Options if Replumbing and Installing New Heating System

BarraOG

Hi,

Parents have a countryside dormer which had the boiler, cylinder, most of the piping and a number of radiators stolen from it. I did find a red expansion vessel in the hot press but pretty much everything else is gone! The house was Oil Fired Central Heated and has a fireplace but I don't think there's a back boiler. The house is only seven years old.

Before getting a plumber out, what options do they have in terms of a new heating system? For example, they would like to add solar panels but maybe there are other options which they should also consider. What might limit these options? Would a decent plumber be the right person to advise on these matters or should they get some else first?

Thanks for your help,

Barry

Sleeper12

You need someone sei registered to give propper advice. It takes about 15 years to recoup the outlay of solar panels. After that they are due upgrading. In other words if you have extra cash you don't need then you might consider solar panels. If you need to borrow for them then you shouldn't get them.

BarraOG

Sleeper12 wrote: »

You need someone sei registered to give propper advice. It takes about 15 years to recoup the outlay of solar panels. After that they are due upgrading. In other words if you have extra cash you don't need then you might consider solar panels. If you need to borrow for them then you shouldn't get them.

Thanks for the advice. When you say 15 years, does that take into account having hot water on tap during the summer when the central heating isn't being used. What alternative to solar panels might be worth considering in this regard?

How much are we talking about roughly to get the relevant advice from someone sei registered?

Thanks again!

Wearb

John T Carroll on these boards would be best able to answer above question but I will have a rough go at it by comparing it to my usage.

I use would use about €200 to heat my DMHW for 7 months. That would be the period when you would have useful heat from the panels. So over 15 years that would be a contribution of €3000 from panels. I think it costs about €5000 to install them, but there are probably other factors to consider.
I am not a fan of them from an economic point. From an environmental point, perhaps they look better.

John T Carroll

BarraOG wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. When you say 15 years, does that take into account having hot water on tap during the summer when the central heating isn't being used. What alternative to solar panels might be worth considering in this regard?

How much are we talking about roughly to get the relevant advice from someone sei registered?

Thanks again!

Solar Thermal Panels make no sense whatsoever with the present cost of Kero at less than 50 cent/litre but despite alot of popular opinion, energy costs will rise again in the future, in my opinion. It is still quite difficult (if not impossible) to see any reasonable pay back time even if the energy costs were to double. Have a look at the attached spreadsheet and you will see why, you can input your own numbers. As you are buying a new hot water cylinder you might consider getting one with a solar coil pre installed, it is recommended that this coil is then connected to your boiler coil until if/when you may decide to install solar panels.
Solar PV costs are now falling rapidly and theoretically are the "solar way" to go but I would be a little cautious as just a few years ago solar thermal was the bees knees.

Wearb wrote: »

I use would use about €200 to heat my DMHW for 7 months. That would be the period when you would have useful heat from the panels.
I am not a fan of them from an economic point. From an environmental point, perhaps they look better.

Quite right there, even though I reckoned that my F.Plate Array would probably never have a pay back, I still installed them and it was probably (amongst) the best €2600 that I have ever spent.

Wearb

John T Carroll wrote: »

I reckoned that my F.Plate Array would probably never have a pay back, I still installed them and it was probably (amongst) the best €2600 that I have ever spent.

That is something that I have only recently come to terms with; The illusion of "free" hot water has it's own rewards, beyond the economics of it.

John T Carroll

BarraOG wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. When you say 15 years, does that take into account having hot water on tap during the summer when the central heating isn't being used. What alternative to solar panels might be worth considering in this regard?

How much are we talking about roughly to get the relevant advice from someone sei registered?

Thanks again!

Attaching file again as the original cannot be opened?

Wearb

Just having a look at those figures John T. Where you have the total monthly savings (in £); I don't think the comparison is fully thought out. (I may be wrong on this and will not be offended if corrected)

I think your figures show the amount saved if using the all of the hot water produced and not the amount that would be required. It wouldn't be so hard to produce figures that subtracted the amount required from the amount used. That would then give a more accurate savings. You could keep a column alongside to show the savings if the amount produced by solar was indeed required.

Thanks for the data. It makes interesting reading. I have been playing around with it by changing oil prices etc.

Wearb

Just having a look at those figures John T. Where you have the total monthly savings (in £); I don't think the comparison is fully thought out. (I may be wrong on this and will not be offended if corrected)

I think your figures show the amount saved if using the all of the hot water produced and not the amount that would be required. It wouldn't be so hard to produce figures that subtracted the amount required from the amount used. That would then give a more accurate savings. You could keep a column alongside to show the savings if the amount produced by solar was indeed required.

Thanks for the data. It makes interesting reading. I have been playing around with it by changing oil prices etc.

John T Carroll

Wearb wrote: »

Just having a look at those figures John T. Where you have the total monthly savings (in £); I don't think the comparison is fully thought out. (I may be wrong on this and will not be offended if corrected)

I think your figures show the amount saved if using the all of the hot water produced and not the amount that would be required. It wouldn't be so hard to produce figures that subtracted the amount required from the amount used. That would then give a more accurate savings. You could keep a column alongside to show the savings if the amount produced by solar was indeed required.

Thanks for the data. It makes interesting reading. I have been playing around with it by changing oil prices etc.

No Problem,you have to start with the amount of hot water required,, the rest then follows.....the amount of dumping (or stagnation), if no dump fitted) is then dictated by a number of other criteria, solar array sizing, solar array system efficiency and solar radiation. I used a 40 E.Tube example with a requirement for 200 LPD of hot water at 60C which results in negligible dumping of 66 Kwh/Annum, if one used 60 E.Tubes (with 200 LPD demand)then you would be dumping 701 Kwh/Annum but your savings would still be greater. Solar Suppliers generally suggest a Solar fraction of 60% which is the ratio of Solar produced hot water/Hot water required, but in the hot months, to meet this 60%, heat dumping (or stagnation) is almost unavoidable especially with E.Tubes.
I have added another bit to that S.Sheet which shows the costs/savings differently, ie Without Solar and With Solar.