Winter heating health check: Energy-saving options

There are so many renewable heating choices, which include a solar thermal system, woodburning biomass boilers and heat pumps, that an energy-efficient home is achievable. Use them in combination with your home’s heating system to reduce your bills.

Underfloor heating

‘If you are upgrading your heating system, it’s worth considering underfloor heating (UFH),’ says Martyn Bridges, technical director at Worcester Bosch (worcester-bosch.co.uk). ‘UFH heats the entire floor area. This means the temperature needed is much lower than for a traditional radiator system, often making the day-to-day running of UFH cheaper than standard central heating.’

Is solar thermal right for your home?

Mark Krull, technical director at Logic4Training (logic4training.co.uk), explains what you should consider before upgrading to a renewable alternative.

Get the basics in place. First ensure that your home is as energy-efficient as possible. By investing in insulation for your walls and loft, plus double-glazing and draughtproofing, you will dramatically reduce your heat wastage, which will lower your fuel bills with or without a solar thermal system.

Check your house’s position and roof. A solar thermal system relies on the sun, so the best direction for your roof would be south-facing. It will still work well for roofs that face south-east, south-west or even an east/west split – but your roof must not be in shade for most of the day. In theory, any roof can take the weight of solar panels, but a survey is advisable to check your roof and ensure that the structure won’t be affected in any way. Solar thermal panels on your property must comply with Building Regulations – using a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS, microgenerationcertification.org) approved installer should ensure regulations are met.

Consider other options. Due to our cold, dark winters, solar thermal hot water is not a solution in the UK all year round. The technology can be combined with either an efficient SEDBUK (sedbuk.com) A-rated gas boiler, or other renewable options like heat pumps and wood biomass boilers. Heat pumps come in either ground or air source varieties. Air source is more suited to smaller homes as ground source requires piping dug into the land outside a property. Heat pumps act like a refrigerator in reverse, providing warmth even at very low external temperatures. Wood biomass boilers are particularly suited to rural properties, which may have easier access to managed woodland and the space to store the wood.

ABOVE: The Aquarea system from Panasonic (panasonic.co.uk) features a range of air-to-water heat pump units from 7kW to 16kW. The high-efficiency heat pump operates at outside temperatures of as low as -20ºC and also provides cooling in summer. A typical heat pump installation for a family home would cost from around £7,000.

Quick price guide

This chart from Glow-worm (glow-wormheating.co.uk), a provider of heating and hot water solutions, will give you an idea of how some renewable technologies might typically compare to having a traditional high-efficiency boiler installed in your home.

WORDS JENNIFER NEWTON
All prices and rates correct at time of publishing
Featured in the October 2011 issue of Real Homes