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Things have moved on a bit. The assessor is now refusing to register his EPC assessment as he is worried that I might contest it. He is adamant that he has never seen a house with any form of smart heating controls so how was he supposed to know that it is zoned?
Out-of-interest, does anyone know why the Boiler Plus 2018 regulations (applicable from 1 April 2018) have the following caveats:
Combi boiler installations must also include one of the following: Weather compensation, Load compensation, Flue Gas Heat Recovery, Smart controls.
It would seem that the above does not apply to system boilers.
It doesn't apply to system/heat only boilers as the theory was that it wasn't easy to implement at this current time, along with the issues of weather/load compensation causing issues with hot water regeneration, therefore causing legionella risks should it not work correctly. Ideally everything would have to be converted to DHW priority which is not always feasible in existing properties. I think soon the legislation will come in that all new or upgraded systems have to do this, and then the above legislation will apply.
It's silly really as you could easily apply smart/optimising controls to a traditional system. Why they didn't just omit the load compensation is beyond me....
Surely "Flue Gas Heat Recovery" just means that it is a condensing boiler... so does that mean any condensing combi boiler will pass without needing weather compensation, load compensation or smart controls ?
No, it's an extra device that is purchased that fits to the flue.
Did he not spot the cling film used as double glazing too?
That stuff really works! I rented in a place with wooden windows (with double glazing), but the windows were quite warped and a few had serious drafts. That cling film stuff made a *massive* difference to the warmth of the place.
I have just had a call back from an Energy Assessor about zoning and EPCs. He passed my question on to his accreditation body. Their response was that there are no significant energy-saving benefits in a well insulated average UK home from having more than two zones and TRVs. It is therefore unlikely that future EPC assessment will take full zoning into account when assessing an EPC rating.
I think that there is a clue in the word significant. My gas usage has fallen by 15% over the past 12 months - primarily, because I now have an efficient boiler. Looking at gas usage, I have determined that for my home the most efficient way of running the system is to go for a fixed schedule throughout the day (ie; that is comfortable temperatures in the rooms that we use and 13C in unused rooms) and then let Evohome do its own thing. Fiddling with the HR92s just leads to higher gas usage. As far as empty rooms are concerned, I could achieve the same temperature management with TRVs and a programmer. It may not be quite as efficient but I sense that the cost difference will be small.
I was also told that energy improvements also take into account the cost versus the savings which is why a new boiler and PV solar come out with an EPC rating increase significantly more than underfloor insulation.
All that said, as we are considering a house move, I am looking to see whether getting Evohome again makes sense. Cost; complexity; energy savings all come into the equation.
I think not. Evohome has been something of a talking point. The TRVs are now 4 years old so, if I decide to go for Evohome again, then it will all be new. I say 'decide' as I am not sure that Evohome is right type of system for my wife if I wasn't here to deal with the occasional problem. Wiser looks to be a better fit. A simple controller to hub change; fit the TRVs and download the app. The existing thermostats can be left in situ.
Sorry I don't get why you would leave Evohome behind. Surely the new owner isn't going to pay you a penny for it. And a 4 year old HR92 is still today's latest version.
It is fitted and it works. The buyer that has made me an offer likes the system and I am happy to leave it in situ. I see Evohome as a unique selling point.
I am still struggling to understand the EPC ratings for heating. A small bungalow on the development that we are considering has the latest floor, wall and roof insulation; the latest spec double glazing and a modern condensing Combi boiler that meets the latest boiler plus criteria. Everything is rated 5 stars on the EPC except for the heating and hot water systems which are rated at 4 stars.
I had an EPC completed on my home today and, guess what, Atag/Evohome/Opentherm came in at 4 stars for heating and hot water. The assessor did tell me that he recently carried out an assessment on a bungalow where the owner had replaced an old oil boiler with a state-of-the-art biomass boiler and the EPC classification fell from C to D.
To put all this nonsense into context, the EPC for the newly built bungalow above is suggesting Solar thermal water heating at £6000 to save £33 over 3 years!
Update: I have now had it confirmed by Elmhurst Energy - the body responsible for the EPCs - that Honeywell HR92s have not been tested for energy efficiency by BRE so, for EPC purposes, Evohome is treated as single heating zone with standard TRVs. One has to wonder why Honeywell hasn’t had them tested by BRE?
This suggests ErP class 8 for Evohome when used with three or more zones.
Can't the EPC company use ErP ratings?
Apparently not. If the product is not in their database, then the default position is a standard TRV. No Honeywell products appear to be listed in the screenshot that I was provided with.
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