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Advice and good long term choice

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  • 03-02-2019 11:43pm
    #1
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭


    Hi.
    Looking for advice and an idea of costs for what to put in place here.
    I've bought this new house and basically all that exists is the hole in the wall, it’s in the sitting room of the house. It's a detached house in an estate. (I’ve tried to add a picture but the file is too big).

    There is oil central heating in the house as it is and a radiator in each room.

    There is no back boiler obviously.

    Basically, what are my options and what's best in the long term as I don't want to move anytime soon???
    I've no idea.

    I know I can consider an electric fireplace, a fuel burning stove and possibly a wood burner.

    What's the way to go, money isn't exactly flowing after the purchase but would still make to make the best long term choice.

    Thanks


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    #2
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭piobhan


    I can’t upload a pic as the pic is too big apparently.

    It’s just the basic hole in the wall that the builders leave.

    What would be a good long term option, finances are tight but would still like to make the best long term choice as I don’t plan on moving.
    Anyone? Thanks


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    #3
    antoinolachtnai
    Registered Users Posts: 9,773 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    The best choice is probably actually to cover up the hole and use the oil heating to heat the house.

    Unless you have a source of free fuel, there is no particular economic benefit in having a solid fuel fireplace.

    I suppose you are looking at something between high hundreds to low thousands to put a stove and all the trimmings in there, assuming the chimney is ok.

    If you cover up the hole, you can always put in a fireplace some other time when you are more flush with money.

    You could put an electric fire in front of the hole if you like that kind of thing.


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    #4
    monseiur
    Registered Users Posts: 1,210 ✭✭✭monseiur


    You could fit a small wood burning stove like an 8kw Poplar costs about €400 or something like an Aarrow Ecoburn 6 kw costs about €1,000
    Both will burn kiln dried wood, and have a glass door so will give the sitting room a homely warm ambiance and act as a focal point......and of course tons of heat.
    M.


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    #5
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭piobhan


    After going to my local plumbing store, they are recommending getting a
    - Wood pellet burning stove.

    Will give off good heat and produces little ashes etc - meeting my requirements.

    They had a small 6kw stove for approximately 1,000 plus 200 for piping.

    Are these a good long term option, bearing in mind I have oil heating anyways?

    Any pros & cons of these wood pellet burning stoves?

    Thanks


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    #6
    antoinolachtnai
    Registered Users Posts: 9,773 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    Is it going to be tied into the heating system? How much will this cost to fit? This is definitely not a DIY job.

    I would not do this. You just don't need it and it is a lot of money for very little benefit. Who has time to fuel and empty these things? You would want to be happy that all the other jobs around the house were done before you got involved with this project.

    But others may have more positive stories about this type of system.


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    #7
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭piobhan


    antoinolachtnai wrote: »
    Is it going to be tied into the heating system? How much will this cost to fit? This is definitely not a DIY job.

    I would not do this. You just don't need it and it is a lot of money for very little benefit. Who has time to fuel and empty these things? You would want to be happy that all the other jobs around the house were done before you got involved with this project.

    But others may have more positive stories about this type of system.

    No No, not at all. it's going to be something completely separate - not connected to the oil heating system or anything.
    I'm just thinking of the nights your staying in and want to have some sort of system for heating the living room without having the oil on unnecessarily - I'm no plumber and no DIY man so maybe my thinking is arse ways!! ha


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    #8
    antoinolachtnai
    Registered Users Posts: 9,773 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    The thing is, you can use a 2kW electric heater. Sure, it’s more expensive to run than electric, but there’s no big up-front outlay.

    The difference is about 8 or 9 cent per kWh at most, assuming you have plenty space to store pellets so you can buy in bulk. To make this worth your while you would need to run this thing for 12,000 kWh (12000*.09 euros saving =1080 euros, the cost of the stove). In reality you will probably use it for 500 hours a year so maybe 1500 kWh so it will take you a fair while to get a payback, even assuming there is no maintenance required on it.

    By all means get it if you really want it, but if money is tight I would be careful!


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    #9
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭piobhan


    antoinolachtnai wrote: »
    The thing is, you can use a 2kW electric heater. Sure, it’s more expensive to run than electric, but there’s no big up-front outlay.

    The difference is about 8 or 9 cent per kWh at most, assuming you have plenty space to store pellets so you can buy in bulk. To make this worth your while you would need to run this thing for 12,000 kWh (12000*.09 euros saving =1080 euros, the cost of the stove). In reality you will probably use it for 500 hours a year so maybe 1500 kWh so it will take you a fair while to get a payback, even assuming there is no maintenance required on it.

    By all means get it if you really want it, but if money is tight I would be careful!

    Do you need to edit that - are you trying to say the pellet burning stove is about 8 or 9 cent cheaper per hour??

    Am I understanding correctly, the Electric fire would approximately be 8 or 9 cent more per hour to run but giving out heat at 2kw compared to, for ex a 6kw pellet burning stove? :confused:


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    #10
    antoinolachtnai
    Registered Users Posts: 9,773 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    Not quite.

    Electricity is probably going to work out 9c more expensive per kWh(kilowatt-hour). KWh is the unit for energy and heat is just a type of energy.

    As you rightly say the electric heater has a different hourly output from the stove so to make the comparison ‘fair’ I am using kWh.

    If you run a 2kW heater for an hour you will have used 2kWh of energy.

    You wouldn’t have the stove running at 6KW even though that is the peak output possible. The room would just get too hot. In practice the output on average would be less as a result. There is also some loss from the stove (some heat goes out the chimney) but let’s not worry about that for now.


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    #11
    piobhan
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭piobhan


    No decisions have been made yet on what to put in the sitting room. My power is due to be reconnected on the next 2 weeks so am trying to have everything lined up for then.

    The room is approximately 25 square yards.

    If I do go down the wood pellet stove route(as I said, no decision made), is it possible to fit it as a normal looking inset stove, the other half does not like the industrial looking generic wood pellet stoves that stand out from the wall and look like ‘a mini fridge’.

    Can anyone recommend a good reasonably priced inset wood pellet burning stove to look at it?

    Thanks for the help and guidance


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