Help with understanding blocks please....

[r6deano]

With a ground source heat pump, you're picking up the stored warmth held in the ground that's a fairly similar temperature all year round, but as Air Source heat pumps are trying to extract heat from a rising and falling outside air temperature, the coefficient of efficiency is undeterminable. Okay for autumn, crap for winter. The other benefit of a ground source pump, is that you can reverse some systems in the summer, and get air conditioning.

I'd love a GSHP Doggit, but I'm told I need a garden with a footprint of treble the square meterage of the house - which I haven't. Bore hole alternative method will exceed my budget for CH.

Ideally I'd have as green-a-set up as poss - with an ASHP being powered by PV, with battery storage etc etc, and solar thermal working with my woodburner in a triple coil cylinder (!) but I've just not been convinced with the figures and payback of solar. Shame.

I'm hoping the ASHP will take care of March-Nov demands, and the woodburners' back boiler will go the extra mile for the winter.

I will get a installed quote on the ASHP with the RHI payback - if it's around £7500 installed and I can get half-ish back over the 7 years then i think it's worth a pop- I've kept my oil tank as a precaution if I need to pop a boiler back in.

 

[r6deano]

The problem with bricks slips deano, is that you need to be pretty good at pointing. The manufacturers suggest using a Pointmaster to pump in the mortar, and then use a rake to finish off. The problem is you need to be pretty experienced to get the mortar mix right; too wet, and the Pointmaster just squeezes out water, to dry, and nothing comes out. It's very easy to ruin the face of the slips by getting cement on them. And I know because my pointing crap.

Understood - thanks for that info. The place could probably do with repointing anyway, so I'm happy for a pro to do any pointing, assuming they are happy that slips would give a similar finish (again, purely for the EWI scenario)

 

[Doggit]

Have you though about a pellet woodburner. Pretty green and controllable. If you're determined to go for an ASHP, then ask for a list of other installations, and then give them a ring first.

 

[r6deano]

Have you though about a pellet woodburner. Pretty green and controllable. If you're determined to go for an ASHP, then ask for a list of other installations, and then give them a ring first.

The Mrs and I have had a Dream for a while now of the crackling log fire - so as much as I'm pro green/renewable, vanity has won versus the wood pellets!

Good shout on getting references first

 

[Doggit]

Sorry deano, I meant instead of the ASHP

 

[r6deano]

Sorry deano, I meant instead of the ASHP

You mean like a biomass boiler in the utility as opposed to a woodburner stove in the lounge?

 

[Doggit]

No both; stoves are great for occasional use, and biomass boilers for heating the whole house. I lived in a mansion block in London, and has a gas log fire installed in the living room. We switched on the CH when we came in, then once the place was warm, turned on the gas log fire for the evening, then switch the heating on again for half an hour before bedtime. The heating bills dropped dramatically. Now my partner has EWI in a 3 bed1930 single skin house, and with the log fire in the living room, the cooking, heating and hot water came to £370 last year.

If you've got easy access to wood, then woodburners are great, but I think biomass boilers are better than air sources heat pumps.

Check this article out http://info.cat.org.uk/questions/heatpumps/how-can-i-ensure-air-source-heat-pump-ashp-efficient/