Heating a huge victorian house without gas.

Venomgrass

Hi, I'm in the process of considering taking on a big project if we go ahead. We are looking to buy a large victorian 3 story (consisting of ground floor, first floor, complete loft conversion and basement). It was originally a 9 bedroom with 2 living rooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, utility and pantry. Plus the basement is flooded with water 1ft deep.

Condition: in need of repair with damp, cracked walls/ceilings/coving. Probably needs a complete rewiring. The loft has been converted into a flat which we could probably live in while repairing/renovating.

It has no gas supply and the nearest is home with gas is approximately 150-200m away on a single lane lonning. Is it feasible to heat with electricity/solar panels or is oil/wood better? Almost every room has a fireplace but it's a right pain maintaining them all the time. Any ideas will be appreciated :beer:


Any other advice on what to tackle first will also be fantastic!

Thanks for reading!

System

Any source of woodchip/pellets nearby?
Tbh the gas isn't that far away would be worth investigating the costs as it's far cheaper than oil

muckybutt

I'd go pellet biomass either the free option of a boiler or pay for an install and get the RHI payments.

Electric will cost a fortune, ground source and air source heat pump are ok in new well insulated buildings but not ideal in older less well insulated properties.

littlerock

Oil? I have stayed in several remote Welsh cottages (and an isolated Canadian farmhouse in the Rockies, ) all heated by oil stored in a large container out back.

Oog

Whatever method you decide on, be sure to consider zoning your house into heat areas. I have the same sort of house (although I have gas) but I put separate thermostats and heating circuits on each floor so that we only heat the inhabited floor. Mine are also mobile as we were not certain how we would use the space. Also, open fire or stove options are a good idea when it's very cold or you are very poor; everyone just stays in the one warm room!

saveallmymoney

Sounds like an uphill battle to make such a house economically warm, dry and generally habitable for the next centuries energy costs.

If it was me i would insulate the heck out of it, making it as airtight as possible during the renovations (probably this would mean making the fireplaces purely decorative).

Then you can probably get away with under floor heating via a heat pump or even just electric panel heaters as you aren't losing much heat.

sniggings

I would strongly consider walking away, sounds a very expensive project, getting the place insulated and dry.

If you can't afford to get gas fitted, it sounds like it may be the wrong place for you, being able to afford to just heat 1-2 rooms, begs the question why go for such a large house.

27col

sniggings wrote: »

I would strongly consider walking away, sounds a very expensive project, getting the place insulated and dry.

If you can't afford to get gas fitted, it sounds like it may be the wrong place for you, being able to afford to just heat 1-2 rooms, begs the question why go for such a large house.

My thoughts exactly.

Venomgrass

27col wrote: »

My thoughts exactly.

Thanks for the amazing feedback of mixed responses. The house has been in the family for a long time and to be honest isn't in as bad of a condition as I made out. Maybe 5 damp patches in the house.

As for heating though is that the first thing to sort out, then deal with damp, cracks, then finally insulate somehow without causing damp to return?

I've read about heat pumps, but they require a degree of decent insulation to be efficient. I'd hate to miss the opportunity.

:beer:

Babbawah

I'd love a crack at a project like this, large old Victorian house that's not yet been ruined by incompetent developers.

What's your budget and what is the aim of the project?

Davesnave

Those people saying it will be an expense you should reconsider or walk away from, may not appreciate that owning such a house gives pleasure which outweighs the cost disadvantage.

I used to live in a typical suburban property, but I got the chance to swap it for something with acres of land and outbuildings. Obviously, this property costs more in terms of maintenance and time to maintain, but I wouldn't go back to my 'efficient' city house.

Maybe a log burning boiler would suit your property? It would take more daily maintenance and storage space than an equivalent pellet boiler with auger and store, but it could be more economical and you'd still qualify for the RHI.