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Heating system - advice needed

  • 10-04-2008 2:23am
    #1
    Johnee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 78 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    I would really appreciate some advice as regards got heating systems. Just got PP for conversion of a bungalow attic into a self-contained granny flat. Floor size is about 120 sq m.

    We're struggling at the moment to decide how to heat it. A builder has recommended geothermal with UFH but I'm not convinced its worth it for the size of the place.

    The situation is also complicated by access problems to the house, which makes it impossible for large delivery lorries to get down the laneway (so pellets, etc, may pose problems).

    What system do you think would give a reasonable balance between running costs and capital outlay? Solar? Geothermal? Electric rads?

    Thanks in advance,


Comments

  • #2
    ircoha
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,290 ✭✭✭ircoha


    any professional advisor you talk to about these sort of jobs are very clear on not doing anything that will compromise the asset once the need for the work in the first place passes on.

    I have had this issue with a number of elderly relatives so I can speak with some experience.

    You dont say what the current heating system is in the rest of the house.
    Could you not just spice into that?
    Tracking any additional cost for spiting between other family members is easy to do if required.

    The other question is as part of the work will you be insulating the attic to the highest possible standard? this would add value going forward as well as reduce the additional heating bill.
    Being up stairs, it will be warmer anyway

    The final point is upstairs the ideal location for a granny flat?


  • #3
    smooth operater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 209 ✭✭smooth operater


    Johnee wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I would really appreciate some advice as regards got heating systems. Just got PP for conversion of a bungalow attic into a self-contained granny flat. Floor size is about 120 sq m.

    We're struggling at the moment to decide how to heat it. A builder has recommended geothermal with UFH but I'm not convinced its worth it for the size of the place.

    The situation is also complicated by access problems to the house, which makes it impossible for large delivery lorries to get down the laneway (so pellets, etc, may pose problems).

    What system do you think would give a reasonable balance between running costs and capital outlay? Solar? Geothermal? Electric rads?

    Thanks in advance,

    Right, personnaly i don't think the geothermal is gona work, unless you convert the whole house heating system initially, they have a long payback period and the only way to get your money back is to have large loads on it.
    Also if your going vertical it could be a problem drilling the hole.(with your laneway?)

    So yes, go solar if you can for your dhw
    Stay away from electric rads
    and maybe consider leeching of the current heating system
    If that doesnt work, just buy an additional gas boiler or some sorta biomass boiler


  • #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 31,118 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    ircoha wrote: »

    The final point is upstairs the ideal location for a granny flat?

    My wife is a home carer for the elderly (between jobs at the moment) and she had many clients who had abandoned the upstairs of their homes as the stairs were too much, they had a downstairs bathroom installed and converted the sitting room into a bedroom.


  • #5
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 42,171 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    perhaps you mean a self contained apartment and not a granny flat..... :confused:

    as for the heating system it depends on the usage... how many persons?? how well is it insulated?? is it occupied 24/7?


  • #6
    Johnee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 78 ✭✭Johnee


    Thanks for the replies. I should have said at the start that its not actually for a granny - I was just using the slang.

    It will be occupied by two people, and will be inhabited for most of the week (working from home). We will be putting in good insulation.

    The rest of the house currently runs off an oil boiler but its expensive enough to run, what with the price at the moment and the fact that it can only take deliveries from suppliers that have smaller lorries.

    We would be a bit reluctant about sharing the system as the point of it is to have it as a self-contained unit (for example, we may decide to sub-let it in years to come) - would it be difficult to measure the consumption for each part easily?

    And if so, could the rest of the house be converted to geo? Its a radiator system and I was under the impression that geo wasnt really suitable for rads.

    Thanks again.


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