Club Arnage

What I'm basically looking for is to find out whether any of you have first hand experience of a ground source heat pump heating system, or a wood pellet boiler heating system. (These are the two 'choices' we have, we've discounted standard leccy heating, and oil or LPG as too expensive to run, even though the installation costs will be in the region of £2K) No, we're not on mains gas either. The nearest gas is 20 miles away.

GSHP will cost me about £8K, and a wood pellet system will come in at about £5K (After grants etc.)

It'll be super insulated, and will have under floor heating, that goes without saying.

If I'm going to have GSHP, then now's the time to install the ground loop or borehole (Prob. ground loop - plenty garden) as the diggers are in. (We're still about 18 months away from being in there though)

Cheers

Nick

The inlaws are having ground source heating put in their new build. They looked into all the other options and it came out tops. They have friends who have it and it has been no trouble for 3 years. Its also very environmentaly sound. Go for it!

We've been considering GSHP (plenty of lawn to dig up).

try http://www.iceenergy.co.uk/ (http://www.iceenergy.co.uk/)

we have just started this process of working out what heating and hot water system will be right for us and we had a fast ball thrown at us as the chap said what about Air Con !! he said that the actual cost of running was very small (although i am trying to get proof) and you had the bonus of 5 times a year you could use it to cool your house as well!!

Nick,

No doubt, you'll work out the relative capital and running costs, and some of that will depend on how long you intend to be there for, but if that is for a long time, then GSHP is a good proof against uncertainty over fuel fluctuations/rises/availability in the future.  Once it is in, aside from maintenance and running costs, the source of the energy is free - even with a wood pellet boiler you still have to source the fuel, store it and shovel it in (or fill the loading system).  In that respect, GSHP has to be a good way to go. 

I helped a mate install the ground piping for a GSHP a year or so ago at a large house.  A lot of pipe and a lot of trenching, but it's not rocket science and the depths, lengths etc were all manageable.  Depending on the overall length of pipe that you need, the available space and the system design criteria in terms of pipe depth, layout (coiled or flat) and spacing apart, you might be digging a long trench winding back and forth and then backfilling, a long wide tranch and backfilling, or planing a couple of metres off and then replacing the lot, but it is more likely to be one of the fiorst two. 

A few random thoughts.  Remember that a heat pump also works in reverse, so will offer cooling in the summer as well as heat in the winter.  Presumably you are looking at a closed loop, water-source system using plastic pipe as they are the most common?  However, depending on how much land you have available and its layout, you might want to consider an open loop system that feeds directly in/out of a pond/lake that you construct (as you are having to dig holes anyway) as the herat transfer is more efficient.  The pipes shouldn't leak when installed, but you never know, so it makes sense to have some form of leak detection installed.     

Mark     

Cheers Guys, it was sort of 50 / 50 wood pellet / chip vs GSHP, as I'd heard good things about wood pellets, but hadn't really come across someone with a GSHP, but as Dr S and Mark have, and there don't appear to be any horror stories I may be swinging away from the pellets. (If I can get permission for a small turbine, (~2KW) then that should help to run the heat pump, and I'll be even happier, I just don't know if the council will allow it - time for a phone call I think....)

Keep 'em coming though.

Nick,

Only thing with wood pellets is needing to have an assured supply of the things and they will become susceptible to price changes as well.  With GSHP the source is there and it's free, with a payback of 3-5 years depending on the size of the house.  Don't forget to research whether any grants are available. As well as a wind turbine to help power things, you may also have the ability to supplement the equation with solar power somewhere.

Mark

There were some interesting views on this subject here recently:

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/3/1246872/ShowPost.aspx#1246872

(Yes, I know it's about France, but there's some relevant info' and experience here if you read the thread through - plus some websites to look at).

Bury the Commer deep with Zarse inside it peddling like a hamster on EPO.
H

Cheers H. I had considered buying a large and tremendously flatulent dog, and using that as a source of both heat and fuel for cooking on.

I'm probably not wide of the mark, dung is still used as fuel in these parts.

And a building material,

And probably a food.

Hadn't considered using a frantically scrabbling zarse, it's not a bad idea, I could keep the commer replacement thread going with its progress and foibles.

What?

With my feet?  :(

(http://www.porridge.org.uk/gx/fleto2.jpg)


MMmmmmmm..... Dung.....

Coming at this from the commercial builders point of view the GSHP is an easy win, but at £8k that sounds expensive.

We recently costed up 16 houses with GSHP's in stalled, they were more like £6k all in.

Have you looked at other options such as PV's and wind to supplement leccy?

When you consider the latest Code i.e. Code for Sustainable Homes we now have to achieve Level 3, but 4 is not far off.

The best way to score the points for that is really on insulation: -

http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/buildingregulations/legislation/englandwales/codesustainable/

Have you spoken to an eco-assessor yet?

Landman.