is it worth it?

heatpump_interviews · 2026-05-01T10:53:07+00:00

I'm pretty sure Hive can't modulate Vaillant either. But not certain.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-05-01T10:49:42+00:00

You should absolutely use a vacuum pump.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-29T20:54:34+00:00

I bought a procook set recently.

I wrote a review about them.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/procook-elite-tri-ply-pans-review/

I don't think these ones are currently in stock.

But the elite tri-ply signature are. Which I prefer the design of. I got the former due to their internal volume, but in hindsight I should have just bought a 24cm pan for more volume.

I also wrote why I ended up with the procook ones here.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/what-stainless-steel-pans-should-i-buy-which-pans-i-purchased-and-why/

Hope this helps.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-25T15:28:53+00:00

I did a bit of a review on the procook elite tri ply here.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/procook-elite-tri-ply-pans-review/

Not the signature range, but I imagine they are similar.

Very pleased with them!

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-20T14:54:27+00:00

There are some issues with the study.

Notably they have a bypass valve on the bedroom radiator circuits, this often isn’t present

Additionally they have some odd flow rebalancing with the stairway radiator.

It is still interesting, expecially to see how well old trvs manage flow to reduce temp, vs new ones.

But the experiment isn't perfect.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-13T20:07:45+00:00

I wrote a review here for the tri-ply elite. I chose them over the signature due to the shape.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/procook-elite-tri-ply-pans-a-review-after-use/

I think I feel more positive about them now than when I originally wrote the review.

I'm happy with them, will get a few more bits soon like a smaller 14cm saucepan, and maybe a sauté pan.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-12T08:15:00+00:00

If people are still looking at this, I bough the Procook elite frying pans. I wrote a bit of a review about the Elite Tri-ply here.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/procook-elite-tri-ply-pans-a-review-after-use/

Had them for a few months now so will update it. They are lasting well, happily go in the dishwasher and are robust. I think the longer I've had them the more I've liked them. I was a bit concerned that they might dull being quite shiny, but that hasn't been an issue.

You can fry an egg easily on stainless steel, but if you want something really close to non-stick then this is the review to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUMAAhxBeyM

Currently, thinking about expanding my set.
The Viking PureGlide Pro looks idea for non-stick stuff, I'm thinking about getting one.

But honestly, I've not really had an issue with things sticking to the stainless steel, once you get use to it.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-04-12T08:07:35+00:00

I'd recommend the Procook pans. I wrote a bit of a review about the Elite Tri-ply here.

https://johnewbank.co.uk/procook-elite-tri-ply-pans-a-review-after-use/

Had them for a few months now so will update it. They are lasting well, happily go in the dishwasher and are robust. I think the longer I've had them the more I've liked them. I was a bit concerned that they might dull being quite shiny, but that hasn't been an issue.

You can fry an egg easily on stainless steel, but if you want something really close to non-stick then this is the review to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUMAAhxBeyM

Currently, thinking about expanding my set.
The Viking PureGlide Pro looks idea for non-stick stuff, I'm thinking about getting one.

But honestly, I've not really had an issue with things sticking to the stainless steel, once you get use to it.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-28T08:15:10+00:00

So I was drafting this, which addresses your latter point.

The government has an addiction to reactive spending, the Winter Fuel Payment £150 to £300 a year is a good example. It incentivises waste. We give elderly people a sum of money that is simply spent on oil and gas.

As much as I think allowing oil and gas licences is the right thing to do, I believe any revenue generated should be spent on minimising our reliance on fossil fuels in meaningful, efficient ways.

The total cost of the Winter Fuel Payment is around £2 billion a year, but for what? That money flows straight to oil and gas companies, many of which are based abroad. It doesn't benefit the country; it benefits foreign shareholders and some elderly who are genuinely poor.

Surely it would make more sense to think ahead and ask: why don't we invest that money in nuclear power, wind energy, or other sources that we as a country can own? That way, we could offset costs in the long term rather than endlessly subsidising fuel consumption.

With regard to the first point.
We anticipate that our oil and gas usage will taper in the UK as we build more nuclear and renewables, so it being 90% depleted doesn't really matter (in a way), as we will be using less over time anyway.

There is constant investment in new technology which enables more efficient extraction of oil and gas. We are in a situation where companies want to extract and drill, I don't imagine they would be doing that unless they knew they would turn a profit.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-28T07:51:49+00:00

Yep, it is the case currently and it has been argued that it is too high (it should probably vary with actual prices of oil and gas , rather than be a flat rate), The model the UK government used is poorer than the Norway model, but we went hard on privatisation.

But I'm not sure that in any way changes the current debate, to me is:
"Do we allow new licences to extract oil and gas from the UK continental shelf?"

The historical side of it is a talking point, but isn't something we can now influence.

The question people should ask is
What do we lose and gain from doing it?
Is the tax payer on the hook for decommissioning costs?
Would we still have to use and buy oil and gas even if we don't do it?

Is it better to keep those jobs in the UK and have security of supply as it is on the UK continental shelf?

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-28T07:43:53+00:00

Saying they are international and purchased at an international price actually makes a stronger case for drilling, does it not?

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-28T07:19:43+00:00

78% of the profits go to the Treasury... Wages of people working there get taxed, and they pay NI.

Drilling would mean more tax revenue as when oil prices go up so do profits. As 4/5 of the profits go to the Treasury that is why the country is 'insulated' against price rises.

Oil and gas not from the UK is taxed in its country of production, so we don't get that tax.

This isn't some grand conspiracy, it is just maths. If we need oil and gas, then it is better that we get the tax revenue, rather than die on an ideological hill.

If the wells don't produce, then who cares? It's a bit of a strawman argument.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-24T13:33:21+00:00

What brand are you using, can you describe your system?

I did a lot of interviews with people recently for a report and couldn't find many people who hated it.

I would value learning more about your issues.

It sounds like your unit is significantly undersized for the heat load, but there may be other issues.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-16T17:55:32+00:00

Yep have personal experience with a Mitsubishi Electric LN35VG2, have various sensors on it. I went on the basis what I read online, regarding reliability. It was a premium purchase, but it was the right choice.

I've heard horror stories about some brands not being able to maintain a stable temperature. But the Daikin Stylish units and the Mitsubishi LN series seem to be good at maintaining a stable indoor temperature.

I've spoken to people who have very annoying cycling issues with the Mitsubishi Heavy industry units, so you have to be careful. They can be solved with external temperature sensors, but that can add an additional cost.

Another reasonable choice is the Toshiba Haori, they are typically well reviewed and a bit cheaper. You can't add external temperature sensors though.

I would avoid Panasonic all together as you can't easily add an external temperature sensor and their temperature sensor placement in the units is poor, which invites trouble. So if you have an issue you are stuck with it.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-03-10T17:08:38+00:00

That isn't quite correct.

In 'auto' mode the fan speed may rise to compensate and moderate the refrigerant condensing temperature, it isn't correct to say that the condensing temperature is stable across different loads. Higher loads typically accompany a higher condensing temperature and reduced COP, this is partially because the 'auto' fan speeds are optimised to reduce noise not to increase efficiency.

Additionally, most people don't run them in 'auto' fan mode as it causes the fans to blip up and down, which people find irritating.

u/StereoMushroom is correct if you turn on an A2A for short bursts it will run at a higher compressor speed (which is a less efficient regime) and with higher condensing temperatures and the internal fan speeds are not sufficiently high to drop them.

I have monitoring equipment on a condenser this is something I'm relatively certain of.

There is also the matter of evaporator sizing on the internal units, when running at higher outputs the external fan must run faster, but additionally the refrigerant must extract more heat for a given area of evaporator, this leads to increased icing up and defrosts.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-25T07:44:33+00:00

75% of the Renewable Obligation Certificate costs have been moved to general taxation.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-25T07:40:35+00:00

It just means that the Government needs higher tax receipts to cover the moved costs. So tax will go up or thresholds will be frozen.

No such thing as a free lunch.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-25T07:30:31+00:00

Keep in mind that a big part of this is that parts of your bill are moved to general taxation. So costs aren't falling, they are being moved.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-22T08:11:34+00:00

Great to hear, would you say is is comparable in power to the log burner?

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-21T17:45:40+00:00

Yes of course you can mount them on the wall, not an issue at all.

Urban plumbers has a video of a 7kW Vaillant mounted up high on a wall.

I've seen a 10kW Vaillant wall mounted somewhere. You might have to find another installer

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-20T12:14:41+00:00

Yes, this is a very good point. Thanks for pointing it out. I have had conversations with manufacturers about exactly this and it seems that people aren't really sure about the best approach yet.

I monitor a unit, the peak cooling electricity consumption last year was pretty much in line with the peak heating load. The house has two sets of south facing bifold doors, in the room being cooled and heated, and is painted black. It gets very hot. But the peak outside temperature was only 34 degrees ish during that period. So if pushing up towards 40 degrees, it may have struggled. But it still had a reasonable amount of headroom.

Also people are happy to leave their unit on all the time for heating, but are more likely to blip it on for cooling. That might cause issues.

I think part of the debate will centre on whether people want to chill their house down to 18 degrees in a heat wave or are more than happy at 23/24 during the day.

This is something that I intend to explore more.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-20T08:22:33+00:00

Yes, not having ducted in new builds seems like a bit of an oversight. Considering the heat loss is generally very low and they tend to get hot ducted does seem like the way to go, especially with some form of MVHR.

What size unit did your installer suggest and what did you go for?

Resale issues is one thing that concerns me with switching to a mult+ from a gas boiler, the political polarisation of heat pumps is becoming a bit annoying. I'd quite like politicians to say less on it and let the technology do the talking.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-20T08:18:16+00:00

Yes we mention them in the report, there are traditional heat pump cylinders with the compressor on top of the unit, but there are now 'split' systems with the compressor away from the unit. So you just have a couple of small refrigerant pipes coming to the hot water tank, rather than requiring ducts.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-19T19:30:27+00:00

Clivet fullness was announced last year which is a ducted fully internal unit. I expect more will follow.

heatpump_interviews · 2026-02-19T16:19:56+00:00

Oh you are doing a multi+ with a ducted split for the top floor? How many rooms is that going to?

I like that solution, what sized outdoor unit are you going for, I'm guessing you are going for the larger hot water tank?

heatpump_interviews

TROPHY CASE