Good day!
I am the type of person who likes to address and solve things before they become a problem. Therefore, I am considering whether there is a sensible way to move away from heating oil without switching to natural gas. Based on some basic data, can you roughly estimate what might be possible?
The total usable area of the house is 300 square meters, of which 178 square meters (about 1917 square feet) is living space. The difference mainly consists of basement rooms, which I partly use for my freelance work. Two adults and one child live in the house; both adults also work from home. We use about 3,000 liters (approximately 792 gallons) of heating oil per year (around 10 liters (2.6 gallons) per square meter including hot water) and consume about 8,000 kWh of electricity, as we also charge two electric cars.
The house is built with 24 cm (9.4 inches) thick solid Liapor elements, which provide excellent thermal buffering: in summer it remains cool for a long time, and in autumn it stays warm for a long time. Outside, there is 6 cm (2.4 inches) of mineral insulation, followed by a 4 cm (1.6 inches) air gap, and then a brick cladding. The wooden windows are double-glazed. The house has a carpentry-style roof structure with 20 cm (7.9 inches) of mineral insulation, and during the interior work we paid close attention to precise airtightness.
The oil-fired central heating system is now 22 years old but still runs very well. We do not have underfloor heating but radiators in every room. The flow temperature is about 40°C (104°F), and we operate a heating curve roughly as flat as that used for underfloor heating. Our roof shape (half-hipped roof with four gable dormers) is not suitable for photovoltaic panels; however, the garage roof (gable roof with about 30° pitch, ridge orientation north-south) offers space for about 70 square meters (around 753 square feet) of photovoltaic panels, half facing east and half west, with no shading from trees. Between the garage and the house, I have already installed a 5x16 square NyY cable (50 meters long (164 feet)) because that is where the cars are charged. So, if photovoltaic panels are installed on the garage roof, the inverter and control system could be housed in the garage, and there is also space beside the garage for battery storage. There is sufficient garden space for ground collectors as well.
Now I am wondering: is there a reasonable overall concept involving photovoltaics, battery storage, heat pump, and flat plate collectors? I would like to remove the oil tank but do not want a gas connection. Under these conditions, is it possible to achieve a relatively high degree of self-sufficiency for much of the year, so that only a small amount of electricity needs to be purchased, while avoiding the risk of running out of heat in cold periods?
Ideally, I would like to commission an independent energy consultant for such a concept, but I have no idea how to find someone who approaches this in a technology-neutral way while keeping an eye on political decisions that, of course, cannot be predicted now regarding how they will develop over the coming years. If you act too early, you might regret it later when stronger subsidies become available; but if you wait too long, you might have to endure rising oil and electricity prices for a longer period. Besides, I simply no longer find it acceptable to burn oil or gas.
Matthias
I am the type of person who likes to address and solve things before they become a problem. Therefore, I am considering whether there is a sensible way to move away from heating oil without switching to natural gas. Based on some basic data, can you roughly estimate what might be possible?
The total usable area of the house is 300 square meters, of which 178 square meters (about 1917 square feet) is living space. The difference mainly consists of basement rooms, which I partly use for my freelance work. Two adults and one child live in the house; both adults also work from home. We use about 3,000 liters (approximately 792 gallons) of heating oil per year (around 10 liters (2.6 gallons) per square meter including hot water) and consume about 8,000 kWh of electricity, as we also charge two electric cars.
The house is built with 24 cm (9.4 inches) thick solid Liapor elements, which provide excellent thermal buffering: in summer it remains cool for a long time, and in autumn it stays warm for a long time. Outside, there is 6 cm (2.4 inches) of mineral insulation, followed by a 4 cm (1.6 inches) air gap, and then a brick cladding. The wooden windows are double-glazed. The house has a carpentry-style roof structure with 20 cm (7.9 inches) of mineral insulation, and during the interior work we paid close attention to precise airtightness.
The oil-fired central heating system is now 22 years old but still runs very well. We do not have underfloor heating but radiators in every room. The flow temperature is about 40°C (104°F), and we operate a heating curve roughly as flat as that used for underfloor heating. Our roof shape (half-hipped roof with four gable dormers) is not suitable for photovoltaic panels; however, the garage roof (gable roof with about 30° pitch, ridge orientation north-south) offers space for about 70 square meters (around 753 square feet) of photovoltaic panels, half facing east and half west, with no shading from trees. Between the garage and the house, I have already installed a 5x16 square NyY cable (50 meters long (164 feet)) because that is where the cars are charged. So, if photovoltaic panels are installed on the garage roof, the inverter and control system could be housed in the garage, and there is also space beside the garage for battery storage. There is sufficient garden space for ground collectors as well.
Now I am wondering: is there a reasonable overall concept involving photovoltaics, battery storage, heat pump, and flat plate collectors? I would like to remove the oil tank but do not want a gas connection. Under these conditions, is it possible to achieve a relatively high degree of self-sufficiency for much of the year, so that only a small amount of electricity needs to be purchased, while avoiding the risk of running out of heat in cold periods?
Ideally, I would like to commission an independent energy consultant for such a concept, but I have no idea how to find someone who approaches this in a technology-neutral way while keeping an eye on political decisions that, of course, cannot be predicted now regarding how they will develop over the coming years. If you act too early, you might regret it later when stronger subsidies become available; but if you wait too long, you might have to endure rising oil and electricity prices for a longer period. Besides, I simply no longer find it acceptable to burn oil or gas.
Matthias
D
Deliverer19 Dec 2021 18:14This is generally more efficient. (Condensing boilers should always be set this way, as this is the only way they can provide an advantage.) However, with older heating systems, it is not always possible to regulate everything perfectly. If you manage to achieve this roughly over the course of one winter, you can estimate the heating load and the necessary flow temperature at standard outdoor temperature quite accurately. These are two important values for the use of a heat pump. (What’s really missing then is just precise knowledge of the possibilities of the hydraulic system...)
Deliverer schrieb:
Record daily average temperatures and oil consumption. I understand the temperature part—that’s what thermometers were made for. But how am I supposed to know my daily oil consumption? That would mean unscrewing the carefully sealed tank cap every day to measure with a ruler, or installing a highly accurate sensor. Or a flow meter on the supply line. I only know such devices from marine technology...
Matthias
D
Deliverer19 Dec 2021 20:38There are different methods – if you don’t have any, of course you can’t do this. Check if the heating system might count usage in some menu.
The best tool to determine the heating load (besides a professional calculation) would be a heat meter. You can have one installed later, but of course, it will cost something. Is it worth it? Maybe if there is a lot of uncertainty.
One more thing: if possible, you should set the heating circulator pump to a consistently high performance. Just enough so that the radiators don’t make noise. This also allows for lower supply temperatures, and later the heat pump will have to do the same to efficiently transfer the heat.
The best tool to determine the heating load (besides a professional calculation) would be a heat meter. You can have one installed later, but of course, it will cost something. Is it worth it? Maybe if there is a lot of uncertainty.
One more thing: if possible, you should set the heating circulator pump to a consistently high performance. Just enough so that the radiators don’t make noise. This also allows for lower supply temperatures, and later the heat pump will have to do the same to efficiently transfer the heat.
Pianist schrieb:
We consume around 3,000 liters (about 800 gallons) of heating oil per year (which is roughly 10 liters per square meter including hot water) and use about 8,000 kWh of electricity, as we also charge two electric cars.Thanks for the loud laugh this Sunday about burning heating oil to power *ROTFL* "low-emission" cars! 🙂https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
Thanks for the loud laugh this Sunday, burning heating oil to drive *ROTFL* "low-emission" cars! 🙂There’s nothing funny about that. It would actually be more efficient and environmentally friendly because a) it’s locally emission-free (better for the local population) and b) large-scale facilities have better filtration options than a passenger car.
Pianist, weren’t you the one with the difficult plot situation at your parents’ place? How did that turn out?
Find an energy consultant nearby. They will prepare a plan for you.
11ant schrieb:
..., generating electricity from heating oil to drive *ROTFL* "low-emission" cars That is about as original as the electric buses currently in trial operation here.
To heat the passenger compartment, these vehicles have a fuel-powered parking heater, because the electric drive "unfortunately" lacks waste heat for heating.
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