Will a solar panel heat one radiator?

ChumpusRex

sisteranna wrote: »

If air to air heat pumps absorb heat from the air, how do they work in winter if there is no heat in the air?

Most will work down to -10 Celsius, and some down to -15 C. An option on some models is a normal electric heater which will kick in, if it's simply too cold for the heat pump to work.

A usually cheaper option than an higher-performance heat pump is to install an electric panel heater as well. On the very rare days when it's too cold for the heat pump, you can use the panel radiator. Yes, the running cost of the panel heater are high, but it will be rarely used - it will also serve as a backup and stop things freezing if the heat pump breaks down.

The other thing to consider is how regularly you need to use the heating. If it is just a conservatory or utility room, then how much heating do you plan to use?

Will you be keeping tropical plants? Or could you simply allow it to be cold in Winter on most days, and only heat it on the occasional days when you use it? If this is only occasional use, it may not be worth paying for a heat pump. The cost of a heat pump and installation will mean £1k is pretty much the bare minimum you could expect to pay. A panel heat installation will be much cheaper - probably less than £200 - that £800 will pay for quite a few years worth of heating.

One other thing to consider, however, is what happens in Summer. Air-to-air heat pumps are basically air conditioning units with slight modification. While regular air conditioning units only work in "forward" mode (cooling inside), air-to-air heat pumps can be switched between "forward" and "reverse" (heating inside) modes. You may be tempted by the luxury of having an air conditioned conservatory in Summer.

sisteranna_2

I am so grateful to everyone for all the advice and opinions - very many thanks. I have certainly got food for thought now, so it probably boils down to thinking hard, and doing the sums.
The conservatory/ utility room is actually a utility room that looks like a conservatory. It will contain freezers, tumble drier, washing machine, spin drier etc (no tropical plants!), I just want to be sure that appliances don't freeze up (which they did at the last house), the room has 3 outside walls.

matelodave

If it's effectively a utility room rather than a sitting room then a small oil filled radiator with a thermostat set to about 5-8 degrees should keep it from freezing and not cost a lot to run. If it's only single glazed and got a glass/polycarbonate roof then its not going to be easy to keep warm enough to sit in when it's everso cold as you'll be losing too much heat to the outside.

Stuff like freezers and fridges will generate some heat as will the washing machine & tumble dryer.

Make sure all plumbing is properly lagged

Cardew

sisteranna wrote: »

The conservatory/ utility room is actually a utility room that looks like a conservatory. It will contain freezers, tumble drier, washing machine, spin drier etc (no tropical plants!), I just want to be sure that appliances don't freeze up (which they did at the last house), the room has 3 outside walls.

Well the freezer itself will produce some heat and for the few times in the year that the inside of a conservatory will need heating, something like a tubular greenhouse heater will suffice.


Or something like this:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Protection-Convector-Greenhouse-Radiator-Protector/dp/B00A8N5P2M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1419939549&sr=8-7&keywords=greenhouse+heater+electric


Even on maximum output(200w) it will cost about 2p an hour

[Deleted User]

Cardew wrote: »

Well the freezer itself will produce some heat and for the few times in the year that the inside of a conservatory will need heating, something like a tubular greenhouse heater will suffice.


Or something like this:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Protection-Convector-Greenhouse-Radiator-Protector/dp/B00A8N5P2M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1419939549&sr=8-7&keywords=greenhouse+heater+electric


Even on maximum output(200w) it will cost about 2p an hour

That's the heater I have in my porch Cost ~£6 quid from B&Q a few years ago, surprisingly effective.

Cheers

sisteranna_2

Thanks for your comments everybody. Looks like something simple like a greenhouse heater with a thermostat is the best option, so I'll go for that.