Alexa controlled heating from the ground up

[Kistelek]

We're in the early planning stages of the remodelling of our bungalow. PP is passed with next to no conditions (Yay!) so we're on with the internal stuff now. As the current heating is old and crap, we're planning on fitting all new gas central heating and hot water. We'd like to do individual room zones/times via smart stat/smart valves and We'd like to connect our Alexa set up to it.

Other than that, we have no particular requirements. Condensing Combi boiler seems to be the vogue these days. We have an ATAG in our current home that is fine but the ATAG One doesn't work with Alexa.

Can anyone point me at any guides to what we should be specifying/asking for and recommendations or horror stories of makes to avoid?

 

[bernardgreen]

Condensing Combi boiler seems to be the vogue these days.

Vogue or rogue ? You really need to select a system that is best suited to your heating and hot water requirements and not choose something just because it is "in vogue".

Combi boilers were "invented" specifically for flats and very small houses which had no space for a hot water cylinder.

 

[Kistelek]

I don't care if it's a bean can and candles if it's easy to control, cost effective, reasonably reliable and efficient. By in vogue I mean it's what everyone seems to fit these day.

This will be for a reasonably well insulated 3 bed, 3 reception bungalow of above average size housing 2 adults with a self-service dog grooming salon attached. So, heating about average and hot water above average.

 

[bernardgreen]

and hot water above average.

then definately use a hot water cylinder,

a self-service dog grooming salon attached

could mean hot water being taken by a self service customer while one of you is in the shower. That is likey to affect the flow and/or temprature in the shower.

I mean it's what everyone seems to fit these day

it is what many plumbers will tell you.

 

[foxhole]

Combi's are not as efficient so conventional set up would be better especially if you are also using it for business purposes.

 

[MeldrewsMate]

Frankly, it all depends on what size of self service dog salon you have. Two dogs or twenty dogs?
My preference would be to install a combi boiler near to or in the salon, its hot water output feeding one tap, but valved so that it can feed the others if required. A hot water cylinder would feed the salon taps usually, the combi supplementing it as required, via the valving system above.
A second hot water cylinder would service only the main bungalow.

With the above setup, or similar, solar pv panels ( on your deliberately oriented south facing roof) would provide power (via a diverter such as iSolar or Immersun) for the hot water, supplemented by the boiler on cloudy days/winter/ or at times of high demand. Additionally it allows you to directly measure the energy going into the salon's HW system for accounting purposes, and keep the domestic and business energy consumptions seperate.
I also suggest making room available for a battery storage system such as the Tesla Powerwall (but you'll obviously want to buy a British made alternative) to allow addition of this money saving upgrade as funds allow.

 

[Kistelek]

We've got 8 dogs. Hungarian pulis. They take A LOT of bathing. Given the location I suspect we'd be our own main customer.

After people said to review my original idea of a combi, I went away and did a bit of research. Finding good sources is not easy as everyone's trying to sell you their "thing". My latest "back of a fag packet" idea given the shape and size of everything and the likely demands, is a system boiler, tank and using a bit of the roof for solar hot water with the rest of the roof with solar PV with a battery in the garage.

I also suggest making room available for a battery storage system such as the Tesla Powerwall (but you'll obviously want to buy a British made alternative) to allow addition of this money saving upgrade as funds allow.

I think, from what I've read, that the battery market is still a bit immature but it's starting to settle down. Smart metering and a variety of new tariffs in the near future along with the recent announcement of suppliers being pushed to buy back surplus electric, would seem to suggest if you've got the room and capital to set up such a system it will be beneficial financially in the long term although probably not "retire and let the money roll in" sort of numbers. I doubt leccy prices will go down much over time so payback times are only likely to get shorter.