BordersWeather🎄⛄

Scottish Borders Weather is back posting automated weather data and webcam pictures on Blue sky @bordersweather.co.uk 🎉🥳 just in time for winter (ps it's already below freezing here)

@Anthony0078700 @Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather The LPG was worse, the living room which has 2 tiny North facing windows - has always been the coldest room of the house, and it was rarely above 17.9C with the LPG.

@Anthony0078700 @Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather But, that's the temperature I have it set to. I can't tolerate 21/22+

So we've been below freezing for more than 24 hours now. Overnight low was -9.7 Day high was -2.1 It's bloody freezing! @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather I can confirm Heat Pumps do work in Scotland. But they use a LOT of electric on these days...

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather As long as it has a reasonable amount of insulation, and a reasonably sized radiator, then it should be fine. And part of the heat pump process involves the heat loss survey, which will identify that.

@bordersweather @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather Definitely something we suffer with. Have a converted garage as a small annexe, which is nigh on unusable at this time of year.

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather What I will say, and you may have heard this from other people with heat pumps. The HOUSE heat, is more even. It's comfortable. No hot spots and cold spots.

@bordersweather @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather Yes, does look like the maths add ups there, and of course the current cold snap should (hopefully!) be very much the exception rather than the norm over winter as a whole. I've also just made an application to a government backed scheme - will see what comes of that.

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather I've also got hold of some birediectional CT clamp meters (Zigbee) from Aliexpress, so I plan to have a much better idea of Solar Generation & Grid, General House and Heat pump consumption from later this week. Once I feel brave enough to wire stuff in....

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather But once it's fixed, I expect the usage to drop quite a bit. Because it's more efficient to maintain a temperature, where it just has to switch on regularly and top up the heat, with water that is already near temperature, than to heat a cold building.

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather weather - and in particularly because of the solar, the free electric. In the interests of transparency, I have not paid anything for the insulation, solar or heat pump, it was an entirely free scheme.

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather I'm working on the basis that I was paying £135 a month for LPG, even in the summer (to build up a credit for the winter). And my electric was ~ £100 a month. So Though I suspect winter electric might climb as high as £250 in the coldest months, it'll be offset by the warmer

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather This might give an idea of the heat loss, because there is currently a fault which means I have to keep resetting the heat pump, which I can't when I am asleep. So the heat pump was off from ~4am to 9:30am - you can see how fast the temperature dropped.

@Blighter_of_ @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather As for the property. 1700's built, solid stone walls, several feet thick. The scheme has installed some internal wall insulation too, but it's a draughty house. 2 bedroom. 8 radiators. The electric use, currently is total electric, not specifically just the heat pump.

@kelly_hod @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather Yes, it's definitely working harder in the colder temperatures, but they are spec'd for 21C inside at -3C outside. But I think it's more that they are working for longer, and more frequently because the heat inside will escape more quickly.

@kelly_hod @GavinPartridge @WindyWilson88 @BBCScotWeather I'd imagine it's just the laws of thermodynamics, the bigger the temperature difference, the faster it tries to equalise. So in my case the difference between inside (~20C) and outside (-9.7) - it's almost a 30 degree difference between inside and outside.

First #uksnow of the season, which hasn't technically started quite yet...