heating systems - which is the best option?

C

Carebear

Registered User
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I'm currently building my own house and it's time to start thinking about the options of heating my house, what is really the best option -

  • oil heating
  • geo thermal heating
Geo is working out very expensive but I know in the long run it will pay off (as I'm told) If I go ahead with oil heating is oil prices going to rise again and be impossible to pay for? Is anyone else in the same situation? Someone else told me to have under floor heating & oil heating, pellet burner & under floor heating or go the full works and have my house heated using geo or air thermal. I'm really starting to get confused and fed up.

Any help is appreciated.
 
YEs im in the same boat as yourself..Was considering going wood pellet buth ave heard that the price of peelets is goiing up due to more demand..Also storage is an issues as you need to bulk buy..I dont think their is a best option they all have pros + cons
 


I feel the same as you. Some people are very against pellets & geo. I just seen yesterday in my local paper that 2 companies in my locality are selling pellets now so unless I have a chat with them and see. But like everything else I think pellets will become more popular and everyone will be selling them if the demand keeps going!! Storage is'nt a problem for me.
 
Don't forget to factor in the Building Energy Rating - and the benefits of going with the carbon friendlier option. An improved energy rating which adds value to the property.
 
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i too am starting to build.have been told geo thermal is the way to go by my builder.but he seems to be the only one selling me the idea.i have heard all these storys about pipes bursting under the floor,people having to wear coats in their houses as the temp is not good,electricity bills going through the roof,timber floors and tiles cracking or expanding when heating is on.as it is such an expensive outlay i would like to hear from people that have this form of heating and what they would recomend ,or if they were building again what they would pick
 
elmo....
the most important factor you need to look at is not your heating systme, but how to trap the heat whenever its created. If you can do this successfullly and to a high standard then it doesnt matter what fuel you use to create heat.....

the choice of the heating systems is only one aspect of the 'whole house package'. The choice of heating system should be directly connected to
1. your construction method
2. the quality of construction
3. the levels of insulation
4 the quantity of solar gains

ie, theres no point installing a 20k worth geothermal heating system with UFH etc if you are building a direct labour traditional cavity wall house with passive vents.

If you are going down the traditional cavity wall method... the consider this.... if you compare the prices of say 7K for a rad system with condensing oil burner and 17K for a geothermal with UFH.... i would strongly advise you to go for the oil system and use the other 10K in upgrading your insulation and air tightness...... TBH geothermal systems are still over priced. And i wouldnt be blaming all the horror stories on geo either, they usually are as a result of bad project management and uninformed choices.


geothermal systems should really be installed in dwellings of a B1 rating or greater....
 
currently in the same situation and we employed a heating and renewables consultant to try and make sense of it all. came and visited site, wrote a report and offers phone and email support for the duration of our build for one off fee. insulation most important factor in any house. also special attention needs to be paid to the type and way the insulation is installed.
 
Hi whitestew,


sounds like you made a wise decision. If you get a chance, could you share some of the insights you have wrt the type of insulation recommended & way it is installed? At same stage of build as you & wrestling with the myriad of options out there. Thanks in advance, apple1
 
basically if building block go for 150mm cavity and fill with the beads which glue together to prevent gaps (can't remember what they're called). the beads fall to the lowest possible level and stick together therefore elimanating gaps. when insulating your floor, go for the polyeurethane (bad spelling) 50mm. lay your first layer then use second layer to cover gaps where they meet. all simple stuff we wouldn't think of.

he also looked at our site and plans and in his opinion the land suitable for geo thermal so that's the way we're going. however different houses and sites may need different heating options!
 
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