Advice required for suitable heat source in 90s home

LillySV · 13-03-2021 9:41pm #1

ok lads, have a detached two story house built in 1997, use small cheap non boiler stove to heat bottom floor at present and use oiler boiler to heat upstairs and heat water.....house is destroyed with ashes from the stove though so have to change it...dont think theres any point in buying a better solid fuel stove though when the likes of the greens are in and mad to cut all that out...so looking for other suitable options to heat up my home...would be nice if it heated water also but main concern is heating the home..

I dont know if wood pellet boiler would be a future proof idea as once again i fear the current green/dumbass govt in power could ban all solid fuel, including wood pellets?. There isnt any natural gas available in my area to use with a gas stove...could get canisters...but once again dont know if it be safe future wise?. I know ground to air heating pumps isnt an option for me , so thinking air to water heat pump ..or solar power to heat house perhaps..? Anyone in the know that could advise what would suit my situation best?

Ubbquittious · 13-03-2021 10:12pm

You could put in a new stove with boiler. Its easier to get timber than pellets. Anyone can cut timber but to make pellets you need a special machine that costs many thousands. Make sure you put in a good big one if you go down that route. Phuq the greens, theyll be gone again soon hopefully.

You could put in an oil boiler. But you 're opening yourself up to carbon tax and the price of oil then

If you want a heat pump theyll probably tell you that you need to fly the pope in from Rome to bless the house before youd be eligible for a grant so if you go down that route better to eschew the grant and DIY it.

LillySV · 13-03-2021 10:35pm

Ubbquittious wrote: »

You could put in a new stove with boiler. Its easier to get timber than pellets. Anyone can cut timber but to make pellets you need a special machine that costs many thousands. Make sure you put in a good big one if you go down that route. Phuq the greens, theyll be gone again soon hopefully.

You could put in an oil boiler. But you 're opening yourself up to carbon tax and the price of oil then

If you want a heat pump theyll probably tell you that you need to fly the pope in from Rome to bless the house before youd be eligible for a grant so if you go down that route better to eschew the grant and DIY it.

id buy a better solid stove in a haeartbeat but know i heard that c@n# Michael Martin say he would be done with fossil fuels and will ban it just like he did with the cigarettes...Thats the feather in his cap and he wants to add to that and has proven that he doesnt care about country people...

Are these heat pumps any good though or is the technology still too fresh and needs perfecting? Is the solar panels any good either?

Ubbquittious · 13-03-2021 10:50pm

LillySV wrote: »

id buy a better solid stove in a haeartbeat but know i heard that c@n# Michael Martin say he would be done with fossil fuels and will ban it just like he did with the cigarettes...Thats the feather in his cap and he wants to add to that and has proven that he doesnt care about country people...

Are these heat pumps any good though or is the technology still too fresh and needs perfecting? Is the solar panels any good either?

Just as well timber and turf are far related from fossils.

The heatpumps themselves are OK but they'll only heat water to 35 or 40 degrees before they become very inefficient. If your rads are too small or your house to draughty you'll be in the cold.

LillySV · 13-03-2021 11:01pm

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Just as well timber and turf are far related from fossils.

The heatpumps themselves are OK but they'll only heat water to 35 or 40 degrees before they become very inefficient. If your rads are too small or your house to draughty you'll be in the cold.

so technology in it still has a good way to go then.

any other options?
apart from timber and turf haha

Ubbquittious · 13-03-2021 11:06pm

LillySV wrote: »

so technology in it still has a good way to go then.

any other options?
apart from timber and turf haha

Insulating the absolute bejaysus out of the house and using solar might be possible but it would be an exotic setup

Ring calor or flo gas and they'll probably be dieing to throw a boiler & gas tank at you but this isn't a cheap option in the long run. Bit dearer than oil I would say

Stihl waters · 13-03-2021 11:14pm

Oil all the way, 20 plus years out of a boiler, heat at the flick of a switch, stick in an electric shower for immediate hot water, immersion in the summer for any hot water you'll need,no ashes, turf, timber coal, and absolutely insulate the house as much as possible, oil is going nowhere for a long time

slave1 · 13-03-2021 11:51pm

Ahem, renewables forum.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.
Windows, doors, attic, walls, cavity, under floor, small porch at front/back door, multi fuel stove.
Then PV to take care of hot water April to September and modest reduction of electricity costs throughout the year.

LillySV · 14-03-2021 1:17am

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Insulating the absolute bejaysus out of the house and using solar might be possible but it would be an exotic setup

Ring calor or flo gas and they'll probably be dieing to throw a boiler & gas tank at you but this isn't a cheap option in the long run. Bit dearer than oil I would say

live in Galway City and pipe goes near near here but gas crowd wont bring it into estate unless i get afew people to sign up....have no intention of beggin half the estate to change to gas so i can get it...and cant believe these friggers expect people to do that! I do like the idea of gas stove though...would uying gas canisters be a mad idea?

LillySV · 14-03-2021 1:20am

Stihl waters wrote: »

Oil all the way, 20 plus years out of a boiler, heat at the flick of a switch, stick in an electric shower for immediate hot water, immersion in the summer for any hot water you'll need,no ashes, turf, timber coal, and absolutely insulate the house as much as possible, oil is going nowhere for a long time

slave1 wrote: »

Ahem, renewables forum.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.
Windows, doors, attic, walls, cavity, under floor, small porch at front/back door, multi fuel stove.
Then PV to take care of hot water April to September and modest reduction of electricity costs throughout the year.

yea got the house pumped, new front and back doors also which has made a massive improvement. Pv as in solar panels?

MacronvFrugals · 14-03-2021 1:28am

LillySV wrote: »

yea got the house pumped, new front and back doors also which has made a massive improvement. Pv as in solar panels?

Cavity pumped? Would you mind if i asked how much that cost?

LillySV · 14-03-2021 1:34am

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

Cavity pumped? Would you mind if i asked how much that cost?

it was a few years ago and ive a memory like a sieve...think it couldve been around 2,500

MacronvFrugals · 14-03-2021 1:37am

LillySV wrote: »

it was a few years ago and ive a memory like a sieve...think it couldve been around 2,500

Pleasantly surprised at that thought it cost 10k+

Thanks

Ubbquittious · 14-03-2021 11:10am

LillySV wrote: »

live in Galway City and pipe goes near near here but gas crowd wont bring it into estate unless i get afew people to sign up....have no intention of beggin half the estate to change to gas so i can get it...and cant believe these friggers expect people to do that! I do like the idea of gas stove though...would uying gas canisters be a mad idea?

Calor or Flo would give you a 500/1000L tank. No need to buy cannisters or petition the estate

sebdavis · 14-03-2021 12:12pm

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

Pleasantly surprised at that thought it cost 10k+

Thanks

Cavity pump is cheap. You are thinking about external insulation. I done a 3,000 sqft bungalow with a cavity pump and it was a few k.

sebdavis · 14-03-2021 12:14pm

slave1 wrote: »

Ahem, renewables forum.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.
Windows, doors, attic, walls, cavity, under floor, small porch at front/back door, multi fuel stove.
Then PV to take care of hot water April to September and modest reduction of electricity costs throughout the year.

Yes it is the renewables forum but the last thing anyone would want is putting in a heating system which will be burning fuel non stop to try heat the house.

Yes insulation is clearly the way to go but the cost might be too much with insulation and then the cost of a heat pump.

If you spend money and do the basic insulation a new condenser oil boiler "could" be the greenest way to heat the house.

ei9go · 14-03-2021 12:18pm

What is the BER of your house?

You cannot install a heat pump unless you spend a fortune on insulation and bring the house up to modern standards.

The radiators would only run around 40 degrees so they become huge.

Even though this is a renewable forum, the only cost effective choice is an oil boiler.

LillySV · 14-03-2021 1:06pm

MacronvFrugals wrote: »

Pleasantly surprised at that thought it cost 10k+

Thanks

just checked and it was done in late 2011! cost me 2350, after grant deductions... felt the difference but believe it or not, the biggest difference i felt in house straight away was when i changed the front and rear doors of house!

Anyways so going on replies here...air to water doesnt have much heat output so would definitely require full change to the likes of aluminium radiators to benefit from it..which would be fine if im starting off kitting out a new house and have yet to purchase radaitors etc...im not in this situation so its probably not gon to pay itself back for me...

What about the solar panels then for central heating? is that better or worse than air to water ..or is it even a runner?

whats gas stoves like? Expensive to run or cheap in comparison to turning on oil for an hour?

wexfordman2 · 14-03-2021 1:20pm

LillySV wrote: »

just checked and it was done in late 2011! cost me 2350, after grant deductions... felt the difference but believe it or not, the biggest difference i felt in house straight away was when i changed the front and rear doors of house!

Anyways so going on replies here...air to water doesnt have much heat output so would definitely require full change to the likes of aluminium radiators to benefit from it..which would be fine if im starting off kitting out a new house and have yet to purchase radaitors etc...im not in this situation so its probably not gon to pay itself back for me...

What about the solar panels then for central heating? is that better or worse than air to water ..or is it even a runner?

whats gas stoves like? Expensive to run or cheap in comparison to turning on oil for an hour?

Solar panels for electricity (and where excess can be used to heat your water) are a great idea, but not from the perspective of a heat source, they won't provide anything near the demand you need when your heat requirement is highest (Nov to Jan feb)

LillySV · 15-03-2021 11:13pm

Anyone have any experience of small oil stoves? Brother said he knows of a guy who has one and reckons they are the business...doesnt use much..

Stihl waters · 15-03-2021 11:37pm

LillySV wrote: »

Anyone have any experience of small oil stoves? Brother said he knows of a guy who has one and reckons they are the business...doesnt use much..

Used to have one here, I only changed to solid because the oil stove started giving trouble, I'm sorry I didn't buy another oil stove instead of putting in a solid, they literally run on a drip feed of kerosene, if I could I'd go back to the oil, heat at the flick of a switch and no mess with timber or coal

LillySV · 27-03-2021 9:10pm

just wondering what peoples thoughts are on wood pellet stoves? are they good, as in cheap to run and effective? or costly ? I assume dust wouldnt be an issue with these as very little from them surely?

unkel · 28-03-2021 1:52am

LillySV wrote: »

just wondering what peoples thoughts are on wood pellet stoves? are they good, as in cheap to run and effective? or costly ? I assume dust wouldnt be an issue with these as very little from them surely?

A simple thought for us all in this 21st century: don't burn stuff.

Stihl waters · 28-03-2021 7:47am

unkel wrote: »

A simple thought for us all in this 21st century: don't burn stuff.

A noble sentiment and one I agree with, but until affordable alternatives are made available freely to everyone then we're stuck burning for a long time to come

LillySV · 28-03-2021 11:32am

unkel wrote: »

A simple thought for us all in this 21st century: don't burn stuff.

Find me a suitable option then

Air to water is out, solar won’t do it .... so what other option other than burning ?

mp3guy · 28-03-2021 5:49pm

unkel wrote: »

A simple thought for us all in this 21st century: don't burn stuff.

If you're in a rural area, nothing wrong with burning wood. It's renewable.

dathi · 29-03-2021 10:51am

mp3guy wrote: »

If you're in a rural area, nothing wrong with burning wood. It's renewable.

but it doesn't take account of the carbon emissions involved with harvesting and transporting the timber. also if you cut down a 20 year old tree for fuel even if you plant new tree it will be 20 years before it captures the same amount of carbon by which time we will be well passed the tipping point of climate change

mp3guy · 29-03-2021 11:42am

dathi wrote: »

but it doesn't take account of the carbon emissions involved with harvesting and transporting the timber. also if you cut down a 20 year old tree for fuel even if you plant new tree it will be 20 years before it captures the same amount of carbon by which time we will be well passed the tipping point of climate change

The harvesting and transporting for wood will be decarbonised the same way that the harvesting and transporting of everything else will be decarbonised.

No point being extremist or cutting off your nose to spite your face. Wood is a clean renewable resource that is entirely practical to use in select situations (i.e. not being burnt by every house in a town with dozens of housing estates).

unkel · 29-03-2021 2:32pm

Stihl waters wrote: »

A noble sentiment and one I agree with, but until affordable alternatives are made available freely to everyone then we're stuck burning for a long time to come

Solar and wind electricity are already cheaper to produce than any other form of electricity, even dirt cheap coal or gas

Stihl waters · 29-03-2021 5:19pm

unkel wrote: »

Solar and wind electricity are already cheaper to produce than any other form of electricity, even dirt cheap coal or gas

That's not my point, it's the cost to the end user that's unaffordable

LillySV · 29-03-2021 7:52pm

unkel wrote: »

Solar and wind electricity are already cheaper to produce than any other form of electricity, even dirt cheap coal or gas

But would solar or wind energy power my heating the whole year ?

When u say wind energy you probably mean a massive turbine that won’t fit in my little back garden!? Haha

So back to what I asked ... what would work for me in a house ... not what’s good for the world in afew years time when they get it right

Advice required for suitable heat source in 90s home

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