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Replacing lpg with something better

Slimcilla
Slimcilla Posts: 68 Forumite
Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
I’m about to buy a house with land (a dream I’m finally fulfilling) in Herefordshire. The house is a 300-400 year old agricultural barn with a new house ‘wrapped’ around it. The new house has yet to be lived in and has good EPC readings (B’s) but is let down with ‘E’ readings for its heating as it’s powered by a lpg tank buried in the garden that powers a new Bosch lpg boiler.
The ground floor has underfloor heating and the first floor has 4 radiators in the 2 bedrooms and 2 en-suites. 
Outside there is a further barn (for horse stuff) with an approximately 200m squared roof facing north/west. There’s also plenty of ground space and also covered place to store batteries in the horse barn. 
I could fit solar, a heat pump, or something else? I’ve googled lots and just seem to find numerous adverts from folks saying they can help but I’m aware they just want my hard earned and saved dosh. I have experience of solar with motorhomes but the solar in that just powers pumps, lighting and usb sockets. The house will have a fridge/freezer, washing machine, heating, electric oven etc, thankfully all lighting is led. 
Does anyone have any advice of a better solution please? I’m planning to stay there for 15-20 years, maybe longer.. 

I’m also thinking of installing a Clearview wood burning stove, but unsure as although I’ve had a few in the past the recent press is suggesting they’re not ecologically sound.. 🤷‍♂️ 

Comments

  • Netexporter
    Netexporter Posts: 1,744 Forumite
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    If you have enough ground then a ground source heat pump would give you heat at a constantly high efficiency. Otherwise an air-source heat pump. As much solar as you can muster would be great, but remember that when you need most electricity for heating you'll have least sunshine. If you combine the solar with batteries then you can utilise more of your solar in summer and you can use cheap overnight electricity as a supplement in the winter.
  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 15,214 Forumite
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    Personally, as you've bought what's effectively a new build with a brand new LPG boiler, I wouldn't worry about the EPC being dragged down by the LPG boiler.
    Move in, live there for a couple of years, see how you get on with LPG. See how well it performs, what's good and bad, and just get used to your new home.
    If you're still keen on replacing it in 2027, then you can look at heat pumps.
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  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,856 Forumite
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    You need to decide what your priorities and budget are.

    Is it to save money - which it might eventually, but the upfront cost has to be taken into account or is it to be green and cuddly where the cost is secondary. In any case you really do have to do a lot of careful sums to decide what is practical for your situation, both for the cost, effectiveness and viability. 

    If you are lucky then the system that has been put in has been sized to accommodate a heat pump (low temperature underfloor and radiators anda decent hot water tank) in which case it may be as easy as just replacing the boiler with a heat pump but you'd need to investigate.

    Likewise as said above, with a big bit of land, a groundsource heatpump, although a lot more expensive to install than an air source has a better efficiency and could possibly cost less to run but would probably take a lot longer to payback due to the higher upfront cost.

    A combination of solar and batteries combined with a suitable off peak tariff could bring your imported energy cost down to a pretty low level, but again you need to factor in the upfront costs of the installation and ensure that you have sufficient battery capacity to keep the heating running in the winter if you want to minimise your energy costs.

    Even our modest 140m2 bungalow can chew through 60+ kwh a day in the winter using an airsource heatpump and you wont get a lot of that from solar in the middle of December or January. Your idea of something like a ClearView stove would help mitigate the shortfall.

    Its all doable, but only you can decide whether the payback is financially viable, especially if you have to pay interest  on borrowed money to pay for it all.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 17,260 Forumite
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    matelodave said: Likewise as said above, with a big bit of land, a groundsource heatpump, although a lot more expensive to install than an air source has a better efficiency and could possibly cost less to run but would probably take a lot longer to payback due to the higher upfront cost.
    You don't need huge amounts of land to have a GSHP. Given enough space for a drilling rig to get in, a borehole or two could be sunk. Depending on geology & depth, it could be quicker and cheaper than installing slinkies.

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  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 7,769 Forumite
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    If your land includes some woodland, then you could have a renewable source of free heating.  You don't need to take down many trees a year to keep a woodburner going.
    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
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