Changing the heating system to gas-based

Jemma01

Reed_Richards said:

When was the heat pump installed?  If the current owner is receiving payments under the old RHI scheme (which closed in March 2022) then you should inherit those payments when you take ownership of the house and they could easily amount to over £1000 per year.  Your solicitor, if she is on the ball, should have looked into that for you.  But otherwise, prompt her to do that.  The RHI payments run for 7 years after the installation so if you have an old system they could have run out.    

yeah, the house was built in 2009, I wonder if they'd have been entitled though if the house came pre installed and they didn't request it? 

Reed_Richards

FreeBear said:

Reed_Richards said:

Jemma01 said:

The house is purpose built with an air pump, it looks similar to this picture (source) with the exception of the water tank being downstairs. The pipes and the size of the heating was already pre-measured to suit the house. Is it fair to think that the same pipes could be used with a boiler? I appreciate that boilers have smaller pipes. 

Pipes with a larger diameter than usual would not present any issues for a gas boiler.  

Having bigger pipes along with oversized radiators means a gas boiler could be run at a lower flow temperature - This equates to higher efficiency. But many gas boilers are not designed to run at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.

That's a bit disingenuous.  Any gas boiler being installed as part of a new installation is obliged to be one that runs at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.  A maximum of 55 C flow temperature is mandated by regulations.   

Jemma01

Reed_Richards said:

Jemma01 said:

The house is purpose built with an air pump, it looks similar to this picture (source) with the exception of the water tank being downstairs. The pipes and the size of the heating was already pre-measured to suit the house. Is it fair to think that the same pipes could be used with a boiler? I appreciate that boilers have smaller pipes. 

Pipes with a larger diameter than usual would not present any issues for a gas boiler.  

ah great, thanks a lot, you've been very helpful. 

FreeBear

Reed_Richards said:

FreeBear said:

Reed_Richards said:

Jemma01 said:

The house is purpose built with an air pump, it looks similar to this picture (source) with the exception of the water tank being downstairs. The pipes and the size of the heating was already pre-measured to suit the house. Is it fair to think that the same pipes could be used with a boiler? I appreciate that boilers have smaller pipes. 

Pipes with a larger diameter than usual would not present any issues for a gas boiler.  

Having bigger pipes along with oversized radiators means a gas boiler could be run at a lower flow temperature - This equates to higher efficiency. But many gas boilers are not designed to run at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.

That's a bit disingenuous.  Any gas boiler being installed as part of a new installation is obliged to be one that runs at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.  A maximum of 55 C flow temperature is mandated by regulations.   

I based my comment on the ERP sheets where the manufacture states that it is not a low temperature boiler (e.g. https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/professional/support/literature/greenstar-4000-21kw-system-ng-erp-data-fiche ).

Perhaps I have misunderstood exactly what they are claiming...

Scot_39

Gas is slowly going out of vogue - Scottish Greens have said more than most about its plans for its demise - non polluting heating by 2038 public, 2045 all buildings was STV take on it in a recent article  - but for net zero 2050, its too big a source for any party to ignore for much longer..

New builds have essentially a defacto ban - based on their allowed emissions profile iirc - preventing new grid connections in many if not most situations.


As above ashp vs gas running costs are not that different in a well installed and setup system from posts here.

It's the long term cost efficient solution for homes and the 100,000s of old flats nd tenemants not suitable for individual ashp that remains unclear.

If your ashp is operating efficiently I'd run with it.
And probably ditch gas cooker and get rid of meter too - and save the £120pa SC.

And for others suspect its only a matter of time before the ashp grant is replaced by no financial help for most, if not then more punitive taxes on domestic co2 production - i.e. gas.  That you already pay levies for when comes to gas generated electric.

And govts have form here - transitioing from carrot to stick - remember when everyone got a grant for an EV, now few do, manufacturers subject to % sales ev targets etc - and the only thing apparently in doubt across the major parties not just in UK but many Western nations re the new diesel and petrol ice car ban appears to be the date.

Reed_Richards

FreeBear said:

Reed_Richards said:

FreeBear said:

Reed_Richards said:

Jemma01 said:

The house is purpose built with an air pump, it looks similar to this picture (source) with the exception of the water tank being downstairs. The pipes and the size of the heating was already pre-measured to suit the house. Is it fair to think that the same pipes could be used with a boiler? I appreciate that boilers have smaller pipes. 

Pipes with a larger diameter than usual would not present any issues for a gas boiler.  

Having bigger pipes along with oversized radiators means a gas boiler could be run at a lower flow temperature - This equates to higher efficiency. But many gas boilers are not designed to run at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.

That's a bit disingenuous.  Any gas boiler being installed as part of a new installation is obliged to be one that runs at the sort of low flow temperatures that heat pumps run at.  A maximum of 55 C flow temperature is mandated by regulations.   

I based my comment on the ERP sheets where the manufacture states that it is not a low temperature boiler (e.g. https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/professional/support/literature/greenstar-4000-21kw-system-ng-erp-data-fiche ).

Perhaps I have misunderstood exactly what they are claiming...

You can buy gas boilers that work at the same higher temperatures that they always used to; these are needed to replace old boilers in systems designed to operate at these higher temperatures (i.e. where the radiators would not give out enough heat if run at lower temperatures).  And you can buy "low temperature" gas boilers that operate at similar temperatures to a heat pump.  These are needed for any new installation in order to comply with regulations. Many gas boilers are not designed to run at lower temperatures.  And many are.      

wrf12345

I have seen houses with gas oven and electric night storage heaters, beyond sanity. When you sell, have a few months worth of winter bills so the buyer can seen the cost and compare it to gas systems but it is correct that quite a large segment of purchasers do not like anything that is non-conventional, I call them the Boxsters.