Boiler alternatives

I'm in the market for a new home heating solution. I would say boiler but I really want to find something which basically isn't a regular fossil fuel burner. Current boiler is older than me I reckon.

For what it's worth I use an energy company who claim to provide 100% renewable electricity. So I wonder if I could switch to something electric like an air source heat pump which would take me off the fossil fuel grid. I get that it might cost more both to install and run but I'd like to know if it's even possible and decide if I want to invest/spend my cash in the pursuit of not generating smoke.

My house is old and I am limited in how much I can do to improve the energy efficiency of the building, although I am doing what I can when I have the opportunity. Research points towards a boiler being the right solution but I am willing to be cold(er) to make an alternative work. Even now the house doesn't get that warm tbh.

Does anyone have any experience in this area? Maybe even been down this road?

Have a delve/read around on the Navitron forum.
As far as I remember air source heat pumps weren't best suited to UK damp wintry conditions as they have a tendency to ice up,
but,
it was a few years ago when I was reading about them.

We have a ground source heat pump. It’s great.

How much ground do you need to make it work? People I spoke to said it would be tough to make work but I couldn't tell if they just didn't want to do it.

Great tip, thanks. There is a thread which is right on-topic actually, but gives a variety of mixed answers with more of a lean towards it not working easily. Will keep digging though.

If you have the space for the trees you can coppice willow to feed a wood burner. Once it's all up and running it's essentially free but there's a lot of work physically.

Depends, there are two options - vertical or horizontal pipes. Our system takes up a patch approximately 300m2

Vertical has less of a footprint but requires more costly boring and a more powerful pump to move the glycol.

Interesting. The guy I spoke to was definitely thinking horizontal and I don't think we have the space. He was also on about it not recharging sufficiently which I guess comes back to the same point.

Vertical would be tough to install due to access but I'm willing to investigate.

Wood burners are bad, avoid if you can.

“ A Clean Air Act (Defra exempt for Smoke Control Areas) wood burning stove emits more than 10 times as much particulate matter as a Euro VI HGV – these are the most recent lorries from 2015 onwards”

It's not just space - also depends on the conductivity/ thermal mass of the ground where you are. Some just aren't very effective for ground source, depends on soil/ground composition.

I have air source heatpump for hot water, and in particular for underfloor heating. V small footprint outside, uses electric but that is mostly coming from solar PV. Is very effective for all hot water needs, year round. Do not have gas, but hot water tank also needs to be fitted with electric immersion heater to warm it to a certain high temperature once a week or so to stop us all getting legionnaires disease

Elektra electric boiler - EK.C or similar? Has a pretty high amperage requirement, but if your power from the grid is 'green' then you can sleep easy with that? They claim they can supply enough heat for an full wet UFH system, and do instant hot water for bathing simultaneously.

You're welcome.
The Navitron forum does have a subtext of an extreme plumbing forum,
but,
there are loads of genuinely qualified, committed and helpful people contributing to it,
and,
after signing in last night for the first time in ages,
set a 'Most Visitors' in May 2019.
Good luck finding your best solution.

Looks challenging, but good shout.

This is my line of business. Drop me a PM if you like.

http://www.gsrenewable.com

I'm in the market for a new home heating solution. I would say boiler but I really want to find something which basically isn't a regular fossil fuel burner.

Extra jumpers.

I think there was a thread on here by someone who worked in this alt heating industry..

Possibly me, many many years ago.

Might've been this: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/144504/

Yep

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/144504/

Whilst using green energy suppliers shows the companies that there is demand for renewable and forces your supplier to buy more energy from renewable sources as you use more, you are still receiving your electricity from the national grid, not from your supplier and your electricity is the from the same sources as everyone else’s.
Just an FYI from my understanding of it.
Still gotta be better than an old gas burner I imagine. Efficiency and insulation would be good things to aim towards.

TLDR:

Heatpumps are the only way to go as a primary heat source.

Solar panels are good as an add on whether they be PV or thermal.

Any situation where heatpumps were previously unsuitable due to lower operating temperatures are now no longer an issue with modern technology.

Anything that involves burning wood, wood pellets or anything else is a massive faff.

does anyone have any experience of an electric combi boiler in place of a gas one? I'm looking to buy a flat with the gas supply and boiler sat in a bedroom and thinking of doing away with it, getting the gas removed and getting an electric boiler fitted somewhere more discrete.

are they worth using or total rubbish?

total rubbish

Compared to a modern gas boiler, probably this. But it depends on what you are measuring - it will, right now, cost you much more to use, and will be slower at generating heat, and you probably have to have a storage tank with it unless you shower for thirty seconds or less in the morning. But if you are measuring green creds then obvs its going to be better than burning gas or whatever, especially if you can power it with renewable energy.

You'd install an electric shower (or equivalent inline water heater) at the same time. As long as it's a decent number of kilowatts (>8, but the higher the better) it'll be as good as a fossil fuel shower.

Resistive electric room heating is stupidly expensive though. If you're spending money you're meant to get an air source heat pump, though these have a large outdoor component that's not going to work in most flats.

Crap compared to a new combi and will cost you a ton more to run. As someone thar works in the industry I dont think electric boilers can compare to gas boilers, air source are expensive to install, require a lot of upgrades and expensive to run. Right now at this stage with the cost of gas and leccy, gas is cheaper no matter where its coming from. You could fit a solar panel and have the electricity coming from it to heat your water in an unvented cylinder, the payback from the grid now makes it worthless.