ᐅ Looking for a supplementary heating solution for a bathroom with a slow-responding underfloor heating system
Created on: 2 Oct 2018 11:36
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DasHausimWaldD
DasHausimWald2 Oct 2018 11:36Hello everyone!
Background first:
Last year, we purchased a house from the 1980s in southern Germany, located in the forest, which has an equally old but fully functional electric underfloor heating system that is incredibly expensive to operate.
The system uses wires embedded in the floor; there are no water pipes.
So, we are heating 250 sqm (2690 sqft) of living space with a "heater" that hangs on the basement wall and is about the size of a shoebox.
After receiving several quotes for converting to an oil- or pellet-fired central heating system—which would be very costly since we don’t have pipes in the walls or radiators—and considering various suggestions from heating technicians (such as a single pellet stove in the open living-dining-kitchen area and continuing to heat the rest electrically), we decided to continue using the existing electric system for now and supplement it with wood heating from the masonry stove (Kachelofen) in the living area.
Nevertheless, in the first winter, we had an electricity consumption of about 17,000 kWh per year (estimated, just for heating electricity). Of course, we would like to reduce this in the second winter.
Now the heating season is starting again, and I am looking for an economical and safe solution for the bathroom. We both work full-time outside the home, so we only use the bathroom about one hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.
Starting this winter, a baby will be joining us, which will change our usage pattern.
I am looking for an idea on how to keep the bathroom pleasantly warm during those usage times while maintaining the electric underfloor heating—which is very slow to respond—at a base temperature of about 18 to 20°C (64 to 68°F).
I would then like to heat the bathroom up to a comfortable 24°C (75°F) in the morning and evening, and additionally during the winter, for example, when bathing the baby.
I thought about a small fan heater, but it would probably need to be wall-mounted and splash-proof to avoid any safety risks. My husband rejects a fan heater for safety reasons.
What would be the best option for this? Radiant heaters? Infrared heaters? Wall-mounted towel warmers?
Does anyone have any ideas?
Background first:
Last year, we purchased a house from the 1980s in southern Germany, located in the forest, which has an equally old but fully functional electric underfloor heating system that is incredibly expensive to operate.
The system uses wires embedded in the floor; there are no water pipes.
So, we are heating 250 sqm (2690 sqft) of living space with a "heater" that hangs on the basement wall and is about the size of a shoebox.
After receiving several quotes for converting to an oil- or pellet-fired central heating system—which would be very costly since we don’t have pipes in the walls or radiators—and considering various suggestions from heating technicians (such as a single pellet stove in the open living-dining-kitchen area and continuing to heat the rest electrically), we decided to continue using the existing electric system for now and supplement it with wood heating from the masonry stove (Kachelofen) in the living area.
Nevertheless, in the first winter, we had an electricity consumption of about 17,000 kWh per year (estimated, just for heating electricity). Of course, we would like to reduce this in the second winter.
Now the heating season is starting again, and I am looking for an economical and safe solution for the bathroom. We both work full-time outside the home, so we only use the bathroom about one hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.
Starting this winter, a baby will be joining us, which will change our usage pattern.
I am looking for an idea on how to keep the bathroom pleasantly warm during those usage times while maintaining the electric underfloor heating—which is very slow to respond—at a base temperature of about 18 to 20°C (64 to 68°F).
I would then like to heat the bathroom up to a comfortable 24°C (75°F) in the morning and evening, and additionally during the winter, for example, when bathing the baby.
I thought about a small fan heater, but it would probably need to be wall-mounted and splash-proof to avoid any safety risks. My husband rejects a fan heater for safety reasons.
What would be the best option for this? Radiant heaters? Infrared heaters? Wall-mounted towel warmers?
Does anyone have any ideas?
We have an infrared heated mirror with a thermostat in the bathroom. It automatically heats up when necessary. The radiant heat is very comfortable. I’m not sure if it makes sense in an older house, though. I find it quite pleasant.
For the baby, I would install a regular radiant heater above the changing table. You pull the cord, and it immediately emits warmth. Of course, it only heats a specific spot and switches off automatically. It is mounted out of the child’s reach.
Wouldn’t a photovoltaic system with a storage battery be useful for you?
For the baby, I would install a regular radiant heater above the changing table. You pull the cord, and it immediately emits warmth. Of course, it only heats a specific spot and switches off automatically. It is mounted out of the child’s reach.
Wouldn’t a photovoltaic system with a storage battery be useful for you?
D
DasHausimWald2 Oct 2018 13:21Thank you for your input. I will look into infrared mirrors or heaters.
The baby changing table will likely be in the nursery, so a standard heater should be perfectly fine there. It doesn’t even have to be one designed for wet rooms.
Yes, we have already looked into that. We also have a large south-facing roof area, so it would definitely be worthwhile. However, no one wants to install a photovoltaic system on a nearly 40-year-old roof yet. The roof is still in such good condition that, according to the roofer, it could last another 5-15 years. After that, we plan to insulate and reroof it, and then install a photovoltaic system. Storage is not currently planned, as we would need a kind of “miracle” battery that stores electricity for half a year—from summer to winter 😉 Instead, there is an energy company in our region offering a kWh account system, meaning you feed the solar power you generate in summer into their grid, which they can sell as “clean energy.” The kWh we generate are credited to our account and can be withdrawn free of charge in winter. So far, this is the best solution we have found. Although it is technically possible to generate the electricity ourselves and feed it directly into the underfloor heating, we would produce a lot of heating electricity in summer when we don’t need heating, and in winter we would generate very little electricity but need a lot of power.
The baby changing table will likely be in the nursery, so a standard heater should be perfectly fine there. It doesn’t even have to be one designed for wet rooms.
haydee schrieb:
Wouldn’t a photovoltaic system possibly with storage make sense for you?
Yes, we have already looked into that. We also have a large south-facing roof area, so it would definitely be worthwhile. However, no one wants to install a photovoltaic system on a nearly 40-year-old roof yet. The roof is still in such good condition that, according to the roofer, it could last another 5-15 years. After that, we plan to insulate and reroof it, and then install a photovoltaic system. Storage is not currently planned, as we would need a kind of “miracle” battery that stores electricity for half a year—from summer to winter 😉 Instead, there is an energy company in our region offering a kWh account system, meaning you feed the solar power you generate in summer into their grid, which they can sell as “clean energy.” The kWh we generate are credited to our account and can be withdrawn free of charge in winter. So far, this is the best solution we have found. Although it is technically possible to generate the electricity ourselves and feed it directly into the underfloor heating, we would produce a lot of heating electricity in summer when we don’t need heating, and in winter we would generate very little electricity but need a lot of power.
The energy account sounds good. Probably better than the storage for now.
Off-topic
If possible, put the changing table in the bathroom.
You need water more often—whether for morning washing or cleaning up the mess from a leaked diaper.
The bathroom is usually warmer than the nursery, which is hardly used except as a baby’s storage room.
Off-topic
If possible, put the changing table in the bathroom.
You need water more often—whether for morning washing or cleaning up the mess from a leaked diaper.
The bathroom is usually warmer than the nursery, which is hardly used except as a baby’s storage room.
O
Obstlerbaum2 Oct 2018 15:25Using photovoltaics to power electric underfloor heating is, in my opinion, not a brilliant idea. It would be better to insulate the roof and basement/exterior walls to reduce the demand.
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