British Gas computer says no - why??

[Tom]

I'm effing livid. I was in the process of getting a quote from British Gas to fit our ASHP - I waited 6 weeks for a site "survey" and was told the actual fitting of it would be a 4 month wait after this. I was prepared to do this as their indicative quote was less than half others. I've even had an electric boiler fitted to get some heat in the interim. They now turn round and say that as we have 3-phase at the property they can't do it, as "none of their engineers can work on 3-phase, mate". WTF? Presumably my electician will be putting our consumer unit in and this will be wired up to one of the three phases (one of the other phases being used for our PV). The BG engineer will surely just be wiring up the ASHP to the consuer unit and so will be downstream of any 3-phase electrics. Is that right? I tried to explain this to the clueless BG guy on the other end of the line but it was just computer says no. Who's right here?

[ProDave]

You have to wonder how these firms work.  I wired a bungalow near here (single phase) but I did not do the ASHP. Instead a local renewable energy firm installed it, and they installed it's own consumer unit to power it.  Perhaps that is what BG are proposing but don't understand basic things about electricity.

 

It is quite shocking how many electricians don't understand anything about 3 phase.  I am fortunate I started in an industrial environment where it was perfectly normal.

[saveasteading]

@ProDavewill clarify.

Don't you simply use one of the phases to drive the ashp?

 

He is right about many electricians not understanding it. It's a good question for testing their knowledge and even interest in the subject.

[Tom]

 

2 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Don't you simply use one of the phases to drive the ashp?

Exactly! This is the thing, only one phase will be going to the consumer unit, like every other frigging house in the country, but that fact I had mentioned 3 phase just seemed to turn everyone in to brainless idiots.

[Tom]

The issue, I think, is that they are massively oversubscribed for their ASHPs as they are so much cheaper than everyone else - any job that they might actually have to use some brain power and they just seem to want to sack it off.

[Alan Ambrose]

Sadly even some dno staff don’t get 3 phase - at least the ones that deal with consumers. I once had a company send 4 bods on 4 visits over as many months trying to swap out my 3P meter. Eventually they sent the boss and he arrived with a mostly suitable meter.