Anyone know 'owt about heating houses?

[k0pp0]

So.. After yet another fecking freezing winter in my house, we've decided to sort stuff out. Got new double glazing being installed but we still have crappy night storage heaters. Does anyone know enough about Oil heating installation and running costs vs solar panels?

[CMcK]

I'm guessing you don't have a gas supply at your residence then? Get the house insulatted as best you can first. Heating oil is very common in remote parts of Scotland but I have seen more and more people going for solar panels in tandem with the oil system.

[k0pp0]

Already insulated, and plugging up gaps etc as we go along. Going to replace the open fire with a wood burner.

Nope, no gas as we're out in the sticks.

I suppose solar panels in tandem would work for high leccy usage (ie: with immersion heaters)

[CMcK]

Better using the solar panels as a heat exchanger to help heat your water.

[QualityChimp]

Could you look at under-floor heating?

Conventional central heating has radiators that sit at the side of a room heating the back of a sofa or under a window, whereas under-floor heating goes from the middle of the room and rises.

Such a sensible idea!

[Brad]

My new place has night storage heaters too. Not sure what to do about it. I don't think there's a gas supply there either.

[k0pp0]

Under floor heating.. very much dependant on water, oil or electric.. So not sure about that.

@FSW.. If you've got dimplex heaters I can explain how to use them (if you don't know).. But I want to get shot of mine. The missus hates the look of them too (rightly so).

[CMcK]

I have underfloor heating in the shower room as well as a towel radiator. It is surprising how well it works. If memory serves it is a 250w element but it heats the room up quickly and isn't expensive to run.

The good lady is a fan but I don't like the warm tiles under my feet. Feels a bit weird.

[charlesr]

Do you have a chimney? Get a chimney balloon to prevent heat escaping. Similarly put a pad of foam on top of the loft hatch panel which is normally just a thin piece of mdf which is poor at insulation.

Double the thickness of the loft insulation if it looks thin. You shouldn't be able to see the vertical beams on the loft floor.

Cavity walls if poss.

I have oil and a fairly big old house and I use around 2000L a year I think. Guessing around ?1000.
With oil, you need to include a tank pump every 4 years to remove any condensed water buildup (oil floats on water and if the water rises to the level of the gravity feed to the boiler you are screwed big time - getting water out of the feed is expensive). You are also supposed to service the oil boiler every year, but this is so costly, you might as well just put the money in a bank account each year and buy a new boiler if it makes signs of dying.

[charlesr]

If you want me to check my records for more exact cost detail, let me know.

[k0pp0]

Thanks Charles - Chimney will be sealed up with a wood burner, so no heat escape there.

I think the initial outlay is going to be around 4-5k upfront for Oil. Solar panels seem to be coming down in price as well, and in theory should pay themselves off eventually.

Also been looking at the 'Green Deal' site here http://www.greendealorb.co.uk - grants and payment schemes for getting shot of old crappy heating. Essentially you get the work done and 'mortgage' the payments into your leccy bill..

[Brad]

My house in Skyrim had an open fire pit. Might just make one of those.

[k0pp0]

My house in Skyrim had an open fire pit. Might just make one of those.

Not so good with the kids crawling around. And the glare on the tv is a swine.

[Nijo]

Also been looking at the 'Green Deal' site here http://www.greendealorb.co.uk - grants and payment schemes for getting shot of old crappy heating. Essentially you get the work done and 'mortgage' the payments into your leccy bill..

I had a quick look at the Green Deal. It's a con.

You have to borrow the money at stupid rates (7% I think), must use whatever cowboy providers are on the scheme, and if you sell you house (and the new buyer doesn't want to take on your debt) you have to pay it off *and all interest you would have accrued over the full term*. That is, no early repayment.

Compare with the German scheme where you get €75000 at 1%, and can use any firm you like.


The British implementation of this is designed to fleece the poor/unwary and line the pockets of firms involved.

[charlesr]

There were much better subsidies until last summer when they were withrdrawn.