I’ve been following these forums for a while, and they seem to be the best place to ask this question. Could I get some opinions on Baxi ASHPs, please?
We’ve been planning to install a heat pump for over a year as part of a major renovation of a very old house. Recently, we were informed that we need a slightly larger ASHP than originally planned because we’re struggling to achieve the insulation levels in the old parts of the house.
Initially, we planned to go with a Vaillant aroTHERM plus 7kW, but it turns out we need a Vaillant aroTHERM plus 12kW. Unfortunately, planning wouldn’t accept it as a non-material amendment and is trying to force a full planning application with noise testing, which isn’t an option due to the cost and time involved. I’m aware the government has just launched a review of these restrictive laws, which will see the physical size of the units relaxed, but we can’t wait that long as we need heating.
An installer suggested going with the Baxi-HP40-50, which is under 0.6m3. However, I don’t know much about Baxi heat pumps, only that their gas boilers seem okay.
From what I’ve read, they are twice as noisy (68dB vs 60dB) as the equivalent Vaillant. I also noticed that you don’t see any Baxi heat pumps on the league tables.
Has anyone had any experience with these? The other option is to stick with gas for a bit longer and wait until the UK reforms the planning laws. In the meantime, we’ll upgrade the heating and water systems so they are ASHP ready.
I’ve not seen anyone with a Baxi, as it’s not one of the brands favoured by any installers.
What kind of house do you have? I’m guessing solid walls if it’s very old. You could look at Heatpump + Fabric for Pre-1900 Houses to see if there’s one similar to yours, and see what kind of heatpump and performance they have been getting.
It’s very common for installers to massively over-estimate the size of a heat pump required; often it’s the air change rate that gets set too high in calculations. I would suggest finding a local Heat Geek to do a proper heat loss assessment of your property.
I’m sure there are other large units that could fit within current planning restrictions. For example, Mitsubishi Ecodan 11.2 kW and NIBE 2040 12kW units are only 0.51m³, and I think you might be able to squeeze in a Daikin Altherma or a Samsung Gen 7.
I looked up the datasheets for Baxi HP40-50 and they look to be running on R32 which is decent but superseded by R290. Performance looks comparable to the Mitsubishi, though somewhat louder.
Thank you, I hadn’t realised it was quite an old model.
Yes the noise is a major concern as it would only be a few meters from a bed room.
Originally I had planned to go with Vaillant, but as stated the unit volume is the problem.
Is there a popular manufacturer of ASHP with a 12kw model that’s under this silly 0.6m3 that you are aware of please? Certainly something equally quiet with a refrigerant that’s better for the environment?
Such a shame they haven’t already make this change, I’m tempted to just pop one in without planning, but it seems too risky
That sounds pretty close, even for one of the quieter units. Have you gone through the MCS020 noise assessment paper exercise? That should tell you if it is a non-starter. Unfortunately, the planning application route is something of a lottery, with some authorities using the MCS assessment, while others insist on a full report and use lower noise limits. Google is your friend to find out more.
As an aside, my Samsung Gen 6 12kW is inside the 0.6m3 limit, but is R32. Not sure if the Gen 7 (which is R290) is inside the current limit, but would probably be OK with the proposed revised limit.
The bedroom in question is a spare that we don’t use as one so it doesn’t matter to us and it’s facing a wall. There are no neighboring bedrooms in view.
I have done the MSC020 myself yes using their template. It just passes with the Vaillant which are quieter at 60.
Thank you ill check Samsung out, and do a bit more research. It feels like this would be much easier with a change to the law, it’s just unfortunate we can’t wait.
A door blower test sounds interesting, so we could just do this after we’ve done all the insulating, but before committing on the heat source. I’ll do some research on this, I wonder how it works along side a MVHR system.
