Gadgets thread

Things
41

Your heating is all done by Electricity.

You can zone sections of the House, set the preferred temperature and it will keep a consistent heat as wanted.
There are Controlled vents in most rooms which open & close automatically.

It is probably hard on Electricity during cold snaps like weā€™ve had recently but during the summer the heat pump should only be heating water.

I got a Grant to fit the new unit, insulate walls & attic, fit new doors, reseal any windows and check all hinges are getting an Air Tight seal.

So far, weā€™ve seen a saving on Oil compared to the previous year over a 5 month period.

42

You have big fan out the back that sucks air into a machine and converts it to hot water, which in turns heats the house. Itā€™s all run off the electricity. Itā€™s always running and keeping the house at set temperature, so if the house isnā€™t very well insulated then your electricity costs can be high. If the house is airtight then itā€™s supposed to be very efficient to run.

43

Yeah spot on, getting the Insulation & a high level of air tightness is the key.

Keeping rooms at set temperatures is simple & works brilliantly in my experience so far.

Donā€™t know if the level of Grant I received is still available though.

44

Iā€™d say the mud wall cabin is savage airtight altogether.

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45

I have Nest and I think itā€™s decent enough. We donā€™t use the smart element of it as we prefer to control the heating manually so all it does is give us the ability to control the heating via an app.

Our house is reasonably old so we havenā€™t got different zones so we donā€™t get the best out of it. Weā€™re on gas heating.

46

Was yours a retrofit or new build? No brainer on new build but I have seriously mixed reports on how well it works on retrofit.

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47

Have a Climote. Was recommended to me over Nest as I have 3 heating zones.

Being able to control heat remotely from the phone is handy.

You donā€™t save money with it as a gadget. You just get used to walking around the house in a T-shirt

48

New grant being launched in April for it

49

Retrofit.

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50

Got one of these as a present over Christmas - Two temperature probes that sync to your smartphone allowing precise temperature control on the BBQ.

Looking forward to getting it going when the weather gets better and slow-cooking/smoking some big cuts of meat over the course of a summerā€™s afternoon.

https://www.weber.com/US/en/product/igrill/igrill2/

51

Coming back to you on this Har. Few Q if you dont mind

What did you retrofit from e.g. did you have an oil heating system before?

Assume you didnt get underfloor installed so were they happy to retrofit it and let it heats the existing rads?

Heating and hot water off same system?

Was it a dirty job and how long did it take to instal?

Any hitches since or any watchouts for a fella?

52

Dan, look up www.superhomes.ie

Going this route gives a holistic solution where a heat pump will work best which really needs a deep retrofit.

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53

Sound. Which are you saying needs a deep retrofit? Air to water (which is what harry has) or a heat pump?

54

They are both heat pumps.

A2W just uses air to generate heat using a reverse refrigeration cycle where as a traditional heat pump woild have used either soil or a bore hole into a deep well.

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55

Thanks. Very interesting website you linked. Wouldnt spend that much i dont think. House is well insulated and doesnt need much barring a cheaper long term option than oil. Have 1000 euro worth of oil used since Oct and its only getting dearer.

The air to water has a grant scheme incoming of 3.5k or so against cost of approx 10k

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56

[quote=ā€œgilgamboa, post:51, topic:15401ā€]
What did you retrofit from e.g. did you have an oil heating system before?

Yes pal, converted over from oil. We got a grant for this last year through the Tipperary Energy Board.

Assume you didnt get underfloor installed so were they happy to retrofit it and let it heats the existing rads?

No. Basically out with the oil system. We didnā€™t go down the route of underfloor heating & tbh with the consistent heat we donā€™t feel we needed it now looking back.

Heating and hot water off same system?

Yes, heats the water & rads.

Was it a dirty job and how long did it take to instal?

Took in total between everything 3 weeks. Take out burner, new plumbing from the Pump to hot press, more attic insulation, pumped all the walls to roof level, resealed all windows & replaced or adjusted their hinges. New Front, Back & Patio doors, new demand control vents in all rooms. We did pay a little extra for Heated towel racks in main & ensuite bathrooms.

Any hitches since or any watchouts for a fella?

**None whatsoever, only shock was the initial week after installation as it takes that time to get up to the desired consistent heat you want. We currently have the room heat set at 18 degrees & hot water set at 18.5 degrees. **
**The Electricity bill is high so far but it has tbf a very cold spell since we got this fitted in November. Even the past few mild days we can see the meter is running much lower. **
Iā€™d be hoping that during the Summer my Electricity consumption will be a thing of nothing with only the Pump going to get us Hot Water as wanted.

All in all itā€™s working out a far more pleasant living experience, weā€™ll safe money on oil for sure, better heat in the House. If the house had been a New Build itā€™s a no brainer.
The House was a really poor BER rating beforehand ( D2 ) and we now have a B2. Not bad for a 20 year old house with 1800sqm area.

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57

Sound for the detailed response. Looks like you were on the scheme that KP linked. How much did that cost you ballpark?

The air to water is a no brainer really if it works just have read so many varying stories about how it interacts with traditional rads.

The consistent temp is the biggest selling point tbh. Sounds like you got a right job done :+1:

58

Whatā€™s your current BER rating? ā‚¬1000 sounds like a lot for oil over that period of time.

We reckon our Electricity bill for the same 8 week period from last year has doubled. But as I said, itā€™s been a much colder winter for a longer length of time.

You should definitely consider the switch over taking what you are saying into account.

I think there is a better Ego Grant due out soon so donā€™t pull the trigger on a decision until you weigh up the best grant.

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59

I basically got the Vat cost refunded. So roughly ā‚¬10k back on a ā‚¬29000 job.
My retrofit was bigger than normal though as the Insulation levels were extremely poor. The House was a fucking icebox pre job.

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60

young johnny is great on the ipad

@KinvarasPassion

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