heating systems

Gamblej4

hi guys
I am building a new 2 storey house which is about 3000sq ft and what I need to know is what is wood pellet heating system like is it good or bad?should I go for solar to heat water and something else to heat the house also going for underfloor heating house is going to be in co.galway any problem with supply of pellets also what is the best product to insulate with i.e raft cavity attic dryline etc also what are the costs??

thanks for your help

ciaranmac

Wood pellets need a lot of storage space but you may be able to design this in to a new build. We have solar panels for hot water and a side benefit of these is it takes less oil to heat the rads because the water in the tank is warm to begin with, even in winter. I was told when we got them installed that it's possible to drive an underfloor system from solar panels, but not radiators because they require hotter water. If we were building new we'd probably go with an underfloor system with solar panels and pellets.

Sponge Bob

Pellet systems are real quackery, if the pellets are exposed to any moisture...I mean ANY moisture...they coagulate into a mush that will not feed the boiler. They are not suitable for the west of Ireland period.

The sellers of these systems know this perfectly but they are 'off the hook' unless they build the entire system including the pellet storage and boiler and pellet feed system for you.

And of course the pellets are imported, green my ass

Head The Wall

With a proper storage system they can be kept at a constant moisture content. This would need to be factored into a new build obviously.

How many Sq Metres of panels would be needed to run a 3000sqf underfloor heating system. You will also need a backup system for the wintertime.

Why not invest in insulation and airtightness, it'll mean you will be spending less each year for the lifetime of the house. People go on about the cost of putting in a heating system usually putting in bog standard rads and oil because it's cheap and then use 2-3000 litres of heating oil every year.

I'll be going for a near passive build with no heating system, a HRV will disperse secondary heat from a wood pellet stove if and when extra heat is needed.

Gamblej4

if I go for airtightness an insulate what is the best option to heat the house what is the cost does anyone know of all heating systems any grants out now or are they all gone ? was talkin to a guy in clare who has wood pellet heating system with under floor and he finds it good so what should I do?????????????

bonzodog2

Have you considered geothermal ? Underfloor ?

Gamblej4

yes I have looked at this thought it was to expensive for me I do want to move away from oil as the price will keep going up an up so thats why I was looking at the wood pellet system I have seen on so sites that pellets are just as expensive as oil ???? anyone that has this system have they done up the mathes yet do you save or not?? also did you have any problems with what type of flooring you put over the underfloor heating will timber be a big problem you can get a special type or timber for this now right ?????????????????

ScumLord

Look up passive housing and heating. If you do go down that line it wouldn't take much to heat the house. There are forums for this kind of talk yaknow.

Toplink

Pellet systems are real quackery, if the pellets are exposed to any moisture...I mean ANY moisture...they coagulate into a mush that will not feed the boiler. They are not suitable for the west of Ireland period.

Wrong (I have a WPB for 3 years now, Pellets in an outdoor plastic silo, never had an issue with moisture).

The sellers of these systems know this perfectly but they are 'off the hook' unless they build the entire system including the pellet storage and boiler and pellet feed system for you.

You may have a point here.

And of course the pellets are imported, green my ass

Wrong (I know 3 Irish Pellet Manafacturers)

biko

As a tip look around the Construction forum too
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=876

Gamblej4

thanks biko for link
Toplink do you have a good idea what the system cost to install?is it efficient to run eg how many tonnes a year is it good with underfloor if you have it need to come up with sums ??????????????? would you go for this system again?

Toplink

Gamblej4 wrote: »

thanks biko for link
Toplink do you have a good idea what the system cost to install?is it efficient to run eg how many tonnes a year is it good with underfloor if you have it need to come up with sums ??????????????? would you go for this system again?

I'm running 2500 sq foot of UFH on approx 4 tonne per year. I also have solar contibuting to HW only.

The Running Costs

2.2 tonne of pellets = 1000 litres of oil. At present 1000L of oil will cost approx 640 Euro. The equivalent in Pellets will cost 495 (Brites).

So for me @ current prices and using 4 tonne annually I will save 320 Euro per year.


The Installation Costs

OPOP Boiler 4500
Twin Wall Flue 650
Outdoor JFC Silo 1600

Total 6750.

I got a grant of 4200 Euro in 2006 which left me with a net cost of 2550EUR.

For me it was a no brainer as an oil boiler and tank would have cost as much.

However since the grant system was changed I am not sure I'd go for it now. I mean your talking about a differece of 3500 euro in costs and at current prices thats leaves a 7 - 10 year payback.

Insulate the house, Get it airtight, invest in a Mech Vent System with Heat recovery (properly installed). These are the priorities, dont get too hung up on the heating system until you have addressed these first.

Gamblej4

toplink thanks for info on the wpb did you have a bad experience with the mech vent recovery? have to look into it.what kind of flooring did you use with the underfloor heating any problems?

Jrochey

Hi just wondering would backing up geothermal heat pump with a wood burning stuff be a good idea. The heat pump could be used in conjunction with the stuff. The stuff could be used to cut down the cost would it work