Barn conversion heating / hot water

[Adeptandy]

but we dig the hole as such

to busy to be digging holes, let them do it all, can't get it wrong then

 

[phillipe]

to busy to be digging holes, let them do it all, can't get it wrong then

Maybe but when they want 2grand to dig the hole you think nah I better do that,its only the tank that's free not hole digging

 

[f0ster]

Whats the problem you dig it where they say to dig.

 

[Adeptandy]

Whats the problem you dig it where they say to dig.

No problem, just don't have the time

 

[Dave645]

As others have said insulate, if your going to live in it for a long time don't scrimp in insulation and triple glazed windows, then fit a ground source heat pump, its good value and proven tech, it's clean on tap 24/7 you can reduce the size of the thermal stores needed, and you will get your install cost back with RHI and some, it was the best thing we did, I would add adding solar electric or solar thermal, if you have a good roof orientation, will also pay for its self.

My system earns me £275 a month with my entire electric bill only coming to £80 a month. What % of that is my heating I am not sure but I don't care, fitting a heating system that pays for its self sold it for me.

I added solar thermal as it provides me with free hot water in Sumer and acts as a pre heat for my cold feed in winter even if it only hits 10-30 degrees, which it can easily even in winter on sunny days, I just fitted a solar store with a massive coil in it, that then goes into the heat pump hot water system, so it picks up any free heat from the solar first before the mains cold water hits the heat pump, so water in winter can be 3-4 degrees so any solar activity above that saves me money..... we have mains pressure hot water system again worth it......we only fitted one shower room with an electric shower so if we ever had problems we can still have hot showers.....
It's worked flawlessly, but let's face it is only a fridge and they have been around for year and are very reliable. Sure your using what's normal waste heat but the principle is the same as any refrigerator.

I would warn you about one thing it's the heat delivery that can improve RHI payments, under floor is a must as it getting a 5 star rated delivery calculation, this is based on the efficiency of heat delivery, which is down the the design and pipe wayout and spacing(more pipe tighter spacing is better), insidently under floor is easy to diy instal....

A good installer will help you with all that.

I live on a farm and I considered wood and straw, what put me off is the reliability of the kit and the size of buffer tank, I would need, as for reliability some parts only had a single years warranty, that says it all. And required daily work.

 

[Hazelbrand Farm]

Ground source heat pump and UFH if you have the land. Cost us £7 a week in electricity for all hot water and heating in a four bed house. And you get RHI payments which will pay most of the installation costs. House is well insulated mind.

We have a ground-level heat pump but the huge living room of our converted barn (hay loft so second floor with 15 foot ceilings) never gets warm. We are currently renting it out and I don't trust renters with the wood stove - which would solve the problem. I have considered UFH but - with hot water piping or electric? Can UFH be tied to the existing heat pump if we go with water? Is there anything new out there in the UFH world and maybe more cost effective?

 

[akaPABLO01]

We have a ground-level heat pump but the huge living room of our converted barn (hay loft so second floor with 15 foot ceilings) never gets warm. We are currently renting it out and I don't trust renters with the wood stove - which would solve the problem. I have considered UFH but - with hot water piping or electric? Can UFH be tied to the existing heat pump if we go with water? Is there anything new out there in the UFH world and maybe more cost effective?

Ufh probably won’t solve your air volume issue. Look at water heat exchanger fan units

 

[Dave645]

We have a ground-level heat pump but the huge living room of our converted barn (hay loft so second floor with 15 foot ceilings) never gets warm. We are currently renting it out and I don't trust renters with the wood stove - which would solve the problem. I have considered UFH but - with hot water piping or electric? Can UFH be tied to the existing heat pump if we go with water? Is there anything new out there in the UFH world and maybe more cost effective?

I would tie it to your heat pump with water UFH if possible put it down with close centres so get it’s efficency up the more UFH pipe you have in the floor the greater amount of heat it can emit from smaller temperature differences, it will also help with Heat pump efficency, the lower the temperature you can run the water at in the underfloor heating the better.
If you already have water underfloor heating you just need to add it to the circuit, the only thing to watch is the flow rates and pipe sizes in the main circulation circuits feeding your underfloor system they may need uprating in size to handle the extra flow.
The company that installed mine JKN renewals would offer advise, but if the heat pump was spec’ed right at the start, the extra underfloor heating should be no issue to it. You just need to lay the piping.
The image above is about as slim as you get without going under the floor or taking up the existing floor, and the metal would let you max the heat output to pipe spacing and looks DIY friendly as for cost no clue.
As it’s an first floor insulation is less important.

The space heating suggestion is ok but works better at high temps which heat pumps don’t like.....fine for a oil or gas boiler but not so much at heat pumps type temp. You need the higher temps to get convection circulations going which is why your downstairs UFH is not heating the air higher up because UFH doesn’t create spot loads that create air circulations like hot radiators from oil or gas boilers do.
You only heat the space you use with UFH.

My advice is get proper advise. But water UFH should be your first choice if it’s not silly money to do.

I would add your right about the wood burner it would do the job nicely as well, especially if you run the chimney stack up the space. And it would be far cheaper to do, but if it’s not an option....

 

[Dave645]

Ufh probably won’t solve your air volume issue. Look at water heat exchanger fan units

Your right it will never heat the high volumes it tends to only heat the first view meters above the UFH floor but why heat a volume if it’s only floor space that needs heating? I assume they have not much heating on the floor in question because they assumed heat would rise, which it doesn’t with UFH like it does with radiators using a high temp system.