Solar panals or HRV??

murph08

Hey all,

I'm just new to this site and I think it is very good and I think I will be using it a lot.

I'm just after getting planning, after nearly a year trying. We are building a one and a half story house and I’m going with a pellet boiler for the heating. I also want to get either solar panels or HRV, I can't get both do to cost and am getting different reviews for both.

Just wondering what would people think is the best option?

gally74

hrv all the way!

not only will it save you energy, its a health thing too

gally74

gally74 wrote: »

hrv all the way!

not only will it save you energy, its a health thing too

I agree, HRV is also extremly difficult to retrofit whereas solar can be planned for and installed later.

ardara1

Can you get the permeability of the house down to below 4?
Will you be prepared to maintain the system?
Where are you getting the heat from to recover?
Fan will be running continually - noise?Efficiency?Specific fan power?
Puttin a fire in? - will there be enough of a 'draft' to make it work?

gally74

no open fires, go for stoves, open fires are only9 % efficient, stoves 70% plus air tight,

heat is recovered from the air that would just blow outside from the normal vents in room,

noise, lov, go for a dc motor, more efficient

built block but am now going to put up some plastic sheeting before we dry line

murph08

Thanks for all the feed back so far.

It looks like I will go with HRV but one of the rooms while have an open fire, I would prefer if it didn't but the other half is set on it. Is it possible with an open fire?

"Gally74" what do you mean by putting up some plastic sheeting before dry line?

If there is a "requirement" for an open fire, look for a flue valve that will shut the flue when you don't use the fire to stop the draught.

There is another thread here somewhere dealing with those.

sinnerboy

murph08 wrote: »

"Gally74" what do you mean by putting up some plastic sheeting before dry line?

Carefull here guys . If you are thinking of using polythene as a vapour it must be placed on the WARM side of the insulation .

Mike2006

Hi,

gally74 advised a DC motor. Why? DC motors are becoming a thing of the past. They require serious maintenance (brushes, de-carbonising etc..)I would consider them a lot more dangerous than an AC motor with regards to potential fires etc...

Just my 2c worth.

Mike.

CJhaughey

Some of the new HRV systems have brushless motors, worth thinking about if you are in the market for a HRV system.

gally74

I was thinking DC because they were low watts to run,#

anyway i starting to give up on HRV, ive built 300 normal cavity, 60 mm kingspan and am going to dryline the interior of the exterior walls,

I had a guy on site, today and he said with block built its virtually impossible to make it air tight, he spoke about light fittings in ceilings etc. causing issues,

dissappointed,

sinnerboy

gally74 wrote: »

I was thinking DC because they were low watts to run,#

anyway i starting to give up on HRV, ive built 300 normal cavity, 60 mm kingspan and am going to dryline the interior of the exterior walls,

I had a guy on site, today and he said with block built its virtually impossible to make it air tight, he spoke about light fittings in ceilings etc. causing issues,

dissappointed,

not true

look here

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/masonry_internal_wall_insulation_illustrations.pdf

gally74

well im reading through it sinnerboy,

thanks, have got a good quote off a company in dublin for the full kit,

all of this sealing and insulation, there's a bit in it, someone should set up a course for a saturday and go through practical examples of this,

gally74

hello,

the hollow core dosent look too good now, see mii-if-o1