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
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taschenonkel27 Dec 2021 19:40konibar schrieb:
When burning long-chain hydrocarbons, exhaust gases always contain particulate matter.
That is why newer diesel vehicles have a particulate filter. Exactly! And that is why modern pellet heating systems also have a particulate filter/separator. I maintain that in older buildings, where installing a heat pump simply does not make sense or the retrofit is too complex and not economical (embodied energy), a pellet heating system is the most environmentally friendly alternative if you want to move away from fossil fuels.
C
chand198627 Dec 2021 20:10I can only emphasize again and again: from an environmental perspective, specifically regarding CO2 emissions, burning wood is a dead end and, in fact, often worse than other fossil fuels.
It is quite frustrating that marketing has overshadowed this fact.
It is quite frustrating that marketing has overshadowed this fact.
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Trademark27 Dec 2021 20:40chand1986 schrieb:
I can only keep emphasizing: from an environmental standpoint, specifically regarding CO2 emissions, burning wood is a dead end and often worse than other fossil fuels.
It’s frustrating that this has been masked by marketing. Why would it be worse than an oil heating system?
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chand198628 Dec 2021 11:02Trademark schrieb:
Why should it be worse than an oil heating system?Using wood releases the CO2 that was previously stored, effectively destroying a carbon sink. For oil, only the latter applies—however, extraction and refining also produce additional CO2.Overall, wood heating never balances out well.
Hello!
I know I’m a bit late to the discussion, but recently someone in my family replaced an oil heating system with an air-to-water heat pump.
Their system naturally has a much higher flow temperature than we do in our new build, which probably means higher electricity consumption. However, the house is considerably older (from the 1970s), and they only replaced two radiators—other radiators had already been replaced in previous years. So the radiators are fairly up to date. They plan to add insulation next year, and new windows are also expected.
Otherwise, the system is working for now. They also have a large photovoltaic setup and a home energy storage system, which helps cover part of their heating costs.
I know I’m a bit late to the discussion, but recently someone in my family replaced an oil heating system with an air-to-water heat pump.
Their system naturally has a much higher flow temperature than we do in our new build, which probably means higher electricity consumption. However, the house is considerably older (from the 1970s), and they only replaced two radiators—other radiators had already been replaced in previous years. So the radiators are fairly up to date. They plan to add insulation next year, and new windows are also expected.
Otherwise, the system is working for now. They also have a large photovoltaic setup and a home energy storage system, which helps cover part of their heating costs.
T
taschenonkel29 Dec 2021 13:23I would really be interested to know how the electricity bill has changed. On paper, it actually seems very unfavorable for a heat pump (no insulation, old windows, and you don’t mention underfloor heating).
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