aren't sure. I have sent an email over 10 days ago, but only had the auto response saying please allow 5 days for a response. The help topic mentions a Smart Devices option in the Menu, but it isn't there for me.Does anyone know how this is meant to be achieved?Are you meant to have purchased the system through OVO to get something to kick in? Thanks for any advice.David

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Mw2870
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
Crìstian
Carbon Cutter*
CrìstianCarbon Cutter*
Posted in Home and heating

I've recently installed a new Valliant Combi Boiler - what's the most efficient temperature to set?

Hi, fellow OVOers,About 5wks we [my wife & I] got a new heating system installed. Our previous one was a Vented System [with a cold water cistern in the loft & a copper boiler in airing cupboard]Our new heating system is a Combi Boiler [Vaillant ecoFIT sustain] Does any of you OVOers on here, have this system? If so I want to pick your brains, so to speak lol :)What is the best 'Energy Efficient' temperature to have Boiler at and also to have Rads at & Hot Water at? We have a 2 bedroomed up/down house, smallish kitchen & bathroom, bottom hallway, stairs, top hallway & a back porch of the kitchen no need for rad there, we have 7 [various sizes] rads in our homeI've been doing some online research on this subject but didn't really yet any straightforward answers, too many variables.  That's the boiler/rads temp.  That's the room temp but, we have the TRVs on the rads in the kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, upstairs & hallways set at a lower temp than the living room. 

8
Tim_OVO
Community Manager
2 years ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
posted in Home and heating

Open LV Trial - Making local substation data available to community groups

.OpenLV is a ground-breaking project that’s making local electricity data openly available for the first time ever, to benefit local communities and the wider energy industry. OpenLV is led by project partners Western Power Distribution and EA Technology. It is funded by Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition. Project partner CSE is leading the community engagement, to support communities to access their local electricity data for local benefit. Regen is leading the evaluation of community groups taking part in OpenLV.The OpenLV Project is trialling an open software platform in electricity substations that can monitor substation performance and electricity demand. The LV-CAP (TM) platform is designed to integrate with third party products to enable network control and automation, and increased customer participation in network management. The platform will host applications provided by a diverse set of developers, such as community groups, businesses and universities, providing a varie

20
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
E
Carbon Catcher*
EverythingNeedsAUserNameCarbon Catcher*
posted in Home and heating

Installing a tado Smart Thermostat - easy yet difficult - looking positive and already helping

All was going swimmingly. The app installed. The tado arrived. I started the process and the app asked for the name and model number of thermostat and boiler controller. Happily it recognised my specific British gas models. Each device installation begins with scanning its QR code, and you are then given simple diagrams and instructions. The app led me step-by-step, screen by screen, through the installation, using in part generic diagrams and in part model-specific wiring guides. At each step, you have to touch the confirm button before the app lets you see the next step. You cannot look ahead.       First is installing the Internet bridge, which has short 25cm ethernet and usb cables. Happily my router had both an unused ethernet socket and a usb slot. So the power comes from that, and I didn't need the supplied mains charger. The app checks that it has connected up properly. I then got a welcome email from tado.Then you switch off the power to the heating syste

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Jeffus
Plan Zero Hero
2 years ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
Posted in Home and heating

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels - Self installation GuideTutorial

Updated on 14/12/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO: One of our community members has written this guide to help if you’re planning a DIY-approach to installing some solar panels. It’s worth mentioning that the instructions below are followed at your own risk, If you’re not sure you can manage installing solar panels yourself we’d recommend consulting a MCS registered installer.Check out this topic to find out more about OVO’s Solar Offering:   I’ve been using PV Solar Panels off-grid for about 20 years. I have built a number of devices which can use the DC power directly rather than convert it to 230v AC mains first. I even have solar-powered chickens with timed coop-lighting which fools them into thinking they have Mediterranean day-lengths. Lots more eggs battery hens?This year (2021) I’ve started an extensive revamp of my rooftop solar panels, and had one completely new array installed professionally by an MCS-accredited company. That allows those panels to be grid-connected either using an inve

6774
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
J
Carbon Cutter*****
James_NCarbon Cutter*****
posted in Home and heating

Solar PV panels, iboost (PV diverter) and an air source heat pump (ASHP) is it cost effective?

Hi all, Just starting the process of getting solar installed (ie getting quotes). I’m sure i will have more questions on this to come, but here is my first.There is a product called iboost that takes excess electricity you are creating from PV, which is going back into the grid, and uses it / some of it to create hot water via the immersion.The question is, as I now have a ASHP, is this of any use? My thinking on this is that if I had 2kWh of ‘spare’electricity from PV, then via the immersion I get roughly 2kWh of heat. But (assuming a HW COP of 2) it would only take 1kWh of electric to do the same via the heat pump. That leaves 1kWh spare which I might get paid 5p for, or at least someone else can use as green energy.The only thing I can think is that the ASHP is only heating up to 50 degrees. The immersion could push that up to say 65 degrees. This has two benefits i think. 1) the legionella setting does this every 7 days, so I might be able to turn that off (maybe) and be using PV t

14
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
H
Carbon Catcher*
hydrosamCarbon Catcher*
Posted in Home and heating

Solar PV (photovoltaic) diverters for heating and hot waterTutorial

Updated on 14/12/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO:Have you heard? We’re not installing solar! Find out more here:  Solar PV (photovoltaic) diverters are a small unit that diverts unused electricity generated by the solar panels to the immersion heater of your domestic hot water tank. Mine cost about £80 from eBay and I fitted it myself (but most would need an electrician). For the home owner this means when you aren’t using the electricity your solar panels are generating it will divert the ‘spare’ electricity to the immersion heater rather than exporting to the grid. On good days it will provide all of the heating to your hot water tank. If you are on a Feed in tariff you get paid your 50% of generated export payment regardless of whether you’ve actually exported 100% or 0% to the grid (*moderator note: this only applies if you don’t have a smart meter, which can measure export exactly). So financially it’s a pretty worthwhile addition but as @Transparent pointed out it’s also a selfish technolog

14962
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
C
Carbon Cutter****
Chisi1Carbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating

Replacing oil fired central heating with storage batteries and off peak power - is this possible without solar panels?

We currently use electricity for general lighting, cooking and heating three upstairs bedrooms and two bathrooms with far infrared ceiling panels.Downstairs radiators and water heating are through an oil fired boiler.We plan to stay in the house for at least ten more years and would be really interested in replacing the oil fired system with a completely electric system (even if we don’t get all our money back) using cheap off peak power and batteries.If we got rid of the oil tank, we have a large concrete base that could house these.We’d need a water heating system and six new electric radiators.Can current batteries large enough to last the whole day, especially in winter, be charged up from off peak power?We live in an old Grade II listed building and do not want to use solar panels.Is this is a feasible option?

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Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
M
New Member**
Malc98New Member**
Posted in Home and heating

Why does my RCD trip overnight and only resets when the kitchen sockets are off?

RCD tripped overnight, only resets with kitchen sockets trip off, any help please

4
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
2 years ago
NinjaGeek
Carbon Catcher***
NinjaGeekCarbon Catcher***
Posted in Home and heating

Living with a Smart thermostat - HiveTutorial

Updated on 07/12/23 by Abby_OVO So you are with an amazing energy supplier but still want to save money on your heating bill? Look no further! Although OVO offers an incredible deal with Tado, there are alternatives. I am not saying the product I have implemented into my home is better than Tado but I will go over why I chose Hive over Tado further on. Let’s talk about the advantages before we get to the disadvantages. So the advantages with replacing your current thermostats with a smart one? Well, let’s rewind this back in December when I got the thermostats installed into my home as this is when people tend to use their heating right? So rewind to December 2017. British Gas man arrives at my house to install thermostat in the hallway and upstairs, offer the man a cup of tea and he refuses, so far not a good start turning down a cup of tea. The whole installation process took 45 minutes due to the way my house does it’s heating. I have a separate thermostats to control down stairs an

529112
knight
Carbon Cutter**
2 years ago
A
Carbon Cutter*
aphrabennCarbon Cutter*
Posted in Home and heating

Is it worth replacing an old Alpha gas boiler?

I've recently moved to a house where the central heating system is run via a 14 year old Alph gas boiler. My meter readings seem high. Is this down to the age of the boiler? It has been regularly maintained. I'm wondering whether to replace it or not.

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G
New Member*
3 years ago
P
New Member*
PhilkeenNew Member*
Posted in Home and heating

Will there be an issue selling the house I own, if it has solar panels and storage battery that I own outright?

Hi all , I’m going to put my house on market and it has solar panels and 4 years left on feed in tarriff, solar panels and battery have been paid outright by myself so I completely own them , but some friends are saying I might have problems selling with the solar panels , tho I can’t see why I would ? I would have thought if anything solar would be a good selling point any thoughts please ? 

2
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
3 years ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
Posted in Home and heating

Installing wet underfloor heating: Domestic Heating How To series Part 3Tutorial

Part 3: Installing wet under floor heating  (a) In solid floors When building a Solid floor, the pipework gets installed at an early stage in a construction/renovation project.The usual strategy is to compact a level sub-floor of hardcore, topped off with a layer of sand to ensure no sharp points are left.Place a damp-proof sheet on top of the sand, bringing it a good 250mm up the walls.Place a double-layer of insulation boarding on top of the DPC, overlapping it to ensure there are no gaps. You require the total insulation to be 100mm minimum depth (under current Building Regs).  Use plastic push-in staples to hold in the place the UFH pipe as you snake it across the floor. I’ve used pipe runs 320mm apart.The pipe specification was discussed here in Part-2.  Around the edges of the floor that adjoin an exterior wall, fit a 100mm upstand of insulation board. I’ve used 40mm thick. This prevents heat from the floor leaking though the outer walls.  Pour concrete to a minimum depth of 100m

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Tim_OVO
Community Manager
3 years ago
S
New Member***
Stargazer8t6New Member***
Posted in Home and heating

User experience of Tesla Powerwall 11 - Energy cost savings and best energy plan to support battery charging?Blog

I had a Powerwall 11 installed on 21st May with back up Gateway. My specification was to be able to have a self-powered home. I.e. I didn’t want to buy any grid electricity at all, or at least reduce my dependency on Grid supplied energy.My solar array is some 6 years old and performs very well but the inverter is grid connected such that if there is a grid power failure/outage I have no power in the home – so not even the gas boiler will work! The Tesla back up gate way keeps the house energised even if the grid is down. Solar power continues and or the Powerwall depending on the time of day.The installation was straight forward and was completed in 2 days. Things to look out for if considering a Tesla installation. Get at least three quotes and make sure any installer is Tesla accredited – Tesla won’t allow non accredited installers near their kit. The gateway needs to be connected to the internet - ideally three different ways. It comes with a SIM for remote monitoring by Tesla supp

17642
J
New Member***
3 years ago
C
New Member*
ChubbaNew Member*
Posted in Home and heating

Comparing lighting options - What's the cheapest/greenest lightbulb wattage?

Hi Now, I know for a like for like type of light bulb the title will be the case - e.g. 3w LED bulb will be cheaper to run than a 7w LED light bulb and a 5w energy saving bulb will be cheaper than a 10w energy saving bulb and so forth. But what if I am comparing different types of bulb? So is it still the case that a 5w energy saving bulb will be cheaper than a 7w LED bulb? All the advice I've read seems to say that LED is pretty much always cheaper 'in the long run' but that also takes into account the purchase cost of the bulb in the first place. I am only interested in the running costs and disregarding the purchase costs. Then what if I have a combination of bulbs? Would I just add up the total wattage? So in this example, will an uplighter using a 5w energy saving bulb be cheaper than a ceiling light using two 3w LED bulbs? Many thanks in advance

2
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
4 years ago
Darran_OVO
Retired Moderator
Darran_OVORetired Moderator
Posted in Home and heating

Greener Energy- Our Green Energy Add OnNews

Updated on 13/03/23 by Emmanuelle_OVOWhat is Greener Energy? Greener Energy, previously our green energy add on, is our upgrade which can be added to any OVO Energy plan at any time! It combines traceable 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon neutral gas for you and more renewables for the UK all in one easy step. It does this by offering: 100% renewable electricity that can be traced all the way back to the generator (like a solar farm) thanks to *Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)*.  100% carbon neutral gas - 10% green gas, and 90% offset. A fixed contribution each year by OVO Energy to support new renewable power generators, helping to build a better energy system.  *Power Purchase Agreement contracts* This means that for each unit of electricity you use, we'll make sure we're buying an equivalent unit of electricity from a renewable generator that we have a PPA contract with. This is where the transparency element comes in, we have chosen to buy from certain renewable genera

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Darran_OVO
Retired Moderator
4 years ago
L
Carbon Cutter****
LlamedospeteCarbon Cutter****
Posted in Home and heating

New batteries being installed - is it worth going to eco 7 to charge them overnight?

HI guys I am having batteries installed on the 19th Jan and my question is, is it worth going to eco7 to charge them overnight in the winter so I get next day at cheap rate until proper time of use tariffs become available?

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L
Carbon Cutter****
5 years ago
L
New Member*
lori107New Member*
Posted in Home and heating

Who do I contact to upgrade the main fuse 'service head'?

we are having a new kitchen fitted with lots of high tec appliances.I have been told by my electrician that because the new hob draws power of 48 amps we need to have our service head upgraded and the tails also need upgrading.He told me to contact my energy supplier to arrange this but I’m having trouble getting through.Who do I contact to sort this service head out for me if I can't speak to OVo?Appreciate any adviceLori

1
normans_IHT
New Member***
5 years ago
D
Carbon Cutter*
DancingdaveCarbon Cutter*
Posted in Home and heating

I've had smart meters installed but want to replace my storage heaters with Dimplex Quantum.... any advice?

Hi ,I've had a liberty 110 smart meter installed and I'm thinking of replacing old storage heaters with dimplex quantum The meter has a 5th terminal for storage heaters ,but is this a 24/7 power supply running alongside economy 7 ? Any help would be appreciated

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D
Carbon Cutter*
5 years ago

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