Heating Bills

[6X]

I’m about to do some home refurbishment and will be replacing the old boiler (oil). I want to do away with the cold tank in the loft and the hot water cylinder. Looking at the various options, the heat bank / thermal store system looks good in principle but I’m not sure about the running costs. At a time of ever increasing oil prices I don’t want to install a system that’s expensive to run.
As I understand it, water is stored at temperatures around 80°C. My question is, are these systems costly to run? How does the running cost compare with a standard hot water cylinder?

 

[simond]

The heat bank does look good in principle. But then so does a Toyota Prius.

Personal experience says that they are not as reliable or longlived as a regular unvented cylinder.

As far as economy goes, you will be able to find claims from different corners that either comes top.

I was using Apple computers when they were deeply unfashionable. I have an unfashionable boiler, an unpopular (on this forum) accumulator system, and the marvellous but rarely specified Honeywell Hometronic BMS controlling my radiators.

So if you want to slightly buck the trend and fit a heatstore, go for it. I'd recommend the DPS Pandora worthy of investigation, because they have tried to design out most of the pitfalls.

As oil boilers do not modulate (OK, I know there are a very few with two stage etc) the heatstore load bank should reduce cycling, so it is a more relevant partner to an oil boiler than a modulating gas unit.

Make sure you have an incoming flow rate of water that will justify your investment in the store.

 

[Agile]

But then so does a Toyota Prius.

Whats wrong with that car?

A friend ( also ex BBC engineer ) has one of those or a similar hybrid car and he likes it apart from having bits under the bonnet that he has not seen before.

One of the advantages, he told me, is that it is exempt from the congestion charge! However, as he lives in Devon and never comes to London. that seems to me to be of little relevance to him!

Tony

 

[6X]

I'd recommend the DPS Pandora worthy of investigation,

Thanks for the reply. What about the DPS GXV heat banks? Any comments?