What's the case for not getting an ASHP?

[Roger440]

10 hours ago, JamesPa said:

80A is surely enough for your ashp, EV and domestic needs, even 60A could be made to work.  If you need more for non/abnormal domestic purposes it's right that you should pay.

 

Earlier on this thread you used the DNO position to justify your statement that government isn't serious about carbon reduction.  Was that really a fair statement given what you have subsequently told us about your use?

 

Theres a lot more reasons as i mentioned ealier why its clear government isnt serious.

 

But that aside, what you are suggesting is if someone needs more power than the average, then carbon reduction doesnt matter? That nonsensical. Power is being consumed by all sorts of people and business, in varying quantities.

 

Surely the objective is to decarbonise as much as possible. Indeed, prioritising those using more than average will yield a greater result.

[Dillsue]

10 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

Lets be clear, NG havent "assesed" my needs.  I havent supplied anything like enough info for them to do so, as is detailed in their own policy document. The answer is no, regardless of the needs or otherwise. Because theres only 2 properties on the transformer. This situation would apppear to trump all other policies.

 

But  i guess on the basis you decribe, the moral of the story, is dont be honest. Sadly, this all started before ENA started doing their 

 

As i said, im clearly not going to get a supply upgrade, so burning oil and diesel remains the only affordable route forward. Which i still think is bonkers. But there we have it. On the upside it gives me complete independance.

NGs assessment can be as simple as them saying "you're on a 60A supply now so a 33% increase to 80A will be enough to cover a typical house wanting to add a heat pump". It could also be a quick look on Google earth to see that your not living in a stately home. It doesn't have to be a bespoke survey of your house which is done by your installer when applying for an LCT connection. If your installer does that and shows you need the full 23kva for the house then you've got an argument for the full 23kva.

 

You can only really comment on and challenge NGs policy if you've done the LCT application to show the house needs more than 80 amp, and then been rejected.

[JamesPa]

10 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

But that aside, what you are suggesting is if someone needs more power than the average, then carbon reduction doesnt matter? That nonsensical. Power is being consumed by all sorts of people and business, in varying quantities.

No of course not.  But neither should we all pay for their indulgences.  

 

The reason you need more than a normal domestic load is because of your unusual needs, not because of a heat pump.  You have chosen to prioritise the former.

 

In an ideal world the dno would charge you more for your unusual needs whether or not you need an upgrade, then do the upgrade to support the heat pump as well foc.  But that gets very complex, it's a niche case, so it's unlikely to make sense overall even if it does in your case.  One possible solution is probably the French one where you tarrif depends on peak consumption, but doubtless that also creates anomalies.

 

You can't expect the whole world to be designed around your niche circumstance.  You will have to live with the fact that your choice to have unusually high needs and not to be willing to pay for the supply required means your options are now limited.

 

[sharpener]

12 hours ago, Roger440 said:

I follow the logic.

 

However, that would then mean finding a home for a rather larger tank somewhere. Which in what is a pretty small house isnt all that easy.

 

But clearly, its a massive load i could well do without.

 

If you install a heat pump you will have to find a home for a hot water cylinder anyway bc it is very unlikely you will need an HP big enough to provide "instant" water heating. They can go in the loft if necessary.

 

Then you can get rid of the electric shower for the cost of plumbing in an ordinary mixer shower - which will be small compared with the rest of the project.

 

12 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

Batteries are expensive. I hadnt planned on fitting any. Though i have a possible loose plan to use my forklift batteries. But thats all a bit "non standard" and im not sure im clever enough to make that work.

 

If you have already got forklift batteries (what chemistry?) and they are or can be wired for 48V then you can use them with a Victron inverter and probably many others. The 8kVA Multiplus is probably the one to get, it has 15kVA surge capacity ? for 2mins? and 100A (23kW) passthrough capability. Charged overnight at cheap rate this would enable you to timeshift/arbitrage your aqua blasting usage as well as providing grid reinforcement.

[-rick-]

Though forklift batteries are a long way away from being ideal for this sort of system. You'll get much less out of them than an equivalent modern LFP pack per charge and they will degrade more quickly. So if used very occasionally and free thats fine but don't plan on using them for grid arbitrage or daily cycling.

[-rick-]

12 hours ago, Roger440 said:

But that aside, what you are suggesting is if someone needs more power than the average, then carbon reduction doesnt matter? That nonsensical. Power is being consumed by all sorts of people and business, in varying quantities.

 

In a world where funds are limited and we have to make choices about how to spend them it just makes far more sense to spend 20k upgrading 10 houses to support heatpumps vs gas (or oil) vs upgrading one hobbyist who needs a large amount of power occasionally. The carbon emissions from your diesel compressor will be relatively tiny compared to those saved from 10 houses given you only use it occasionally.

 

I'd hazard a guess that if you used your compressor a lot the fuel bills would be large enough to make the 20k fee look like a good deal.

Edited 4 hours ago by -rick-

[Roger440]

1 hour ago, sharpener said:

 

If you install a heat pump you will have to find a home for a hot water cylinder anyway bc it is very unlikely you will need an HP big enough to provide "instant" water heating. They can go in the loft if necessary.

 

Then you can get rid of the electric shower for the cost of plumbing in an ordinary mixer shower - which will be small compared with the rest of the project.

 

 

If you have already got forklift batteries (what chemistry?) and they are or can be wired for 48V then you can use them with a Victron inverter and probably many others. The 8kVA Multiplus is probably the one to get, it has 15kVA surge capacity ? for 2mins? and 100A (23kW) passthrough capability. Charged overnight at cheap rate this would enable you to timeshift/arbitrage your aqua blasting usage as well as providing grid reinforcement.

 

They are lead acid, so ricks comments apply.