Heat pump not suitable for child with autism

tom23

Hi There,

Was approved for a full SEAI and they are replacing oil boiler with heat pump. Problem is I have a child with Autism and the noise of the unit would cause him a lot of distress. Are their exemptions where a person can get a gas boiler?

Thanks

dathi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRXrxWxbmME

oil boiler would be louder when it fires

Padre_Pio

Heat pump noise comes mainly from the fan, move it as far from the house as you can.

PowerToWait

I don't hear mine and it's on the gable of the house, not a very big house so I'm maybe 6-8 metres from it mostly. Even when outside, up close to it, it's like washing machine levels.

the_amazing_raisin

They aren't particularly loud and they're outside anyway

Some of them have a quiet mode which can be useful at night when someone is sleeping in a room nearby

Mine does get a bit loud when it's de-icing. It can happen on very cold days that ice builds up on the compressor, so the heat pump runs a sort of reverse cycle. It sounds a like louder and makes a squeaking noise when it does

This only really happens a few nights of the year so it shouldn't be too common

As Padre Pio said you can have the unit moved away from the house a bit. The pipes can be insulated and buried underground if needed. Just be aware it'll lose a bit of efficiency that way so make sure your installer factors that into their calculations

Sleeper12

There is no exemption for gas or oil.

A heat pump makes less noise than some older gas boilers. What little noise there is, is outside. Heat pump makes around the same level of noise as an electric vehicle. Even an electric lawnmower makes much more noise than the heat pump

markodaly

A gas or oil boiler would be louder than a heat pump.

Dare I say you are looking for a way out of getting a heat pump for another reason?

tom23

No other motive. Genuine concerns over the noise. I’ll take all comments on this and make a final decision. Thanks for all the replies and feedback.

Cheers

Sleeper12

It's possible that your one stop shop might have installed a heat pump in your area already. It's also very possible that the homeowners might welcome you to visit and hear the running noise of the heat pump.

I understand people who don't have autistic family members might be suspicious but I feel your pain. Plenty of autism in my family, including myself. I know every autistic person is different from the next & I honestly believe it won't be an issue. Having said that Heat Pumps are extremely expensive. You are right to do your homework now. It would be a killer if you had to go back to gas after having a Heat Pump installed