Ideal brand Heat Pump - any insights?

[Walshie]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience of Ideal brand heat pumps?

A supplier has proposed this brand but it's not one that I have come across (but then I'm new to this!).

Really grateful to learn if this is a reputable, reliable brand that is efficient etc?

 

Any input very gratefully received.

 

Thanks,

W

[JohnMo]

Believe they are rebranded other makes. But with their own spin on the controller.

 

Most heat pump are much of a muchness. Main thing to worry about is the system design it's hooked up to and the way YOU operate.

[Nickfromwales]

Panasonic Aquarea units are just fantastic value for money, and very quiet too. 

[nod]

We have a Mitsubishi 

Seemed popular I’ve had four Mitsubishi pickups from new Always reliable 

 

Our neighbor has a Panasonic Installed on top of a flat roof in a very exposed place 

Hasn’t missed a beat since 2008 

[G and J]

I think I need one with weather compensation; the ability to modulate down to below 2kW; either a powerful water pump or the ability to control a powerful external pump with variable speeds; cooling as well as heating; oh and paid for by an MCS grant. 
 

Oh, and I’d only like it to rain at night. 

[JohnMo]

19 minutes ago, G and J said:

I think I need one with weather compensation; the ability to modulate down to below 2kW; either a powerful water pump or the ability to control a powerful external pump with variable speeds; cooling as well as heating; 

Why

Just do a thick screed, then who cares about modulation, mine will run for hours at about 5kW, (spent an age thinking it needed to modulate - but the floor is just pulling all the heat you can throw at it) when it's done what it needs to, it shuts down. Generally get a cop of 5+ when running. Why do you need variable speed, most will do it, but very few really use it much.

 

If your doing cooling assume via UFH?

 

They all come with WC, except very basic ones and they don't get MCS certificate. So wouldn't get a grant.

24 minutes ago, G and J said:

oh and paid for by an MCS grant. 

Unless you get it for free you are being taken for a ride, then you may as well DIY. As @Nickfromwales says just get a Panasonic.

[G and J]

On 09/04/2025 at 23:17, JohnMo said:

Why

Just do a thick screed, then who cares about modulation, mine will run for hours at about 5kW, (spent an age thinking it needed to modulate - but the floor is just pulling all the heat you can throw at it) when it's done what it needs to, it shuts down. Generally get a cop of 5+ when running. Why do you need variable speed, most will do it, but very few really use it much.

 

If your doing cooling assume via UFH?

 

They all come with WC, except very basic ones and they don't get MCS certificate. So wouldn't get a grant.

Unless you get it for free you are being taken for a ride, then you may as well DIY. As @Nickfromwales says just get a Panasonic.

Then yet again I've misunderstood.   And it’s good news that I now know that.

 

I’m going for a 100mm screed for the UFH, which I’m now thinking of as a huge, low temperature night storage rad, only it’s not charged at night - it’s charged during cheap tariff periods.  For some reason I thought variable flow rate was part of what made weather compensation work.  
 

So does WC work purely by changing flow temps?  And presumably it can be set up to work during the cheap times. 

[JohnMo]

19 minutes ago, G and J said:

only it’s not charged at night

That depends on size of heat pump. If you need 4kW max heat and you install a 4kW that storage mode works at more moderate temperatures. However if heat load is 2kW a 4kW ASHP will charge the floor in 12 hrs on worst day and most others in a cheap rate period.

 

21 minutes ago, G and J said:

So does WC work purely by changing flow temps?

Yes, variable flow temp for WC.  Heat pumps will modulate based on compressor work input and sometimes variable pump speed, some do it by variable dT also - just to confuse things.

[G and J]

2 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

just to confuse things

Hmmmm, I do enough of that myself.

 

3 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

That depends on size of heat pump. If you need 4kW max heat and you install a 4kW that storage mode works at more moderate temperatures. However if heat load is 2kW a 4kW ASHP will charge the floor in 12 hrs on worst day and most others in a cheap rate period.

Coldest days heat loss will be circa 2.5kW, but for emotional support reasons we are likely to light an unnecessary 1.5 - 3 kW woodburner to give the Great Hall its heart.  (OK, it’s a one room sort of kitchen/lounge/diner/conservatory and it’s the size of some ‘grand designs’ houses plant rooms but the daft name Great Hall makes me smile).

 

So for the majority of the year I’m thinking the ASHP will have significant spare capacity.  
 

25 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Heat pumps will modulate based on compressor work input and sometimes variable pump speed, some do it by variable dT also - just to confuse things.

In fairness, using the outside temp and return temp as in input to an algorithm that adjusts the flow temp makes perfect sense.  And I’m guessing that the tech is mature enough that very well developed algorithms are built in to the good ASHPs.   

[Nickfromwales]

Most do quite good WC out of the box nowadays, so I doubt you’ll need to micromanage the bottom end off this.

[HughF]

The new ideal unit is supposed to be amazing - Graham Hendra really rates it, and he’s installed and used pretty much everything on the market over the last 15-18yrs or so.