Adam NT

Hi there We have a home in the wilds of North Yorkshire, which has a derelict detached barn. We are hoping to demolish and rebuild the barn to create an annex and workshop. The annex may be used as a granny-flat (various elderly relatives), or may end up being a home for our son - either way it will be additional accommodation for the house. We are trying to decide what is the best central heating system to go for. A few things you need to know: · There is no gas in the Dale where we live · We will probably be able to put south facing solar panels on a 13m long roof · We live in a National Park so are unlikely to get permission for a wind turbine – a shame as it constantly blows a gale – though we could ask · The annex may not be used all year round (certainly for the first few years) The building will be 13.5m by 7m and single storey – possibly split level as it’s on a slope. We currently have an oil fired central heating system for the main house but are not sure what to use for this new build. Ideally we would like it to be self-funding energy wise – ie it uses solar/other to heat the building and water. What would you use for such a build? A friend recommended an ASHP, possibly with solar to power it? Would this be more cost effective than electric radiators? I think we’ll need an immersion for the water whatever we do? If we had solar, presumably we would need a battery store to have energy on an evening? Any comments will be greatly received. Thanks Adam