Detached property, hosted by Dean

Got a few quotes at first. Some of the quotes included a full heat loss survey and some were just rough estimates. 

The heat loss survey is to determine the size of the heat pump needed and if any radiators need making bigger.

To make the system more efficient we went with a lower temperature for the water in the radiators, but this meant having larger radiators to compensate. 14 out of 15 radiators needed to be upgraded. 

The install happened in January. There was a total of 4 installers - the project lead who was also a plumber, 2 more plumbers, and an electrician. 

On the first day, they turned the heating off and started plumbing in the hot water tank and replacing the radiators. They provided electric heaters to keep us warm. At the end of the day they refilled the central heating system so we had heating and hot water from the old boiler for the evening. 

On the second day, they finished the hot water tank, replacing most of the radiators and started on the plumbing of the heat pump. They also took out the boiler and disconnected our gas but before doing so managed to fill the hot water tank with hot water. This meant no heating that evening, but we did have hot water. 

On the third day, they finished installing the heat pump and the last few radiators. Did most of their checks and the system was up and running. They came back on the fourth day to do some final checks and commissioning. 

After that, there was just a few snagging issues that they dealt with quickly and some paperwork.

In general everything has been great. With smart tariffs and solar/battery, plus saving on the gas standing charge, it has worked out much cheaper. The heat it provides is much more comfortable and even through out rooms. The hot water pressure is also better than the old boiler, now equal to the cold water pressure.

Only downsides are losing the airing cupboard and that if you let your house get cold it takes longer to heat back up (but is great for maintaining heat)