New eco house

[reddal]

27 minutes ago, CraigCTH said:

so if we are insulated properly will the ashp and solar be sufficient for ufh and domestic hot water

 

That can make a fine solution I'm told (several people here have installed ASHP + solar).

 

The devil is in the detail of how it is all specced, setup, controlled etc. You need to either spend a lot of time yourself stressing over these things - or hire the right person to do it for you.

 

Do you have mains gas at your location? If you do I would think seriously about just getting a traditional gas boiler to drive all heating and DHW. It will cost very little to buy/install - it will work fine most of the time - and if anything goes wrong you will have a choice of dozens of qualified professionals to fix it. If you need cooling - put in an AC unit :).

 

 

[gravelld]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

KISS is right 99% of the time.

 

 

Trouble is, simplicity is in the eye of the beholder. To some, whacking in a boiler, burning some dead dinosaurs and allowing the energy to simply leave the house is "simple" because it's what everyone knows how to do.

[Stones]

I did a rough and ready cost comparison for debate on the old forum

 

http://www.ebuild.co.uk/topic/14185-heating-and-dhw-using-an-ashp-or-immersion-based-system-a-comparison/

 

The conclusion was that if your heating and DHW energy requirement was around or below 2500 kWh/yr each, then direct electric was the most cost effective.  As energy requirement increases, so the balance between capital and lower running cost changes.  Working out what your actual energy requirement is going to be is something you need to do, especially in relation to DHW as in a well insulated house, this will probably be the higher of the two in terms of energy required. Working out the total of running and capital costs for various permutations of technology and energy requirements lets you make an informed decision which way to go.

 

For us, we went ASHP with wet UFH, 300L cylinder for DHW fed by the ASHP.  That configuration works for us because of our heating and DHW requirements.  In addition it gives us the capability to cool in summer.  The comfort of UFH vs A2A was something I was willing to pay a little extra for (I can't stand A2A heating systems).  

[MikeSharp01]

3 hours ago, CraigCTH said:

We will be going overboard with insulating the property , and really appreciate the advice from you people who have given positive advice obviously this is totally new to us , so on that note a ashp sounds the way forward and it would be best backed up by solar I'm told, so if we are insulated properly will the ashp and solar be sufficient for ufh and domestic hot water thanks in advance

All sounds good but two things come to mind.

 

1. Air tightness will make your insulation work hardest for you so attention to detail there will pay great dividends.
2. Domestic hot water installations in the 'eco' sphere is a difficult one as there are so many solution there has been many a discussion on it here so you will need to pick your way through it I am afraid.

 

[ProDave]

If you are going direct electric heating, then have a look at the E10 tariff. The 10 hours of cheap rate seem reasonably well distributed, the only "black spot" being the early evening. If your house is well enough insulated that the early PM cheap rate time will heat it enough that you won't need heating in the evening then it may well work out the best option.

 

I looked at a GSHP, and even having my own digger at the time, so installation costs would be just a few gallons of diesel, it was the cost of the pipe and cost if the antifreeze to fill it that made it not seem viable. And don't forget you are supposed to change it something like every 10 years and in addition to the cost of the new antifreeze will be a disposal cost for the old.  And to finally tip the cost argument, I am one of several on here that have got an ebay bargain ASHP for around £500

 

I do know 2 people near here with GSHP's and they do seem to work, there is no question about that, but so do ASHP's.

[SteamyTea]

My DHW costs are higher than my space heating costs.

 

I too found the same thing.

2 hours ago, Stones said:

I did a rough and ready cost comparison for debate on the old forum

 

If I was willing to spend the money, I would be going for A2AHP for space heating the whole house (I tend to just heat the room I am in, but heating the whole house would be nice).

DHW would be via PV and E7 into a Sunamp (that suits my lifestyle).

 

My house is very small, and I live in a very warm part of the country.