Heating a House that has solar panels and gas.

noelfitz

With the help of participants here I am trying to optimise my use of solar panels. Most issues are now resolved, but I want to focus on heating the house now.

At present I live in a bungalow with three elderly people, two in their eighties. I have radiators turned on fully in three areas, hall, bathroom and sitting room. The hall thermostat is 20 degrees and the gas boiler for the radiators is 68 degrees when heating is on.

At present I turn the gas heating booster on for an hour and 7:30 am and if required I turn on the gas booster for an hour during the day, repeating if desired. If I am in a room on my own I heat the room with a Dimplex, if other heating is not needed.

I realise I am not using solar energy much in heating the house.

Is this an adequate way to heat a house at present in my circumstances?

All suggestions and modifications are very welcome.

bullit_dodger

Depends a little on what the goal is. The problem with older houses (my own one originally too which was built in the '90s) is that there is usually one thermostat located in the hallway, so in order for it to function, you have to heat the hallway which is not where people are at mostly. The hallway might be 20C, while the living room might be 23C or even 18C…..what you need is room controlled heating.

Being able to set the temperature for the living room to be 21C or 22C, and then set the hall/bathroom to different temps.

You can do this via various means. the one I use is Tado.

tado˚ Smart Thermostat | The end of high heating costs!

Each radiator has a little electronic valve which you can set and when a room needs heat it turns on the boiler. It's couple of hundred euros (€200-300) to kit out a house with it, but well worth the money. I installed it myself, but you may need to get a spark for 2hrs for the job (it's easy - but unless your confortable with electrics - better safe than sorry)

JayBee66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058373142/heating-a-house-that-has-solar-panels-and-gas

Electric onesies for all?

As you have surmised, with your small inverter and no battery, the best you are going to do is try and be as conservative as you can in the warmer months and make as much FIT credit as you can for the colder months.

There's not much more you can do with your set up. Especially with oldies, who might wear overcoats even in the summer. I'm 58 and walk around in a t-shirt without the heating on in winter. The Other Half, is 56 and has reptilian DNA so I have to be mindful of her, when she comes home.

If you have access to usage charts then a year's worth of data will give you a better idea of seasonal variation. Also, looking at the daily charts to see how lifestyle affects things. But… without the battery to load balance and a small inverter that begs for the grid the moment the kettle is switched on you are always going to have to limit your ambitions.

Best just to live your life in the knowledge that the panels are contributing to lowering your electricity bill and you are not going to be able to optimise much. If you are not using an electricity supplier who also supplies gas then you might consider doing that so your FIT credit pays for the gas.