Electric Heatpumps.

  With my County Councillor's hat on; something else to consider?  Last week I was talking with a colleague Councillor who mentioned that he had considered changing to a Heat Pump when his boiler failed a few years ago. However one problem he came up against was that in Wales, at least, the installation of a Heat Pump is NOT a Permitted Development (in the same way that a TV aerial is) and that you have to apply for Planning Permission. This can take weeks (if not months) that to one side, in Flintshire and likely elsewhere, if the Applicant is either a County Councillor or a Council Officer, then their Planning Application cannot be determined by a Planning Officer under Delegated Powers, but has to go to a full Planning Committee hearing. Time then drags on…  My colleague chose gas again.

 (I once witnessed a County Councillor's planning application being rejected - the Councillor concerned not being allowed to be present in the Committee Room. When she heard the result she was not best pleased, but accepted it. And then she found out that the photographs shown of her property during the meeting were not of her property, but someone elses.  But since it had been refused, it necessitated another Application……)

A relation of mine has a ground source heat pump in a property designed for same. After some years (8 or 10 I think) they needed a new compressor. Not cheap. Plus of course initially they needed a 3-phase supply.

I wonder what they do in those rural areas where the 11kV to the outback is 2-wire single-phase? More expense of a 3-phase converter perhaps?

Clive

  With my County Councillor's hat on; something else to consider?  Last week I was talking with a colleague Councillor who mentioned that he had considered changing to a Heat Pump when his boiler failed a few years ago. However one problem he came up against was that in Wales, at least, the installation of a Heat Pump is NOT a Permitted Development (in the same way that a TV aerial is) and that you have to apply for Planning Permission. This can take weeks (if not months) that to one side, in Flintshire and likely elsewhere, if the Applicant is either a County Councillor or a Council Officer, then their Planning Application cannot be determined by a Planning Officer under Delegated Powers, but has to go to a full Planning Committee hearing. Time then drags on…  My colleague chose gas again.

 (I once witnessed a County Councillor's planning application being rejected - the Councillor concerned not being allowed to be present in the Committee Room. When she heard the result she was not best pleased, but accepted it. And then she found out that the photographs shown of her property during the meeting were not of her property, but someone elses.  But since it had been refused, it necessitated another Application……)

A relation of mine has a ground source heat pump in a property designed for same. After some years (8 or 10 I think) they needed a new compressor. Not cheap. Plus of course initially they needed a 3-phase supply.

I wonder what they do in those rural areas where the 11kV to the outback is 2-wire single-phase? More expense of a 3-phase converter perhaps?

Clive