EcoHome Lab: Advising 'accidental' heat pump users

This session will be a bit different to our usual deep dives into data and advanced performance - we're looking to establish general best practice guidance for less technical audiences. Our primary interest here is in 'accidental' rather than 'enthusiast' heat pump users, such as those living in private or social rented homes or those who've purchased a property with an existing heat pump and may be struggling.

• Primary focus is on cost and comfort rather than COP/SPF performance
• Scheduling tips for heating and hot water
• Understanding the performance impact of functions (such as quiet mode or power mode)
• Identifying existing 'accessible resources'
• Demystifying user interfaces for heat pump control
• Is it possible to 'fit and forget' or are seasonal adjustments necessary?

We have the following contributions so far:

• Carbon Co-op will update on participatory research with social housing tenants on their experience of transitioning to heat pumps
• Trystan Lea (HeatPumpMonitor.org) will discussing his analysis of the Electrification of Heat data and what it reveals about usage issues.

We're hoping to have contributions from others, so whether you've practical experience from a personal or professional capacity - get in touch and we'll add you to the list.

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Now in our regular monthly slot - every second Thursday of the month. A hangout for people taking control of their home energy usage and generation. We focus on open-source hardware and software to gain a better understanding of energy in our homes, how to make the best use of the energy we generate and reduce energy wasted.

Catch up on some of our previous sessions and presentations.

Unless there's a specific title to the session, it means we have no scheduled speaker and it will be an open session. We welcome contributions.

This is a Carbon Co-op initiative working close together with the broader open source community.

Regular discussion topics include:

• Home energy monitoring.

• House energy performance assessment

• Sensors - electricity, gas, temperature, humidity, air quality...

• User interfaces, dashboards

• Smart houses and automation

• Aggregation of data sources

• Taking the power back! - Making better use of the surplus power we generate

Who is it for?

• Anyone with skills in physical electronics, web development or programming who wants to use that knowledge to reduce energy and carbon!

• There will be open space for small groups to focus on adding new sensors or hacking the user interface, there will always be a 'newbies' group for people interested in finding out more.