Heating to make most of 'free' hot water (solar, back boiler

[WM264]

Hi,

I'm planning a wet UFH heating system which will be using a vented cylinder coupled to a wood stove, gas boiler and electric thermostat.

Later on I'll add solar PV panels, which I'll set to power the immersion heater if they're generating spare leccy instead of exporting.

To make the most of all this 'free' hot water (from the back boiler if the stove is on, and the solar -> electric heated water), I wonder if it's possible to set a thermostat to use one temperature if the water is free, but only actually fire up the boiler if the temp in the house falls beneath a second, lower temperature?

I like the idea of being able to heat the house to a more 'luxurious' temperate if I've got the stove producing hot water anyway.

Possible?! Thanks!

 

[Agile]

You dont seem to realise that solar PV produces so little power that its not going to be of much significance for water heating.

Tony

 

[WM264]

Ok, maybe ignore the solar aspect for now, just assuming solid fuel is providing excess heat, how can I use that elsewhere when it's available, without forcing the boiler to fire otherwise?

(Or maybe swap PV for solar thermal, same principle then applies. For reference I was thinking along the lines of solarimmersionheaterswitch).

 

[dcawkwell]

Hi,

I'm planning a wet UFH heating system which will be using a vented cylinder coupled to a wood stove, gas boiler and electric thermostat.

Later on I'll add solar PV panels, which I'll set to power the immersion heater if they're generating spare leccy instead of exporting.

To make the most of all this 'free' hot water (from the back boiler if the stove is on, and the solar -> electric heated water), I wonder if it's possible to set a thermostat to use one temperature if the water is free, but only actually fire up the boiler if the temp in the house falls beneath a second, lower temperature?

I like the idea of being able to heat the house to a more 'luxurious' temperate if I've got the stove producing hot water anyway.

Possible?! Thanks!

Unless you have lots of time on your hand to stoke your stove with sacks and sacks of wood and prepare the wood for the stove you will end up with the stove doing nothing and the gas boiler doing all the work.

 

[WM264]

you will end up with the stove doing nothing and the gas boiler doing all the work.

Maybe! But we already have the stove (sans back boiler), and run it most winter evenings and a lot of the weekend.

Only, it only heats up the one room yet has plenty of 'spare' heat that should be being put to better use!