How to save with a heat pump schedule

The best way to run your heat pump cost-effectively is on a schedule. If you’re on a smart tariff, we recommend taking advantage of variable pricing by boosting your home’s heating and hot water slightly during the dip periods, so you need less heat when costs are higher. If you don’t have solar panels or an EV at home, you’re best switching to our dedicated heat pump tariff: Cosy Octopus. We’ve used this for the examples below.

A typical heating schedule on the Cosy tariff

By running your heat pump on Cosy Octopus, you could save £100’s a year compared to a gas boiler on a standard tariff. This guidance can help you get started, but don’t hesitate to adjust the temperature to meet your needs.

Tips for scheduling on Cosy

• During dip periods, we recommend setting your temperature 1-2º higher than your normal home temperature. So if you like to keep your home at about 20º normally, set your target temperature to 22º during the dips and store up some cheap heat. These are also the ideal times to make hot water.
• In the standard rate periods, you should aim for your normal home temperature – which will be 20º or 21º for most people. For the expensive peak period, turning your temperature down 2-3º will help you save money while you enjoy the extra heat you stored up.
• We don’t recommend turning your heating down or off if you’re popping out, because heating the home back up uses a lot of energy. Instead, heat pumps work best when kept at a fairly steady temperature.
  
• We recommend setting your hot water to heat during a dip period. But remember that hot water will take priority over home heating. See the next section for more on hot water scheduling.

How to maximise your savings

The good thing about heat pumps is that they function best when they’re not switched on and off, so you’ll get a more consistent temperature at home without paying a premium for it. As with any heating system, turning the heat down by 1-2 degrees can reduce heating costs, and can help with efficiency too, which you may have seen referred to as COP (Coefficient of Performance).

There are two main ways to keep heat pump costs low - lowering the cost of energy with a smart tariff and maximising the efficiency of your heat pump. Check this blog to see how both options can work for you.

Tips for setting your hot water schedule

Your Cosy heat pump can make your hot water according to a schedule and store it in your new high-efficiency water cylinder so it lasts for 8-12 hours! That means you can heat the cylinder at night or in the early morning and have hot water all day long.

• We suggest setting your hot water storage temperature to 48-50º as this is best for efficient storage. (60º isn’t necessary and will make your Cosy work longer to heat the cylinder).
• Hot water takes priority. Your Cosy can heat your radiators or it can heat the water in your cylinder – but it can’t do both at once. If you ask your Cosy to do both at the same time, it will always prioritise hot water, and will continue heating your home once the cylinder has hit the target temperature.

Making hot water is less efficient than space heating. This means you’ll want to make hot water in low-price periods while still leaving enough time for home heating.

A typical hot water schedule

If you need extra hot water

Our MCS design ensures your cylinder is correctly sized for your property, but if expect you‘ll need a lot of hot water, follow the tips below so you don’t run out:

- Make sure the hot water is up to your set temperature before everyone starts taking baths/showers.

- Try leaving the hot water schedule on a little longer so your heat pump is still generating hot water when your busy period of hot water usage begins