Heating via aircon unit

the goon

Hi all just looking for some advice. I am in the process of converting a garage to living room. It will be about 20ft * 10ft and 20ft high at the apex of roof.

I have been looking at various ways to heat it and so far the best option I came across was the solo heaters in conjunction with a stove. However I am thinking more and more about putting in an airconditioning unit. I am thinking they are:

Cheap to run
Instant heat
Clean ( no lugging in and out coal/woods)
Help to reduce moisture in the air

Anyone any advice opinions on this? Would be greatfully appreciated.

slimjimmc

Electricity is the most expensive form of energy for domestic users.
http://www.seai.ie/Publications/Statistics_Publications/Fuel_Cost_Comparison/Domestic-Fuel-Cost-Comparisons.pdf

the goon

Cheers. I was under the impression that the aircon units areeconomic to use. Dont seem to be able to find any info on them being used residentially so maybe that indicates they arent held in much regard. Hmmm. Back to the drawing board

sky6

It's good but only in certain circumstances. Basically it takes the heat from the air and blows it into the room. will run until room reaches pre set temperature. The first problem is when you switch it off the room goes cool quite quickly. It also depends on the outside weather to be reasonably good, otherwise the unit has to work harder to produce the heat and will run for longer. The good thing is the rooms heat up quickly. It's great in the Bedrooms and Bathroom when having a shower as it's nice and warm and you just switch off when finished.
There also great in the times when a little heat is needed but not worth lighting a fire or running the Boiler. They use inverter technology which makes them cheap to run.
You would definitely need another source of heating for the House though as they struggle with anything around zero temperatures. You also have the added bonus of Aircon for the hot summer days which is great.
I hope this helps.

the goon

Thanks thats a great help. I will definitely put in a rad aswell but as it will be the main room in the house (living room) I am concerned about being able to heat up such a large volume of space quickly. The room feels too norrow for a stove and again it would take time for it to heat up the space. I just think at the moment, I cant see any better solution.

gutteruu

I'd go with aircon if plumbing in existing heating is an issue. Aircon isn't viable for a full house for plenty of reasons, mostly cost as slimjimmc said but...

Oil/gas boilers suffer from a hysteresis issue i.e. the point at which they turn off and come back on. Which is fine on a big house but very inefficient for small spaces. Aircon can heat a small room at almost 100% efficiency as slimjimmc's link shows. With your 20ft ceilings, an aircon fan blowing warm air down will drastically improve efficiency narrowing the price gap between heating systems. You won't get the 'thermal mass' where your walls keep the heat as your only heating the air and it could lead to condensation if your walls get cold but small chance of that.

the goon

Thanks so much for all the advice. My main concern for the area is to try and heat it quickly, which I think radiators wouldn't, given the height. After all the info here, it looks like aircon initially with a rad back up/support. There isn't any problem plumbing the rad so probably best to just do so. Although would I be best fitting a solo type radiator with an inbuilt fan or just go for the standard rad?

Thanks again for all the help.