heating

[rich.]

hello chaps! edf has decided to lend me the money to replace my old oil fired central heating boiler & we are having a heat pump fitted.. now im panicking about spending a small fortune but apparently it will save me money in the long run.. does anyone have any experience of these things that can calm my nerves a bit??
its this type of thing
http://heat-pump-reviews.com/ground-sou ... -pump.html

im just about to start digging a 500m2 hole in the garden.....

we need an im crapping myself smiley

[zipgun]

Can we just get one thing straight? EDF nicked that money from me ! Most likely a 10% rise any minute , and then charge you interest on it too.

[Grumpy Northener]

The director at work built a very large 5 bed detached house 2 years ago and its all on heat pumps - it's unbelievable on just how efficient & cheap it is - basically once its installed you are just paying for a couple of pumps to circulate the water around the system - he relies on this for most of the year and only when the temp falls below freezing does the backup boiler kick in, the only other form of heating is a log burner in the lounge (more for effect than anything) - I'd crack on if I were you (were just considering solar for the new place which has a large steeped pitched roof which is south facing) unfortunately we wont don't have enough land to consider ground source heat pumps

[TerryG]

We looked at solar last year but worked out that it would take (assuming that every year is the same and matches the average for the last 10 years) 11 years and 4 months for the panels to pay for themselves. They would last for 20-25 years but with advances in technology they would be obsolete in less time than that so the odds of us ever making a significant saving were incredibly low.

[suffolkpete]

I think Terry's hit the nail on the head. The scientific principle behind this type of system is very sound and ground source systems are more efficient than air source though more expensive to install, although you have the advantage of being able to dig the hole yourself. One of my neighbours has an air source system and I can hear the thing running from my house, despite being on the other side of a wide road. Also, in cold weather the evaporator frosts up, rendering the system useless when you need it the most. You need to look at the cost, the running cost, the maintenance costs, the likely cost of any top-up heating and the likely savings and decide whether it's ever going to pay back in the time you will be living in the property. The vendors of these systems tend, not surprisingly, to take an optimistic view of the savings. I get phoned several times a week by people trying to sell me systems and the type of person calling, and the claims made make me highly sceptical. Yes they are cheaper to run, but you need to look very closely and critically at the finances before committing yourself.

[megadethmaniac]

There is a way to do it by going down rather than across the land, ie dig a bore whole and go from that ...

Think that generally it works better "under floor" as to do it through rads requires much bigger areas to convect off.

[Grumpy Northener]

Ground source heat pumps is proven technology and it works - plus the sums add up in the long term, again solar is proven technology but the sums are not quite there yet however, the government did a deal on the new nuclear power station at Hinckley Point today - in doing the deal they have set the price per kw hour of what will be charged when the station comes on line in ten years time - that price is double the price of what is charged today, given that and the fact that the monopoly six providers who every year put the prices up 10% + and hold every householder to ransom. Has electricity prices constantly climb the time taken to repay the investment in solar is going to reduce somewhat - so I would guess that within the next few years you could invest in solar and see your money back within a period of 5 - 7 years and on that basis it got to be worth considering the investment.

However, first thing on the list when we move to the new place is to rip the log effect gas stove out and install a proper multi fuel stove, being self efficient in the log department when the odd tree has to come down on site to make way for what ever is getting built for the day job

Now I wonder if I still have that old arc welder stashed away somewhere ? (For some strange reason on striking up it used to reverse the electric meter )

[TerryG]

With solar you sign up to a price for 5 years (or you do on the deal I was offered) so it doesn't pay. All it would take is one cracked panel or a minor repair and you're stuffed. However efficiency has doubled in 5 years and costs have halved so in another 5/10 years it might be sensible. The only solar I would be interested in at the moment is having a "reflective" film on the outside of my windows that is a 24% efficient solar panel. It reduces glare from the sun and generates you some power at the same time. I have only seen it as a concept but it is using a new "printing" technique which is supposed to be much cheaper.
I have no experience of a ground source heat pumps beyond watching DIY SOS when they installed one. I have the benefit of having access to lots of free wood so have a stove fitted in to the heating along with an oil fired boiler. A handy thermostat detects when the back boiler is up to temp, opens a valve and cuts the oil boiler from running but keeps the pump operating then when it cools back down oil kicks in again.
The distinct benefit is the house is warm in the mornings running on oil and in the evenings I can light a fire to save cash.
Just a thought Rich, with what you do for a living don't you get your hands on off-cuts, pallets, etc? A wood / multi fuel stove may be a good investment for you.

[rich.]

thanks for that chaps!
we considered having a bore hole etc but we only have a well here so i don't want to risk affecting that & while those are the most efficient its just out of my budget... digging the hole isn't a problem as long as it doesn't rain.. as for burning pallets etc we already burn 7 m3 of wood including any off cuts, pallets etc that always go in my truck.. just wanted your reassurance... its around 25 000 euro.. that's to heat the extension/spare house too... ill post pics once we have a working computer & its finished..


we still need a terrified smiley

[TerryG]

if you can find a SENSIBLE terrified smiley I will think about adding it.