[John]

There is an option with GSHP systems and ordinary radiators, keep them on all the time at a lower temperature. You can get small fans that fit onto the radiator so sucking the heat out faster and distributing it into the room.

Our 9KW multi-fuel throws out enough heat to turn off some of the radiators and heats the granite hearth up which acts like a heat store over night. Our main thing when we moved in was to heat up the walls and drive out the damp, after which the house was a lot more comfortable.

We'll be buying a load of logs soon which will be stored under cover to dry out. We also keep a pile in the hearth so the moisture content is pretty low before they go on. Don't forget, prices of solid fuel and wood tend to fall in the summer. Not sure about oil and LPG - suppose they're more related to international events than demand

[grinling]

Property has 2 6x8 sheds so storing wood should be o.k
Thinking about 2 stoves, 1 for the small sitting room and the other for the long dining area.
Thank you Bluedave for the info, will continue to check things out.

[Trillium]

In Canada, oil tanks have specific life spans, which are tagged, and once the span is reached, oil suppliers are legally obliged to refuse to fill the tanks (due to massive cleanup claims aimed at the suppliers). No idea if you have anything similar in the UK. Once the tank is replaced, then fills can begin again. You'd need to try to trace back and see how old yours is, and if over 25 years old, replace it.

I had a combi burner at my last house and the wood came in very handy when the power went out. I could even cook in the furnace with the door open - a nuisance, but at least we had meals. I really warn against using too much softwood as creosite buildup is horrendous with softwoods. You'll need to use only hardwoods for your main burning, and softwoods only for startups.

 Don't forget that chimneys will need regular cleaning with heavier wood burning. Sometimes twice a heating season if you burn regularly. Once a year with only infrequent burning. I truly wish mine had been hooked up to a water boiler system.

As for wind generators, the health problems with them are starting to crop up and we now have lobby groups trying to ban further installation of the big wind towers. I see a few personal wind towers up and they seem to be locked lately by the owners, and a few were taken down. No idea what the reasons are but they were a waste of money obviously. But I see a lot more solar panels up these days, moreso with farms mounting them on drivesheds. New drivesheds are now specially constructed and aimed for maximum solar collection.

[JohnB]

Moving to lincs and no gas :ohmy: There is an oil fired boiler with the smallest amount of oil and a boiler I've no idea how it works. Has anyone had experience of a wood pellet or wood boiler and what is involved and how much?
There are radiators and a hot water tank.
Thank you

  Let’s start at the beginning
LPG 7.11 kW per liter.  About 54p a liter but with big variations per contract IE 45p to 65p
Oil 10.35 kW per liter about 60p a liter little variation but ahs gone up to 100p plus during the bad weather
Both assume 100% efficiency (new boilers are about 90%)
Therefore LPG has to be 30% cheaper to be = to oil. It rarely is but there are times (recent bad weather) where oil goes up dramatically way over the price of LPG (like for like). This does not make Oil an automatic choice as it needs more maintenance it is extraordinary expensive for cooking and I believe the boilers are more expensive and take up more room.
Both assume 100% efficiency (new boilers about 90%)
Therefore LPG has to be 30% cheaper to be = to oil. It rarely is but there are times (recent bad weather) where oil goes up dramatically way over the price of LPG (like for like). This does not make Oil an automatic choice as it needs more maintenance it is extraordinary expensive for cooking and I believe the boilers are more expensive and take more room.
    LPG Tank gas (not bought in bottles) requires a 2 year contract but at the end of the contract it is now much easier to change suppliers. They the present supplier is required to sell the tank to the new supplier at a price decided by a formula (the tank is rented normally at £60 a year). Although they must now supply you with a contract which state how much they can raise the price by they are not obliged to stick with it. Once they break the contract you can change suppliers but you can not hold them to it. You should think twice about going down the LPG route if there is a limited amount of suppliers in your area. I have 7 (some will be of no use IE far too expensive) while other areas only have 2!!
 Check here http://www.uklpg.org/supplier-search/search.php
    Now there is plenty silly people who think that using alternative energy as an extra is a good idea it is not. They are junk in they do no pay back the money within the life of the product IE wind and solar (solar in England??? nuts). Wind can actually use electricity in some circumstance and are noisy and unsightly. Although a new system which is in test and runs along the ridge of the roof and is up to 10 times more efficient (and not unsightly) is looking like a sane solution. It uses the increase in speed as the wind goes up the roof just like an airplane wing.
    All my research on ground pump shows little or no benefit unless you do it with at least 2 of your neighbors and you have the right ground conditions. So future wind power (for your house) is a possible although direction of wind and speed relative to roof will make a big differance.
         Now should you go for the wood pellets option NO definitly not although it is the (cheapest according to them and claim 2.5p per kwh note not 100% efficient) you are captured customer and the more people who go down that route the higher the cost in the future i.e. supply and demand.

    The cheapest is has always been Economy 7 and by long way. Note I use E7 for environmental reason only I have no electric heating.
6.72p per kWh (day)
The first 900 kWh 19.56p per kWh (day) = to a £9.80 standing charge per month
3.16p per kWh (night)
I assume electricity is 100% efficient?
Note these prices are very low BUT a new tariff now would have near identical night prices and 10p day time prices (all prices are based on the Lincolnshire Wolds & Scottish power)

Note if you only use electricity then you should not count the standing charge as you have to have that with all the other options in other words you are double counting.

Now I know there will be a lot of negative remarks about E7 heating by people who either live in the past or are ignorant of the facts.
A/ the loss of heat during the day is now much much smaller due to excellent insulation of the radiators and running out of heat is much less likely as house insulation is much better.
    So what would I go for if I was starting from the beginning?:- Well I would
Heat by new method an accumulator tank (see below for info and sales). They can be heated by anything electricity solid fuel, gas, oil and if you wanted to all of the latter at the same time. They are basically a very large immersion tank (very large) which is so heavily insulted that it only losses 2 centigrade per 24 hours therefore 1 centigrade per day (assuming your using it) and I would add/back it up with a wood burner with a boiler (wood can be very cheap I have had 3 years for virtually nothing or in some areas if you buy it in a lot more expensive than any other fuel) or an oil boiler or if I had to use LPG heating I would use bottles instead of tank IE no contract and rental (LPG suppliers will never agree to supply you with less than 1000 liters a year if you tell them that’s all you are going to use). I would basically be using Electricity to heat Wet radiators.
  Look it up everything I said to help you. Oh by the way I use LPG (47ppl) and only used £130 at today’s prices plus £60 rental. I bought a wood burner (does not do central heating) and turn the central heating on for an hour or two in the winter BUT this is based on free wood I have no guarantee it will last. Although it has paid for the £2000 wood burner and the fitting and I am now in profit. PS I live in a 2 bed bungalow.
For accumulator tank see and others
  http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burning_stoves/Accumulator-hot-water-tanks.html
 
E7 compared to LPG at 7.11 KWh and 100% efficent at a price of 47ppl (cheap and not 100% effcient)
E7 Day time 6.72p KWh LPG 6.6 KWh
E7 Night time 3.16 a KWh LPG 6.6 KWh

[JohnB]

found these guys - not used them so don't take this as a recomendation but they have the support of the relevant bodies (DEFRA and REA).

They've put boilers in around lincolnshire by the looks.

http://www.englishwoodfuels.co.uk/case-studies/item/4/domestic-wood-pellet-boiler--lincolnshire/

somewhere to start anyway?

Excellent shop in Binbrook for wood burners has huge showroom on small industrail estate next to firestaion.

[JohnB]

Property has 2 6x8 sheds so storing wood should be o.k
Thinking about 2 stoves, 1 for the small sitting room and the other for the long dining area.
Thank you Bluedave for the info, will continue to check things out.

        Hi grindling my conservatory is full of plants and the windows are covered in condensation? If I go out and open the windows the condensation will go. Remeber that when you put wood in an enclosed space. The air in my conservatory has reached 100% humidity it will do so in your wood sheds if you do not allowe it to escape. Once 100% humidity has been reached your wood will stop drying and start rotting.  JB

[JohnB]

Had a good look.
Ground floor heating would be good if I could put underfloor heating in, but the floors are layed to tiles and a parquet floor and warm air heater is noisy.
So still looking at wood boiler. Downloaded lots of interesting fact sheets, but it isn't very easy to find an installer in Lincs, the land of no gas.
I will try to find help down here as I would like to have hot water available by the time we move.

   The people at Binbrook will sell and recomend a fitter for you and there is no shortage of them in Lincolnshire (solid fuel fiters). They do have quite a few on there books.  No doubt the fitters give them a "kickback" for recomending them but I couldn't actually find anyone doing it cheaper who was both qualified and had lots of experience. The latter is in my opinion is a lot more important. PS there are wood burners that have pipes above them (2 or 4) which suck air into other rooms ,might be worth looking at personally if I was you I would go for the accumalator tank as you already have oil and you could use E7 which could then be backed up by your oil. I would have done the same If it was available when I changed my gas boiler......the benefit of hind sight!

[Goosegirl]

I live in an area that has no gas supply. We inherited only an open fire for heat and later put in a solid fuel open fire with wrap-around boiler for hot water and CH - it wasn't that efficient. When the boiler burst, we had a replacement fire exactly the same model but without the boiler. It was amazing how much more heat it put out. We now have no central heating system but rely on the open fire, a modern paraffin heater halfway up the stairs and a couple of convector heaters and one oil-filled radiator which we use only very occasionally. Last January we had our bathroom re-done and installed under-floor heating which is supposed to be remarkably cheap according to the literature supplied, plus a timer on the immersion heater. We kept well warm last winter.

[grinling]

Thank you for your replies. I'm hoping that the place will dry out nicely once we get our hands on the keys. Once in lots to do, but hope to get stoves in for winter.