Spirit animal mouse part 3: Strength in numbers

At this point I’m looking forward to not thinking about heat pumps for a long time, so I imagine you feel the same regarding reading about them. However, as so often happens in fairy tales, spirit animal mouse had a final and third magic message to weave. So I felt it was well worth writing this last episode in the saga.

At the end of my part 2 article our terrible installation had been rectified, and the electricians had got the system up and running. We thought that was the end of the ordeal and prepared to relax, finally.

If you prefer to listen then play the video below. Otherwise, read on.

Alas, it was merely the start of a new challenge. Getting the hardware fitted and functioning is one thing. Setting the software to run according to best efficiency and lowest cost, and to suit your household’s habits is something else. At this point we’d been told we’d never have to touch the control panel. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

The hot water failed to heat after only a day and half. On top of that we realised it was costing us £20 a day to run. This was unsustainable, especially for a half-working system, so we switched it off in exasperation. After all, by now we’d got well used to living without heating and hot water and were quite blasé about not having it. We made more calls and sent off more emails to the installers.

They returned three days later to find the hot water was still wired to run off the immersion only. This had been doubling our elecricity consumption. So they switched it, as should have been done initially, to the heat pump. We also had one radiator not warming at all. To try and remedy that the installer switched the circulation pump (the thing that pumps water around the pipes into the radiators) up to full blast. And left it like that. I’m sorry for the technical details, and I hope you’ll never have cause to remember what a circulation pump is. You have my unconditional blessing to forget it immediately. But it’s relevant to this tale.

After this most recent visit, we were shocked at how much noise the radiators and the cylinder were making. It was amost impossible to sleep at night. You’re supposed to run a heat pump 24/7 for best efficiency so it’s on all the time. The power it was taking, and so the running costs, still seemed ridiculously high.

Meanwhile, having lost all confidence in the knowledge of the installers, we began researching heat pumps 101 online to give us some sense of agency again. We were weary of waiting for the installers to get to us and, when they did, not actually solving the issues.

An ex neighbour suggested we join a Facebook group for UK and Ireland heat pump owners. Well, that was a game changer to say the least. We discovered with shocking speed that most installers leave a system in your house set to the highest power usage and least cost effective setting. In low income houses. There is usually no conversation about how to use the control panel, or which settings you may need to adjust to get the best results.

Busily poring over his laptop online, my partner shouted in triumph as he read the key statement: “It’s all about a low flow rate.” That meant it couldn’t be a good thing having our circulation pump turned up to the max right? Right! Rather hesitant about the unknown result, we turned it down to the lowest setting. Hey presto! The quiet was blissful, the radiators were far warmer, and there was a noticeable drop in energy consumption. Step one complete.

Next we found a Facebook group that was specifically for owners of our particular make and model of heat pump: it’s an LG Therma V monobloc in case you’re interested, which you’re probably not. But I’ve reluctantly had to become an expert so I’m blatantly flaunting my knowledge. I even briefly considered changing career to heating engineer; very briefly. Um, did I mention before it really helps to engage your sense of humour at times like these?!

Anyway, on this Facebook group, there are professional engineers, really clued up amateur enthusiasts, and experienced owners. All of them happy to answer my stupid questions with endless patience and useful information. I even spent half an hour on the phone with one very kind engineer who talked me through how to amend all the settings on the control panel. The installers hadn’t even set the correct date or time. I mean really, that’s pretty basic isn’t it? And if someone was adventurous enough to set a programmed schedule for hot water, say, they’d have wondered why it was going on and off at random days and times.

It turns out that for a heat pump to run most efficiently and affordably, you need to use something called weather compensation. This is Artificial Intelligence that monitors the outside temperature and adjusts the heat produced in the house according to that, to maintain your desired indoor temperature. It ensures the system uses minimum power at all times and so saves you a lot of money.

The installer made no mention of that, and didn’t know anything about it. A knowledgeable individual had uploaded a brilliant document to the Facebook group. It described in detail all the settings for weather compensation and how to adjust them to what you need. This is unique for each house so there’s always some tweaking to do. But if you use the basic settings given in the document you have a great base point from which to start that tweaking.

As I posted of our horrors on the Facebook groups, I immediately had many responses from people with similar experiences of the Eco4 initiative. Familiar accounts of bodged installations which resulted in damage to their homes, then poorly programmed systems that resulted in ridiculous monthly bills. One poor woman had spent £4,500 on electricity in one year. Others were also managing terminally ill parents, handicapped children, and serious health conditions of their own.

Don’t worry, I’m going to bring this back to spirit animal mouse now. Mice are small creatures and might be considered inconsequential, but in high numbers they can have an astounding effect. Both China and Australia suffer from mouse plagues that devastate grain crops and seriously damage the farming economy. They certainly can’t be ignored and they demand that action has to be taken to address the situation.

On Facebook, those of us who have been impacted by poor installations can come together. Not only to share stories, empathise, give support, and exchange advice when we have it. Crucially, to provide each other with the feeling that we’re not alone and that our united voices are so much more audible. Some of us are now working together to raise awareness of this growing problem with MPs, installers, the media, and the general public. Hopefully, the grant programme will be more carefully policed in future, with stricter quality control of installations. Customers will be talked through the important settings on the control panel, and pointed to sources of help if they’re unsure about what to do.

As mouse knows, many littles add up to a lot; there’s strength in numbers. In a play on words, which I always love, setting the correct numbers on the control panel also brought me confidence and empowerment. The key to effective operation of a heat pump is truly in the details, as mouse had already told me. I no longer felt helpless and dependent on installers who, by this time, knew less than I did about how to use the software.

To end this epic three-part series, I’d like to go back to the spirit animal mouse message of abundance. We do love the heat pump now. The warmth it delivers is much healthier; it feels lighter and less stuffy in the house, like being outside on a pleasantly warm day. Here on the other side of the trauma, we can say that all the difficulties and delays mean we’ve ended up with a system that’s better than we would have had. On the re-installation, we were able to ask for adjustments with our greater knowledge. We decided to keep an existing towel rail radiator, move one radiator, and replace a small one for a larger version. If everything had gone well first time, we wouldn’t have known to make these amendments and we would have had regrets.

So if you want to become more eco-friendly, ditching oil and gas-based systems, I do heartily recommend you go for a heat pump. My top tips would be find a local installer if you can. Never go with someone who cold calls you. Go through the list of providers on your council list and check out their reviews and ratings carefully to eliminate the bad ones. Take a look on the Heat Geek website to see if they’re installing under the Eco4 grant. These guys have all been checked out for appropriate qualifications and standard of work. Once the work is done, join a Facebook group for help and support.

I’ll leave you now so I can relax in my cosy house, pondering what colours I want to paint the newly plastered walls. It’s invitingly warm, and I hope mice won’t be tempted to move in again. Not for a while at least!

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Semele Xerri

© Semele Xerri is a psychic intuitive guide, healer, animal communicator, and Reiki Healer / Master Teacher. To find out more about her and her services, go to her Work with me page.

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