Zoning heating.

imokyrok

I have divided my house so that I use four rooms and the rest are rented out. Since I'm home all the time and the renters are not I'd like to be able to heat just my four rooms with the central heating during the day. Is there a simple and inexpensive way to do this? Maybe a valve on the pipe work to the first radiator in the rented section that can be switched on and of as needed?

DGOBS

There is a control valve on each radiator

imokyrok

DGOBS wrote: »

There is a control valve on each radiator

I know that but I can't be going through the other section turning of their radiators in their rooms. It's an invasion of privacy.

imokyrok

imokyrok wrote: »

I know that but I can't be going through the other section turning of their radiators in their rooms. It's an invasion of privacy.

Tony (DOGBS) has the knowledge to help you but I can understand if he chooses not too.

imokyrok

gary71 wrote: »

Tony (DOGBS) has the knowledge to help you but I can understand if he chooses not too.

Well currently I'm either heating 11 rads when I need to heat only 4 or I'm running electric heaters in the rooms I'm using. Either way my energy bills are colossal but because of chronic illness I have to stay warm.

antoinolachtnai

The problem is that the project you want to do will cost hundreds or thousands. The equipment involved is simple but the labour is pretty significant. It really depends how your system is laid out and it will takes a while to survey

There are approaches that use remote control valves but there are greater costs and the labour and skill required are significant.

You could try putting the valve you describe in place. It will probably cost at least 150 euros and probably a few hundred euro by the time you are done with labour and materials. Will it work? It might or it might not.

The short answer is that no there is no simple and inexpensive way to do what you want. It will take years to get a payback.

You would most likely be better spending the money on improving insulation or replacing the boiler if it is old.

imokyrok

The boiler is only 2 years old.
All downstairs floor are tiled too so any disturbance to them would cost a fortune.
Maybe installing a separate wood burner stove would be worth considering. Back to the drawing board.

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

The problem is that the project you want to do will cost hundreds or thousands. The equipment involved is simple but the labour is pretty significant. It really depends how your system is laid out and it will takes a while to survey

There are approaches that use remote control valves but there are greater costs and the labour and skill required are significant.

You could try putting the valve you describe in place. It will probably cost at least 150 euros and probably a few hundred euro by the time you are done with labour and materials. Will it work? It might or it might not.

The short answer is that no there is no simple and inexpensive way to do what you want. It will take years to get a payback.

You would most likely be better spending the money on improving insulation or replacing the boiler if it is old.

antoinolachtnai

If you are ill the wood burning stove entails extra labour which may not be advisable. Your saving will be relatively small for all the extra work whichever way you go.

I suppose an air to air heat pump would be a way to heat one or two rooms during the day. It is not labour intensive but it does require a bit of space. All of these things are projects that cost quite a bit.

I would check on a windy day with a candle to see if you can find any air gaps around windows or doors that can be sealed up. If there is any single glazed windows I would address that too.

Idbatterim

what about these op?

https://www.tado.com/ie/products/smart-radiator-valve

Can you not just heat the room you are in using an electric heater with a thermostat during day time ?

That might be the cheapest option ...

imokyrok

Idbatterim wrote: »

what about these op?

https://www.tado.com/ie/products/smart-radiator-valve

Can you not just heat the room you are in using an electric heater with a thermostat during day time ?

That might be the cheapest option ...

Those thermostats look interesting. I could fit them in the bedrooms to start. Thanks.

imokyrok

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

If you are ill the wood burning stove entails extra labour which may not be advisable. Your saving will be relatively small for all the extra work whichever way you go.

I suppose an air to air heat pump would be a way to heat one or two rooms during the day. It is not labour intensive but it does require a bit of space. All of these things are projects that cost quite a bit.

I would check on a windy day with a candle to see if you can find any air gaps around windows or doors that can be sealed up. If there is any single glazed windows I would address that too.

It's all double glazed. The house is 25 years old, a sprawly extended dormer bungalow and not very warm although comfortable enough with the heating on. It is in a windy location and on a poor axis for any sun advantage. Using the gfch more efficiently is about as good as I'm going to get with it I think.

the_pen_turner

depending on your plumbing layout this could be a huge job. almost a total replumb of that side of the house, floors up and chasing the floor.

how is the insulation in the house. you would see a better return upgrading that. there could be grants to do it and if you are disabled maybe 100% in some cases

i wouldnt put in a wood stove unless there is someone there to help bring in wood and clean it out.
an oil stove could be the answer. an elderly relative of mine has one . its great. her daughter lights it in the morning and it heats the kitchen , dining and sitting rooms lovely and warm. the central heating keeps the rest warm. it uses very little oil compared to the heat levels and time its on.


also how are the room renters going to feel if they come home to a cold room. they will be complaining straight away. and rightly so. surely their rent easily covers the cost of heating their rooms

Idbatterim

The op could knock on the heat in their rooms about half hour before they usually get home ...

rolion

Very hard and labour intensive project.
I will say you will get a quote for few thousands from a busy trader... to get thre and spend few days to do a significant amount of charged work.

Easy one: get a Honeywell EvoHome kit from H E R E with whatever number of smart valves you feel you need , one per radiator per room per zone.
Assign them a name and you can have 6 timers per day,24/7 such as morning, day time and night time..or...in the room and out of the room. Per hour and per block of hours with customised temperatures for each.
Set up the room at minimum of lets say 16 degrees day time and adjust it higher when people back in the room.
Don't switch off the valve as that will create a huge demand on the radiator to lift comfort from cold to warm.
Much more efficient to keep it warm and warmer than cold to warmer. Less work for radiator / boiler, more savings for you.

Installation is 110% DIY once you happy with RTFM and cost zero.
Plenty of tutorials on YouTube on how it works.
That will qualify as an SEAI approved heating control upgrades, putting back in your pocket most of the cost.

As you rent the rooms, the central controller can be installed anywhere in the house and every tenant can have visual access to the situation, settings, parameters.
You can keep control on the mobile app for yourself, with real-time updates and reports / status.
If the cloud gets "cloudy" and internet goes offline, you will have the controller that does all the work independently and with your full access and control. Not sure about other cloud based solution if you can still do that...

I've had mine installed years ago and I saved hundred in gas / heating bill.
Cant see why will not work in your case..

antoinolachtnai

This is only DIY if OP already has thermostatic radiator valves though?

imokyrok

the_pen_turner wrote: »

depending on your plumbing layout this could be a huge job. almost a total replumb of that side of the house, floors up and chasing the floor.

how is the insulation in the house. you would see a better return upgrading that. there could be grants to do it and if you are disabled maybe 100% in some cases

i wouldnt put in a wood stove unless there is someone there to help bring in wood and clean it out.
an oil stove could be the answer. an elderly relative of mine has one . its great. her daughter lights it in the morning and it heats the kitchen , dining and sitting rooms lovely and warm. the central heating keeps the rest warm. it uses very little oil compared to the heat levels and time its on.


also how are the room renters going to feel if they come home to a cold room. they will be complaining straight away. and rightly so. surely their rent easily covers the cost of heating their rooms

Obviously I would put on the heat before they come home just not all day. And no, the rent is minimal for reasons I won't bore you with.

Shelli2

We have the Honeywell Evohome and I would highly recommend it.

Edit to say: we got it through Electric Ireland and they did the installation for us.

the_pen_turner

imokyrok wrote: »

Obviously I would put on the heat before they come home just not all day. And no, the rent is minimal for reasons I won't bore you with.

obvioust i would be very mad if i found out my 'landlord' was doing this. i presume you would also turn it off at the weekends or any day they were not returning.

why not put 5 euro a week on the rent . thats 260 a year per room. that would easily cover the diference.

anyway.
it would depend on the plubing system. theoretically a few motorised valves in the right spot would bypass the rest of the loop.

bear in mind that this will have ballancing issues going from 4 rads to 11.

imokyrok

the_pen_turner wrote: »

obvioust i would be very mad if i found out my 'landlord' was doing this. i presume you would also turn it off at the weekends or any day they were not returning.

why not put 5 euro a week on the rent . thats 260 a year per room. that would easily cover the diference.

anyway.
it would depend on the plubing system. theoretically a few motorised valves in the right spot would bypass the rest of the loop.

bear in mind that this will have ballancing issues going from 4 rads to 11.

Why would you be mad that empty rooms were not heated?

the_pen_turner

imokyrok wrote: »

Why would you be mad that empty rooms were not heated?

because its my room that im paying for and would like to keep aired out

imokyrok

the_pen_turner wrote: »

because its my room that im paying for and would like to keep aired out

A room doesn't need heating on constantly to be 'aired out'. I want to save money and save energy and I make no apology for doing either.

imokyrok

imokyrok wrote: »

A room doesn't need heating on constantly to be 'aired out'. I want to save money and save energy and I make no apology for doing either.

Bypassing the loop might be worth looking at since you mention it. The distance from the boiler to the rad nearest the rented section isnt huge and pipework could go directly under the stair case from the utility room to said rad.