Which heat source to use

treecol

Could you give us some advice please as to how you would heat the room we are about to be refurbished?
Currently we've only used it in the summer due to there being no heating source unless we used electric heaters (too expensive). It is 27ft long x 14ft wide x 20ft high as it has a vaulted ceiling . It has a tiled floor which will remain. The front is glass doors across the entire width & up to about 6ft 6" high. There are two Velux windows in the roof & a glass door to the rear garden at the back. It used to be the space between the garage & house until the previous owner filled the space in with this extension.
We have warm air heating in the house which cannot be extended. So we are trying to work out our options. All seem to have similar costs to install, so it's just down to what would heat such a big space efficiently & be the cheapest to run. We won't use the room all the time, just as an occasional sitting room when I am boarding clients dogs, so the rest of the house doesn't get coated in mud & dog hair!
Option 1: Gas combi boiler & 2 large rads
Option 2: Gas fire (with flue)
Option 3: Multi fuel stove (with flue)
With option 1, does a boiler use much gas for the pilot light?
Your ideas & thoughts as always are much appreciated.

lstar337

treecol wrote: »

Option 1: Gas combi boiler & 2 large rads
Option 2: Gas fire (with flue)
Option 3: Multi fuel stove (with flue)
With option 1, does a boiler use much gas for the pilot light?
Your ideas & thoughts as always are much appreciated.

You say electric heaters are too expensive, but you want to go to the cost of a dedicated gas boiler and rads for an 'occasional sitting room'.

My thoughts are that the savings you will make from electric to gas will take ages to pay off the initial install.

Pilot light? I don't think modern combi boilers have them.

treecol

Thanks, interesting thoughts. When I say occaisionally, it could be for 6-8 hours a day for a few days, then perhaps an evening here or there, but in mid winter, it could well be 12 hours a day for a week at a time. It really depends on how many clients dogs I have here & how often.I suppose thinking sensibly, as time goes on, if we use the room more than our other sitting room in the main house, we could regret not getting an ecconomic form of heating. It depends how busy I am with dogs.

Cardew

It seems ideal for an Air to Air heat pump. I suggest you do some research. This gives an explanation:


http://www.greenmatch.co.uk/heat-pump/air-to-air-heat-pump/?keyword=air%20to%20air%20heat%20pump&device=c&utm_adid=70249932503&gclid=CJyAyuijzckCFVW7GwodTxQD0A


These are commonly used in motels in the USA

matelodave

My suggestion is the same as Cardew - it would be worth investigating an air-to-air heat pump

lstar337

Yeah I agree with Cardew and matelodave, look into an air source heat pump.

The only issue could be circulating dog smell, but ventilation would solve that.

Cardew

If the room is to be refurbished - as you state - then it will be easy to incorporate an air to air heat pump that can be reversed into air conditioning. This is an example:


http://www.orionairsales.co.uk/mitsubishi-heavy-industries-air-conditioning-srk20zmx-s-20-kw--9000-btu-hyper-inverter-heat-pump-240v50hz-220-p.asp


As said above these type of units are very common for individual rooms in motels or other premises that do not to be heated/cooled 24/7.

Bigphil1474

No idea about air to air or the costs, but we did have to get some local heating where I work while the dodgy old boiler was sorted. I got some 'oil filled' electric radiators, and based on manufacturers info, they cost about 25p per hour to run on max temp (1.5kW ish). The oil is in a sealed section so you don't have top it up or mess with it - the electric heats the oil. We have these more for safety reasons, but the one near next to my desk works well, and it isn't on high for long so probably costs less than the 25p. Based on 6 hours a day for 60 days, and 12 hours a day for 30 days, you'd be looking at £180 running costs plus the cost of the heater at about £80, over 5 years would be £200 a year.

lstar337

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

No idea about air to air or the costs, but we did have to get some local heating where I work while the dodgy old boiler was sorted. I got some 'oil filled' electric radiators, and based on manufacturers info, they cost about 25p per hour to run on max temp (1.5kW ish). The oil is in a sealed section so you don't have top it up or mess with it - the electric heats the oil. We have these more for safety reasons, but the one near next to my desk works well, and it isn't on high for long so probably costs less than the 25p. Based on 6 hours a day for 60 days, and 12 hours a day for 30 days, you'd be looking at £180 running costs plus the cost of the heater at about £80, over 5 years would be £200 a year.

No need to spend £80, you can get decent oil filled rads with thermostats and timers for as little as £30. I paid about £35 form my 3kW version with 1/2/3kW modes, thermostat, and timer.

lstar337

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

No idea about air to air or the costs

They work on a Coefficient of Performance (COP).

The COP ranges from 1 up to about 4, ans changes depending on the working conditions. But if the heater happens to reach a COP of 4 then it will produce 4kW of heat for 1kW of electricity consumed. A COP of 3 will give 3kW of heat and so on.

They have the advantage of reverse operation allowing air conditioning in summer.

macman

A gas fire will be about a third of the cost to run of any electric heating, so if the gas supply can be reached without too much work, that is likely to be the cheaper cost in the medium to long term, if it's adequate to heat that area.
Consider this if a heat pump is not feasible.