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Upcoming Heat Pump Plus Trial

  • November 28, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 310 views
Upcoming Heat Pump Plus Trial
Shads_OVO
Retired Moderator

What is it?
We’re launching the UK's first nationwide heat pump flexibility trial, where heat pumps automatically reduce energy use during peak demand without affecting your comfort or heating. 

 

This trial will help us understand how we can use smart tech to improve the grid for a greener future.

 

We'll be offering this trial from mid November throughout winter. We’ll be collecting data about energy consumption and how this level of flexibility impacts customers. 

 

We’re working with Nesta, the UK’s social innovation agency. Nesta’s aim is to find new ways to tackle society's big problems in education, the environment and health. Customers who take part in the trial, which includes completing a few surveys and interviews, will receive a £100 shopping voucher from Nesta at the end of the trial period.

 

Who is eligible?

 

  • To take part in the trial customers will need to have a compatible Vaillant aroTHERM 3 post 2016 or an aroTHERM Plus heat pump with a connected myVAILLANT Connect internet gateway.
  • Entry to the trial is by invitation only. You can apply to join the Trial by completing the form linked from your OVO invitation email. 
  • You’ll also need to be signed up to our Heat Pump Plus tariff and be an OVO customer.
  • You’ll also need to agree to OVO controlling the temperature of your heat pump remotely during the trial period.  

 

What will you need to do? 

 

You'll be asked to provide feedback during the trial period so we can see how effective it is.

 

If you take part, you’ll get a detailed survey before and after the trial, and then short weekly questionnaires. You might also be invited to take part in interviews. 


 

What will you get?

 

You’ll get a £100 gift voucher for taking part in the trial and giving us your feedback. 


 

Any further questions, please let us know below.

 

2 replies

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  • Carbon Cutter**
  • 9 replies
  • March 14, 2025

It will be interesting to read the results of this trial. My experience at the individual house level lead me to conclude:

  1. You need excess capacity in the heat pump, (i.e. +30% especially on the coldest days) and indeed on the less mild ones, to boost the indoor temperature sufficiently to bridge the no/low use gap and recover quickly afterwards.
  2. There is an argument for switching off the time of use control if possible on the coldest days for the above reasons.
  3. My heat pump runs most efficiently - not so much higher cop but less electricity/heat required per degree of inside/outside temperature difference - on continual use rather than working harder to get ahead/catch up on TOU.
  4. Improving insulation, even the last few tweaks like a heat exchanger fan in the utility room, meant that my heat pump had more capacity to cope and indoor temperature was retained for longer or recovered more quickly.
  5. Cost comparison showed the a low heat pump/dhw only tariff was cheaper than a time of use one. The former did not apply to electricity for the rest of the house and so was more expensive during the summer (though my limited solar helped reduce this) but became cheaper from late October, caught up by early January and made cumulative gains through to early April. Over the year it was 8% lower than time of use tariff
  6. I do not have a battery and so for this and other reasons (house heat retention etc.) these conclusions are just applicable to my situation.

Chris_OVO
Community Moderator
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  • Community Moderator
  • 724 replies
  • March 14, 2025

Hey ​@Martin53

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! I’ll ask internally to see if any results are available to share and update the thread 😊


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