measure zoned system usage

[richbeau]

I Have a central heating system that is zoned, I now rent out part of my home.
These have there own zone so the tenant can control the heating to their part but running from one gas boiler.
Does anyone have any ideas as to how i could monitor the usage to the zones so i can bill for usage?
thanks
Richard

 

[powell30]

No. Usage is for the fuel to heat......for instance, your tennant may leave heating on all day in summer and the boiler may only fire once......you switch it on and it may fire once, 10 times or none......i would suggest an amicable split. Otherwise, no way to identify fuel use without dual meter's or i guess dual boilers. Maybe the guys on here may have better advice

 

[richbeau]

Hi, I realise i cannot bill for fuel, how about some how measuring water flow through the system and then dividing the bill?
thanks
Richard

 

[powell30]

Water flow?? For hot water or heating? Heating will be sealed so how will you measure flow? just water pumping round? Also, the pump will have an over run function...ie pumps but no heat......very difficult to quantify. I suppose it would be possible to fit a 'meter' of some sort but this won't quantify the gas usage, just that water was pumped......

 

[richbeau]

yes thats what i was thinking, if i put on a water meter to the zones would that not give me a good indication as to the proportion of the heating bill? I realise that it is wouldn't be completely accurate

 

[powell30]

You need to check with others on here then as they would need to be fitted AFTER the zone valves, but check if inhibitor and or heat will affect operation of them. Still not sure it's a goood idea tho. How will you monitor hw usage then? Same way? id so another meter would be needed

 

[D_Hailsham]

If you want to do it accurately you will need to install heat meters, these measure the flow of water and the temperature difference between flow and return pipe. They are mainly used in district heating systems where the heat for a number of dwellings is generated centrally, e.g a bock of flats or a council housing estate, and each tenant need to be billed for the heat used.

A simpler way would be to divide the costs in proportion to the floor area or room volume or total radiator output etc, in each part of the house. It will be swings and roundabouts, but much cheaper than installing specialist meters.

 

[richbeau]

The problem im having is that my tenants are leaving the heating on for drying clothes on a sunny day and heating on in the middle of summer (window open if it's too hot) so the floor space method is a little hard to work out. Have you any idea how much a metering system would be? there are 4 heating zones two are mine and one for each tenant and a hot water zone (could be taken care of with solar)
thanks
Richard

 

[D_Hailsham]

Have you any idea how much a metering system would be?

Meters cost between £300 and £500 each!

Pity you did not think about this before you rented out the flats. You could have included a sum in the rent to cover the cost, with a premium (similar to the way hotels charge for phone calls).

Do you have any info on the consumption prior to converting the property? If so you could use this as a basis for charging. For example: say the pre-conversion usage was 1000kwHr and the total area was 1000sq ft. This works out at 1kwHr per sq ft.

Let assume that the flats are 250 sq ft each, meaning that your part is 500 sq ft, which is a consumption of 500kwHr. If post conversion the usage is now 1500kwHr, your consumption would still be 500kwHr while the other flats would also be 500kwHr each as they are the cause of the increased consumption.

You need to work on energy consumption as that is price-independent.

A bit complicated, but cheaper than meters!

 

[richbeau]

i have decided to go down the heat meter road. I have found them for £160 each plus the vat. this way i can stop pulling my hair out when people are taking the ****,
not oorderedyet so if anone has a better idea i would be gratefull

 

[D_Hailsham]

i have decided to go down the heat meter road. I have found them for £160 each plus the vat.

Who was that from?

 

[richbeau]

from www.dmsltd.com pleas follow link bellow

www.dmsltd.com/SONTEX/Supercal_539_Compact_Heat_Meter

thanks
for your help

 

[WDIK]

http://www.kamstrup.com/query/heat meter