Central heating & hot water - how should we plan to upgrade

[Temmy]

Hello,

Not really a DIY question at this stage, but definitely after some advice and thoughts.

Our house central heating is run by an old (talking 90s) oil boiler and our hot water by immersion. Everything in the house when it comes to the central heating and hot water setup is bad and archaic. Just terrible, and considering the age of it, I suspect it won't be long in the future when it gives up and something critical fails. I genuinely have dreams of ripping it out.

My understanding is the government are going to ban the sale of new oil boilers in 2026. At the same time (like I imagine is the case for many UK properties) the house isn't designed for an air source heat pump. The floors are uninsulated concrete, there is no underfloor heating, and the insulation in some rooms is, I assume, non-existent.

That being the case, how would you plan for the future? If you had to renew your system before 2026 would you still pour money into an oil setup with rads, or is there a different option I'm not considering?

Cheers.

 

[elite123]

In a similar boat - identify existing insulation and where this could sensibly be upgraded. Then do heat loss calcs before purchasing a heatpump that can handle the requirements, and upgrade any radiators that require it

 

[Temmy]

Is it viable to run a heat pump through radiators? I've always been under the impression that's where the problems of people feeling like they're not doing anything begin.

 

[foxhole]

Would need more info , is gas available ? Type of property, do you have A garden , any roof south facing?
Think you misunderstood gas boiler ban , which is from 2025 on new builds only , not existing properties.

 

[Brigadier]

It's already a nightmare trying to get any gas engineer out fit a gas boiler breakdown, especially if it breaks down during a cold spell.
I expect this will only get worse, as the number of engineers starts to drop off with the boiler phase out.
As a minimum, I'll always keep the back-up of electric showers.

 

[Mottie]

As a minimum, I'll always keep the back-up of electric showers.

Or a conventional system with an immersion backup.

 

[foxhole]

It's already a nightmare trying to get any gas engineer out fit a gas boiler breakdown, especially if it breaks down during a cold spell.
I expect this will only get worse, as the number of engineers starts to drop off with the boiler phase out.
As a minimum, I'll always keep the back-up of electric showers.

Why would engineers reduce , many types of boiler all require installation and maintenance .?

 

[Brigadier]

Why would engineers reduce , many types of boiler all require installation and maintenance .?

Why would their numbers not decrease, with the decreasing number of boilers (the whole point of the "ban")?

And, as I'd already stated, it's been a bugger for a few years now, even getting an engineer to answer, let alone attend.
It's not got better over the years IME, and I don't see this trend reversing.

 

[flameport]

Is it viable to run a heat pump through radiators?

Yes, it is.

They will run at a lower surface temperature than some people with 40+ year old boilers or modern ones set to ridiculously high flow temperatures might expect.
It's essential that the radiators are sized appropriately for the heat requirements of the building - but that's true of any heating system.

In the past, most oil and gas boilers have been grossly oversized, which covered up most of the problems of incorrectly sized radiators by being able to run them at temperatures similar to that of molten lava. As gas was being given away for almost nothing ,no one really cared or noticed.

Every heating system installed in the last 20 years should have been designed for 55C radiators, to have the benefit of increased efficiency of condensing boilers.
Plenty were not, with the result that for many, their efficient condensing boiler performed about as well as the non-condensing piece which it replaced.

At the same time (like I imagine is the case for many UK properties) the house isn't designed for an air source heat pump.

There are no 'designed for a heat pump' houses.
A heat pump is a device which creates heat. It cannot know what type, age or condition of home it is installed into.

If your house is poorly insulated it will require more energy to heat it, which will mean larger radiators, a more powerful heat pump and higher running costs.
The same applies to a gas, oil, or any heating system.

Underfloor heating can be used with a heap pump. It's not a requirement.

 

[JPE23]

We have a similar issue with a similarly old gas boiler (early 90s, maybe older). We were going to get a combi until I researched better and discovered that tank based systems are better for just about everything (outside of small properties). Now we're going to upgrade and move the tank and upgrade our boiler. Heat pump system is a possibility too.

TLDR: Keep tank.