Matt installs the Mixergy iHP X for Tim and Kat
The smart hot water solution for the fully electric home
Tim and Kat live in Gloucestershire on the edge of the Cotswolds. They are passionate about making their home lifestyle as sustainable as they can, and have already installed solar panels, battery storage, an air-to-air heat pump heating system and own an electric car.
In fact, they have completely electrified their home, removing the gas boiler and all the radiators. Their energy bill for the last year was around £200, which, as Tim says, “tells you what you need to know about what we’ve already achieved”.
Their hot water was provided by a large cylinder with an electric immersion heater, but Tim wondered if there was a more sustainable way to heat the water they need. With a bit of online research, he soon discovered the Mixergy iHP X integrated heat pump cylinder and was impressed with the technology.
Tim says: “The fact that the cylinder can be boosted from the top down to provide hot water within a few minutes is a USP that other integrated heat pump cylinders on the market don’t give, and the data available through the app means you can track your use and make sure you are getting the best possible output for the cost.”
The installation was a breeze
In preparation for the installation, Tim made space in the garage next to the utility area; the perfect spot for the new cylinder. Mixergy approved installer Matt Carter arrived to carry out the work, supported by Mixergy’s Jon Tedstone, Director of Product Management, and Roy Fugler, Training Officer.
Matt began by draining down the existing 250 litre hot water cylinder, removing it from the cupboard upstairs and making good the pipework. Tim was keen not to remove all the existing pipework, in case a future homeowner wanted to reinstate the old heating system.
Tim and Kat were able to choose a smaller cylinder size compared to their old one, 180 litres. This is because of Mixergy’s ability to deliver a third more usable hot water.
Once the Mixergy iHP X was located in its place, the next job was to install the inlet and outlet vents. The pressure relief valve and pipework from the old cylinder was used for the new cylinder, but a new expansion vessel was needed, because the old one was blown. Matt connected all the new pipework and electrics, and lagged the pipework.
The first thought is often that an integrated heat pump cylinder is going to be complicated to install, but realistically, it’s like any other normal unvented cylinder that you would fit, just with a heat pump built on top and these really easy vents, so it’s been a really nice, simple install.
I’m a Mixergy Approved Installer, so there’s always someone on the end of the phone if I need any help or technical support – they’ve even sent me videos if I needed extra help.
Matt Carter, Matt Carter Heating & Plumbing
Once the installation was complete, the unit was commissioned, and Roy showed Tim all the functions on the Mixergy App. The whole installation took a day and a half, including the removal of the old cylinder and making good all the pipework.
Tim said: “I couldn’t be happier. It fits really neatly and the install was brilliant. Everything’s neat and tidy, and it seems to be working properly. We’ve got hot water coming out of the taps already, so we’re very pleased so far.”
Already saving on their hot water energy use
Kat says: “For me, I can set up automatic schedules and it can just be nice and easy and really I don’t have to get too involved with it and it can do its own thing and work brilliantly.”
Tim continues: “Having that level of control where I can set up schedules and just the fact that it’s so much more efficient than the existing immersion heater is going to make a world of difference to our overall consumption levels. We generate about 5,500 kilowatt hours a year, but we consume about 7,000 so we’ve got a shortfall. The Mixergy iHP X will help with that because it will pull down the amount that we consume in terms of hot water.”
Each month, Tim compares the statistics for electricity consumption by category (E.g. EV, hot water, etc) and records the results on their YouTube Channel.
During the month that the Mixergy iHP X was installed, they used 59.7kWh for hot water, which is much lower than the previous months’ usage, which was usually around the 150kWh mark. And that figure includes 34.3kWh that the immersion heater used in the first nine days of the month before they installed the iHP X.
It’s operating as we had hoped. We’re using about a third the amount of energy that we were using before for each day for hot water, so that’s great and exactly what we were hoping for.
Tim, Tim and Kat’s Greenwalk
How to source a Mixergy Approved Installer
Tim recommends a visit to the Mixergy website as the first port of call if you are thinking of getting an integrated heat pump cylinder, “and you can find an expert installer who can do the work for you.”
Check out how the iHP performs for Tim and Kat on their YouTube channel Tim and Kat’s Green Walk
