Changing from oil boiler to something else, where to start

[Rufus]

Hi

I'm at the point where I need to get a new oil tank, boiler is oldish. Looking to change my heating/hot water away from oil, I'm interested in renewable options but not sure how to get impartial advice. Has anyone who's been through this process got any experience of this and could point me in the right direction?

 

[Exfarmer]

You may qualify for a grant towards installing an Air Source Heat Pump. I am not sure if this is the best way forward, but is certainly the direction the government Is keen on.
My experience of them has been poor in the 12 years I have been running one, I have recently upgraded mine to one guaranteed to run succesfully 365 days without freezing up continually. We shall see, it has started poorly as the thing is dumping condensate everywhere it should not so, the manufacturers ( Dantherm ) are coming out to try and sort it, this week.

 

[carpenter1]

You may qualify for a grant towards installing an Air Source Heat Pump. I am not sure if this is the best way forward, but is certainly the direction the government Is keen on.
My experience of them has been poor in the 12 years I have been running one, I have recently upgraded mine to one guaranteed to run succesfully 365 days without freezing up continually. We shall see, it has started poorly as the thing is dumping condensate everywhere it should not so the manufacturers ( Dantherm ) are coming out to try and sort it this week.

How quiet are they?

 

[Rufus]

We have three houses on the farm with Air Source Heat pumps which don't appear to be that noisy, but they are two recent barn conversions and a new build so have double glazed windows so low heat loss. My house over 100 years old with some newer bits and it's big. We do have insulated floors, underfloor heating throughout downstairs and insulated walls but do have some large single glazed sash windows. Probably need a some sort of heat loss assessment or do I just calculate oil use of last 5 years?

 

[Exfarmer]

How quiet are they?

mine was pretty quiet, but it was in an outhouse

 

[Poncherello1976]

Yes we have just done this with a woodchip boiler. Though we are heating more than 1 property. I guess it depends on your house and how well insulated it is. Air/ground source heat pump would not have suited our house, but about 10 days in so far the woodchip boiler has been doing well. We are doing 2 other properties and some workshop units as well. It has been a testing year getting it all sorted but hopefully it will do the job and will be worth it. We are using bought in wood chip supplemented by our own supply. Originally i wanted a log boiler, but as we have a100kw boiler this was not going to be practical. It may well suit if you are doing 1 house with a smaller boiler. Have you got other buildings you can heat nearby or just the house? Our oil boiler was a bit like Triggers broom. It is about 40 years old and even then it was second hand.

 

[Rufus]

It's just the house, nothing near it. I like the idea of a unit that plugs in like a heat pump but just don't know if it would be up to the job.

 

[Fubar]

I'll be interested in this thread. Got an inefficient oil rayburn , wood burner and oil boiler for upstairs radiators that rarely gets used ( needs ice on the inside of windows before I'll switch it on). Like most farmhouses the kitchen and lounge are toasty but the rest if the house is cold. I feel a bit guilty when the kids go to bed.
Thinking I'd like to get rid of the lot and replace with a renewable source . But unsure what to go for. Should have jumped on the RHI bandwagon a few years ago. Be getting paid to warm the entire farm by now.
I'm sure there will be grants around before long as the govt tries to kick start the economy and get the UK greener.
Friend of mine is a plumber and he doesn't rate the reliability of many renewable appliances. He's fitting a gas boiler in his new build.

 

[Exfarmer]

It's just the house, nothing near it. I like the idea of a unit that plugs in like a heat pump but just don't know if it would be up to the job.

I do think heat pumps are best suited to new builds, high insulation levels and underfloor heating

 

[Poncherello1976]

Like most farmhouses the kitchen and lounge are toasty but the rest if the house is cold. I feel a bit guilty when the kids go to bed.

Sounds similar to us. The wood burner would heat up downstairs and click off the thermostat and so upstairs would be cold. Heating is now on all the time. A cottage that we connected on to it only had storage heaters, so we had to put central heating in to it, but think the tenants are well pleased with how warm it is in there. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!

 

[Rufus]

I do think heat pumps are best suited to new builds, high insulation levels and underfloor heating

I've got good floor, wall and loft insulation and underfloor heating. Some of my windows may be the only thing thing with poor thermal properties

 

[curlietailz]

I changed an oil boiler for a wood pellet biomass 7 years ago because oil boiler and tank needed replacing and the RHI was good on biomass

as soon as RHI is up I’ll be going back to oil

biomass pellets are about twice as expensive as oil to heat my house..... it’s never quite working right..... I’m an expert now in taking the grate apart and cleaning it out and restarting it. Happens about once a month.

can’t beat a Worcester oil boiler and a big tank to fill up when oils cheap.
And there’s a lovely local man who’s a Worcester oil boiler whizz

 

[Y Fan Wen]

mine was pretty quiet, but it was in an outhouse

I wonder how an air source heat pump would behave in a greenhouse?
There is one I know of that heats the swimming pool beside it. That works very well.

 

[Exfarmer]

I wonder how an air source heat pump would behave in a greenhouse?
There is one I know of that heats the swimming pool beside it. That works very well.

Remember the ASHP only works by extracting a small volume of heat, from a very large volume of air. If it was working in a greenhouse , it would need a very large one, and then only operate in the sun. It would not do the plants in the greenhouse much good either as it would freeze them

 

[will_mck]

I've a 50kw Atmos log burner heating a 2500 sq/ft house, the house is a new build so it's well insulated. Currently I charge a 3000ltr tank with the boiler twice a week and our rooms sit at 22°c all week long. Get away with once a week charge in the summer

 

[rollestonpark]

If your looking to have a boiler rather than air or ground source heat pump, and your in a farm situation.
I had a 30kw wood chip boiler installed in 2009ish (not on RHI, wouldn't bother at this kinda of KW).
I fed it on super dry waste woodchip from local skip company at £35/ ton.
about 2 lorry loads did the whole year. And our drafty old farmhouse was mega warm throughout. (had the Mrs complaining about the heat most of the time)

Just need a boiler that will tolerate wood chip spears, as mine did.

If your into you stoves/logs, then could consider a wood stove with boiler on the back.
You would use an oil boiler as a top up system, but most of the time the stove heats the radiators. Also very effective, best with a large buffer tank in the system somewhere

 

[Exfarmer]

If your looking to have a boiler rather than air or ground source heat pump, and your in a farm situation.
I had a 30kw wood chip boiler installed in 2009ish (not on RHI, wouldn't bother at this kinda of KW).
I fed it on super dry waste woodchip from local skip company at £35/ ton.
about 2 lorry loads did the whole year. And our drafty old farmhouse was mega warm throughout. (had the Mrs complaining about the heat most of the time)

Just need a boiler that will tolerate wood chip spears, as mine did.

If your into you stoves/logs, then could consider a wood stove with boiler on the back.
You would use an oil boiler as a top up system, but most of the time the stove heats the radiators. Also very effective, best with a large buffer tank in the system somewhere

Sorry I do not believe this post for one minute!
there has never been a woman born, who has not wanted it warmer.
I am currently in a TEE shirt and my wife has got gilet on in my toastie house

 

[rollestonpark]

I changed an oil boiler for a wood pellet biomass 7 years ago because oil boiler and tank needed replacing and the RHI was good on biomass

as soon as RHI is up I’ll be going back to oil

biomass pellets are about twice as expensive as oil to heat my house..... it’s never quite working right..... I’m an expert now in taking the grate apart and cleaning it out and restarting it. Happens about once a month.

can’t beat a Worcester oil boiler and a big tank to fill up when oils cheap.
And there’s a lovely local man who’s a Worcester oil boiler whizz

Pellet boilers, lol, so expensive to run, I just fail to see the point in them.
Also pellet production uses a tremendous amount of power, surely environmentally they don't make any sense, do they?

 

[PhilSL]

Hi

I'm at the point where I need to get a new oil tank, boiler is oldish. Looking to change my heating/hot water away from oil, I'm interested in renewable options but not sure how to get impartial advice. Has anyone who's been through this process got any experience of this and could point me in the right direction?

If you have more details on the property, I am happy to give you some impartial advice.

 

[Chickcatcher]

Afternoon @Exfarmer just looked up Dantherm and they seem as though they are just suppliers of various makes or do Danther have there own brand yet still supply other makes of Heat pumps?