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2nd Dec ASHP - or not

LSB

Entry posted by LSB

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As part of my barn conversion I was planning to use an ASHP, that was until I read an article in Build It magazine.

This considered the cost of installing and running heating and the eco credentials.

It included gas (mains), oil, ASHP, GSHP and biomas.

 

Well, somewhat surprisingly ASHP came out at high for cost, very high to run and not very eco friendly.

 

This has put me in a total quandary about what to do.

My planning says ASHP with a backup boiler.

 

The best method overall is mains gas, but we don't have that so the best for us would be oil.

 

Unfortunately, due to plagiarism rules I can't post the article here, but I will find out if I can copy part of it for this blog otherwise it's in the latest edition of the magazine.

 

It's said that the best laid plans of mice and men are apt to go awry, but this really is a biggy.

 

 

We currently have a 30+ year old oil boiler in our current house, which is now making a funny noise, so we are going to replace it rather than just have the usual service.

I thought, that's okay I'll use an ASHP, until I saw the costs, so it's going to be another oil boiler, not least because I have a tank 70% full.  I am hoping that I'll still get a green grant for part of this.  This house is nearly 200 years old and despite us insulating everywhere it is a cold house, except for the extension we built in 2003 which is lovely.

I have considered EWI to help, but as the walls must be breathable then I'm not sure how that will affect things.  Also, all my savings are in the budget for the barn conversion so I might just leave it to the next owner when we eventually sell it, and sell it in the summer when it's nice and cool rather than bl***y freezing.

 

On the estimating cost front I'm battling on, albeit very slowly, I've done 2 rooms, the first one was estimated at 20k, but that is largely because of buying volumes of things, the hall has come in at a very reasonable 4k.

I'm now going to work on the 3 identical bedrooms aside from the master.  I think these should be quite reasonable as not much in there.

Of course, every room need flooring, decorating, windows, ceiling etc individually costed 

 

Next week, more of the same, but not got much time as working extra as very busy and going to visit my daughters brand new house that she moved into on Monday, developer built not self built.

The real thing I'm waiting for is the discharge of the conditions.

 

 

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simon45089

I am so pleased to have found this topic today because I too have been struggling with this issue. I am converting a barn, and have been prepping it having anticipated I will need an ASHP as no gas here. I have 175mm pir in vaulted ceilings, 150mm on the slab and 150mm on the inside face 450mm thick stone walls. I have used  what seems like miles of aluminium tape on all joints and I am having underfloor heating pipework going down stairs at 150mm spacings imminently.  Today I woke up and wondered if am I making my life overcomplicated by going ASHP, when a simple oil system- which I am familiar with, may well be cheaper to install, easier to find people to fix, and may not even cost much to run as I will be so well insulated I may not need to burn much oil anyway.

The work I have done so far would appear to have future proofed the building, so if in 10 or 20 years time ASHP becomes mainstream, cheaper and obviously better all round, then I can just switch my oil boiler( which would fit nicely in my plant room), for an ASHP then. I may just be bottling it as I still dont really understand how an ASHP is going to cheaply warm my big open plan barn on a freezing night when its minus 10 outside in not so sunny Northumberland, but the problem continues that most of the advice given is not impartial when it comes to the merits of ASHP  (not on this forum of course).

Its a relief that others have the same dilemma, and that I am not just some luddite afraid of this technology !

Any advice gratefully received.

Simon.

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TonyT

Stick with the UFH.

 

the manifold will take a supply from an oil boiler or an ASHP, after all it’s only looking to pump hot water through a circuit doesn’t care how it’s heated.

 

 

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