My Octopus ASHP experience

Kinda venting, but I’d also appreciate some different perspectives!

I initially paid my deposit early October 2023, I’ve had 3 surveys, and countless interactions with an installation coordinator.

The first survey went really well, I was told by their senior surveyor that my installation was super simple and should be very straightforward, subject to planning permission owing to a failed noise assessment and boundary approval.

I was quoted for a bog standard 50C system design with a Daikin 6kW ASHP and a few radiator upgrades for my 5.7kW home. I applied for planning permission with all the relevant documents, including the details of the failed noise assessment.

The council denied the application, without consideration for the boundary. I went back to Octopus asking for guidance, they suggested we appeal with a suggestion to move the heat pump out of the assessment zone (written by them), which I did, which was soon denied. I have no experience with planning applications, but it did strike me as surprising that the council were unwilling to engage in any conversation.

Octopus then suggested we raise the matter with the planning inspectorate, which we did using another letter kindly written by them. Again, this was denied in agreement with the council.

At this point Octopus suggest that we try to find a location for the ASHP which won’t require any permission, we go back and forth for a few weeks, another surveyor attends, more locations are suggested. It was eventually brought to light the maximum length of pipe before serious efficiency degradation was 15m. Curious how much flexibility this gave us I measured the length of the run to the original location we proposed to the council. It was 19m. I queried, and was given a very hand wavy non committal answer, with no path forward.

Fed up, I raised a complaint through their described channels requesting my deposit and the planning fee refunded given the time that had been wasted and the lack of suitability at my property. A few weeks pass, I hear back from my installation coordinator letting me know that he’s received my complaint and that he’ll discuss options with his manager. I found it a little strange that he would be handling my complaint directly, but sure?

Eventually he comes back to say that Octopus aren’t willing to refund us the planning fee, and instead want to trial “retrospective planning permission” which they’ll handle. They send out another surveyor. The new surveyor now wants to change our system design to Cosy 6, I say that I’m open to the idea but I’d like some more information before making a decision, they don’t have anything on hand to give/show me. Original location now doesn’t require a noise survey on re-assessment (?!). An entirely new pipe run (16m!) is also proposed. A buffer tank is also mentioned (a new addition!), which I later found out would actually be used as a volumizer.

I chat again with my installation coordinator (very keen to close the complaint), asking for some more information about the Cosy 6 before making a decision. He sends me a brochure with some basic figures, but the headline between that and the MCS results is that it’s less efficient, bigger, and uglier.

I ask if I’m missing something obviously better about the Cosy 6, aside from the 8 year warranty and R290 refrigerant. He claims it’s also quieter (I asked for a citation as the brochure lists A7/W35 @ 56 dBa, which isn’t comparable to the Daikin which lists 60 dBa at full power).

He now also informs me that the Daikin isn’t suitable for 2 reasons; it fails the noise assessment by 0.8 dBa (it failed by 5 dBa before), and there isn’t enough clearance around the unit (there was back in March?!). So the Cosy 6 is now my only option (convenient!).

Everything is telling me to walk away from this, I’ve not heard good things about the Cosy 6 (you effectively can’t monitor or configure it, leaving you at their mercy), and I’m not sure I trust them to leave me with a compliant or efficient system.