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Tramontana

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  1. The ASHP wasn't needed all summer so it only started work at the beginning of October. The automation system mostly ensures that only 1 or 2 rooms are heated at the same time, so the water heats up pretty quickly. My particular favorite is a hydronic under-plinth heater in the kitchen, which takes up no space, is almost silent and delivers heat instantaneously if the flow temp is 40 degrees or above. Having a wifi thermometer and electric radiator valve in in each room gives total control and so far hasn't shown any downsides. Right now - mid-October - my total energy input from the grid is running at around £3 per day, and we always maintain a comfortable temperture wherever we are in the house. OK, so there's only 2 of us, it's a small house and it gets a lot of solar gain but that's a figure I'm more than happy to live with.
  2. My house was already insulated when I bought it, but yes, that's sound advice to anyone wanting to save money on heating.
  3. Hi, I posted the original note then lost the link and I've only just rediscovered it. Yes, I had the Sunamp installed in May and it's been working great ever since. The Thermino 150 is an excellent match to a 12-panel solar array and I've only had to top up (for about 30 minutes) once since then.
  4. Hi - I'm not a self-builder, more a renovator, and I'm not skilled in all departments so I mostly decide what I want and pay others to do the skilled work. I bought a small 1950s house as my "forever home" so I don't have to justify capital outlay (as I'll never see it anyway); I'm more concerned about keeping future running costs as low as possible, as a hedge against a severe drop in income and/or massive rises in prices. So I started by installing solar PV, mostly for hot water via a Sunamp heat store. At some point I'll add a battery as I'm getting far more power each day than I need just for hot water, but I'll wait a bit as the prices are dropping. Next on the list is a heatpump for the central heating, replacing an ageing gas boiler. The part I'm doing all myself is smart control of heating, only turning on radiators when/where they are needed, on a room by room basis via electric radiator valves driven by wifi relays. Temperature measurement is done by wifi thermometers in each room, and a Rasperry Pi computer looks after the system. Data is sent to and from my website and monitored/controlled through a mobile-friendly web app. By doing it myself I can drastically reduce the hardware cost compared to something like Hive. I've come here in case there are others working on similar ideas I can compare notes with., and also to pick up tips about other things that may be related to the overall project.
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