Heat pump query

Cotts72

Hey recieved a random letter from SEAI this morning saying that my home may be suitable for heat pump with a grant of up to 3700k.

Never looked into them but considering the boiler has packed in im considering my options!

How much on top of that grant is it likely to cost? My house was built in 2006

ercork

I'd say the heat pump with cylinder would cost between €7,000 and €10,000. As well as that, heat pumps work best with aluminium rads or underfloor heating so you may need to get some work done there too.

To get the SEAI heat pump grant you first need to have your home assessed by a qualified assessor (costs about €700 I think). They will then specify what upgrades your house needs in order to be suitable for a heat pump - insulation, new windows, etc. For an older house this list could be fairly extensive and costly but in your case it mightn't be very much. Once you have carried out the work you are then eligible for the grant.

So it's a lot more complicated and probably more costly than simply buying a replacement boiler but may well be worth it.

H.E. Pennypacker

I've been quoted between 13k and 18k for a retrofit heat pump (7Kw/9Kw Daikin), 13k for just for the heat pump including cylinder and straightforward installation and 18k to include 11 aluminium radiators to a house that meets SEAI requirements. The grant would come off those figures. Savings would be between €400 and €500 a year over oil for me so its clearly not worth it. Its a bit of a battle to get a quote for retrofit too - there's no great enthusiasm among contractors for the SEAI requirements either and that overhead seems to be factored into the quotes.

A replacement condensing boiler oil boiler would cost less than 2k and would probably save you a bit over your old boiler. If your system isn't zoned, there's an SEAI grant for that which is well worth it.

Calahonda52

ercork wrote: »

I'd say the heat pump with cylinder would cost between €7,000 and €10,000. As well as that, heat pumps work best with aluminium rads or underfloor heating so you may need to get some work done there too.

To get the SEAI heat pump grant you first need to have your home assessed by a qualified assessor (costs about €700 I think). They will then specify what upgrades your house needs in order to be suitable for a heat pump - insulation, new windows, etc. For an older house this list could be fairly extensive and costly but in your case it mightn't be very much. Once you have carried out the work you are then eligible for the grant.

So it's a lot more complicated and probably more costly than simply buying a replacement boiler but may well be worth it.

Why Alu rads?

ercork

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Why Alu rads?

I'm no expert and am open to correction but as I understand it heat pumps operate at much lower temperature than gas or oil boilers. Aluminium rads have a higher surface area than steel and are better at distributing heat from such low temperature water. Not sure if that explanation 'holds water'?

Calahonda52

ercork wrote: »

I'm no expert and am open to correction but as I understand it heat pumps operate at much lower temperature than gas or oil boilers. Aluminium rads have a higher surface area than steel and are better at distributing heat from such low temperature water. Not sure if that explanation 'holds water'?

Makes sense. anyone got a spec sheet/link