How to heat my Huse

renex

i am currently building a large new build house that is currently off the gas grid. and i have reached the dilemma of how to heat it. so far i've looked into OIL, LPG, storage heaters, heat pumps and electric heating. anyone care to share their opinions on these i would like to know what's cheapest, most reliable and best for the environment.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.


I suggest you read the hundreds of posts on this subject on the forum.


By 'currently off the gas grid' do you mean it could be connected? If so, and connection is not too expensive, that should be considered.


A heat pump should also be considered, but they work best with under-floor heating or need over-size radiators. You need to research the Renewable Heat Initiative for Government grants toward installation. Also research carefully firms who know how to install heat pumps; there are a lot of firms who haven't a clue.


You should also appreciate that with a heat pump the water in radiators needs to be at a low temperature(30-40C) for maximum efficiency; so heating needs to run long hours, even constantly in winter.


Oil is currently available at the cheapest prices for years, and not much more expensive than gas.


Forget LPG

Smiley_Dan

renex wrote: »

i am currently building a large new build house that is currently off the gas grid. and i have reached the dilemma of how to heat it. so far i've looked into OIL, LPG, storage heaters, heat pumps and electric heating. anyone care to share their opinions on these i would like to know what's cheapest, most reliable and best for the environment.

If you're building a new house you should be building it so it needs next to zero heat input.

It costs about the same for a new build (although if you insist on traditional construction then it would normally cost about 10-15% extra), there's nothing to break and it's far, far, far away the best for the environment.

Not sure how far you are into the build process though.

You asked for my opinion!

That also just refers to space heating, also DHW to consider.

matelodave

If it's a new build then you should be able to ensure that you can get away with minimal heating by building in as much insulation & draught proofing as you can afford. You need to do your heat calculations and decide what sort of heat emitters you are going to use. You can then decide how to provide the heat.

Research it thoroughly so you understand what you need, how it will work and what questions to ask - write out your own specification of requirements. Compare them carefully to make sure that everything is covered, not just pricewise but in the sort of technologies that are on offer and how competent the contractors seem. You want detailed specs for your system tailored to your house, not just glossy brochures.


Check all the specifications and look for anomalies - all systems should be trying to produce roughly the same amount of heat in each of the rooms. Doing some of your own heat loss calculations will help you understand the quotes and enable you ask sensible questions

As Cardew says heat pumps are good but ideally need to run virtually continuously at a low temperature so are better suited to underfloor heating, low temperature radiators or fan convectors and 24 hour occupation.

Storage heaters are similar insofar as they are better suited to continuous heating rather than a quick boost in the mornings & evenings as mostly they are running out of heat by the evening although modern high efficiency units are much better at controlling their heat output

Oil may be better if you need a quick heat boost first thing in the morning and when you all get home from work/school. You do need space for an oil tank though. It's easily controllable.

LPG has similar benefits although it is significantly more expensive per kw and needs a tank.

If mains gas could be piped in at a reasonable cost then that would be best.

If the place is highly insulated and you only need minimal heating then possible some panel heaters would do the trick.


There is also biomass to consider if you've got space to store the wood pellets in a dry environment

renex

ok thanks i have a few questions

do i qualify for the RHI?
how big will the radiators be?
wont the oil prices just go up again?

also the cost to bring in mains gas is out of the question

JJ_Egan

<<also the cost to bring in mains gas is out of the question>>

How much have they quoted .

Cardew

renex wrote: »

ok thanks i have a few questions

1. do i qualify for the RHI?
2. how big will the radiators be?
3. wont the oil prices just go up again?

also the cost to bring in mains gas is out of the question

1.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-low-carbon-technologies/2010-to-2015-government-policy-low-carbon-technologies#appendix-6-renewable-heat-incentive-rhi


2.
Big! - depends on size of room. Underfloor heating is better.


3. Get a crystal ball!


Most experts think that oil prices will stay relatively low in the foreseeable future. Iran is now our friend! Fracking will provide a cheap energy source for years to come etc etc.

renex

how big is big? the size of a door?

renex

also does anyone have a heat pump, if so how muck are you saving?

Smiley_Dan

renex wrote: »

how big is big? the size of a door?

You should be able to do the calcs yourself. If they are heating water at 35-40C you can work out the kW output and compare it to the heat loss figures I assume you or your architect/house designer has done.

renex

i spoke to my architect and they said that the rads aren't huge, apparently their not much bigger then normal ones??