Checklist : Heating

[ToughButterCup]

This post appeared on ebuild, and since it is the work of many people, I reproduce it here. It's a shadow of its former self because I can no longer make the links to the comments to which the bullet points refer. Some you win , others you lose. So, because the text without  the link is useless, I have deleted some references to the authors. I have not deleted the names of the original authors who registered with us in the hope that they can provide us with a link to relevant material 

The checklist is not definitive. Over time I will link this checklist to comments on (buildhub and elsewhere) which substantiate the point made. Your comment on this list is particularly valuable because any work done here improves the validity of the list. And so is likely to save you time and, hopefully, money.

Heating Checklist 

• Background reading and considerations
• Fundamentals
• Get a feel for what you already use 
• Consider applying PHPP to the design to derive a heating requirement
• Use J S Harris spreadsheet{J, got a link to that for us?, Ian}
• Play with PeterW's FingerInTheAir MVHR Checker (PeterW#5) { Peter, got a link to that for us?}
• Heat Calculations  Passiv?
• Do you need heating at all?
• Look for Thermal Bridges in your design 
• How are you going to manage cooling?
• Consider Phase Change Material Storage. 
• Stitching ASHP and UFH together 
• On mains gas? No brainer - it's cheapest 
• Cost benefit analysis.
• KISS  Separate out DHW.
• Use instant water heaters 
• Selling your house on? 
• Higher temperatures needed? We are all getting older
• Higher lower occupancy rates in the future? 
• Which thermostats to fit? Smart? Analogue? Radiator? It's not easy.
• But KISS - off the shelf. (jsharris Blog whole entry and discussion ) Underfloor Heating (UFH)

DIY or not? 

• End of lay (Nickfromwales#7)
• Plot the loops out on graph paper (TerryE#12)
• Best layout (NickfromWales#15)
• Useful summary (Alphonsox#17, and Nickfromwales commentary on that #27) )
• How to deal with the pipes to the manifold before second fix
• Testing for leaks (declan52 #25)
• Avoid piping under toilet and sink traps (nickfromwales#29)

MVHR

• By definition, MVHR = air tightness 
• Forget a traditional fireplace, therefore.
• MVHR wishlist 
• Where to put the vents? (jsharris#10 et seq)
• Keep pipe runs to a minimum (PeterStark #10)
• Minimise 90degree bends (PeterStark #1)
• Insulate all SUPPLY ducting (PeterStark #10)
• External Vents at least 2m apart (PeterStark #10)
• External vents slope downward (PeterStark #10)
• Fitting metal joists? Fit rigid ducting first (PeterStark #10)
• Supply to living and bedrooms (PeterStark #10)
• Extract from wet(ish) rooms (PeterStark #10)
• Mind yer bonfires ( jsharris#3)
• Location of MVHR unit
• Noise concerns: fit attenuation boxes (jsharris#11, jsharris#2)
• Type of ducting
• Radial design explained (jsharris#6, whole thread worth a read)
• While you are at it, try this (jsharris#6)
• Think through the cooling issue (jsharrisblog 38, 03:48, 1andR whole thread, jsharriswhole thread, TerryE, whole thread, hazymat, whole thread )

Bio Mass / Wood burners

• A cautionary tale (Steamy#1)
• The British Medical Journal on the subject (Steamy #1)

Heat Pumps (ASHP GSHP)

• What's your heat load going to be? (Steamy#2, DeeJunFan#3)
• Are they worth it? (jsharris #4)
• Caution (jsharris as above)
• ASHP and DWH (jsharris #7)
• No need for DHW feeds to all rooms (jsharris#13)
• jsharris blog post(s) (jsharris) but see recent entries (part 41 and elsewhere) in relation to DWH
• Controls, how? (jsharris blog 38)
• Run slab from room stat? (jsharrisblog 38, 03:48)
• How to cool the house? (jsharrisblog 38, 03:48)

Solar: Thermal or PV?

• FIT considerations
• RHI considerations
• Which Solar or PV? (Declan52 #1)
• PV for Hot water (recommended by jsharris, Ed Davies Blog, accessed Jan 2016)
• *But* consider separating out DHW. Use instant water heaters (jsharris#5)
• It's (PV) a no-brainer (Nickfromwales#6, jsharris#8)

[Ferdinand]

OK. You have my explicit permission to reproduce here, in your name acknowledging me, or in my name if as admin you can do that, any of my posts from Ebuild. 

I have just started a "consent to reproduce" topic here, where I suggest anyone who wants to give permission joins the list.

Ferdinand

Edited June 1, 2016 by Ferdinand

[ToughButterCup]

Thank you very much. So many people made so much effort to help produce the list. It would be a great shame to weaken the resource. If I can, I will as a matter of course, always reference the original post and author. And if by chance I forget, please dig me in the ribs.

Ian