Hello everyone,
After much consideration, we decided against a prefabricated house and chose a custom-designed home by an architect. A key reason was that almost all prefabricated houses rely on heat pumps, but we are not fans of this system (unfortunately, due to the house's orientation, installing a photovoltaic system is not practical for us).
Therefore, we would like to use a gas condensing boiler in combination with a wood gasification boiler or a water-bearing fireplace. We are now quite uncertain which option might be more cost-effective over time. We definitely want a wood stove in the living room...
The basic conditions are:
- New construction according to KFW 55
- Living area about 175 m² (1880 sq ft)
- Construction site in the Lüneburg district
- Own forest available (about 5 ha (12 acres)) mostly pine trees
Please do not start fundamental discussions like "Hey, heat pumps are still the best solution."
For us, the options mentioned above are the ones under consideration; we just want to know which would be more economical.
Has anyone had experience with these combinations?
Thanks and best regards
After much consideration, we decided against a prefabricated house and chose a custom-designed home by an architect. A key reason was that almost all prefabricated houses rely on heat pumps, but we are not fans of this system (unfortunately, due to the house's orientation, installing a photovoltaic system is not practical for us).
Therefore, we would like to use a gas condensing boiler in combination with a wood gasification boiler or a water-bearing fireplace. We are now quite uncertain which option might be more cost-effective over time. We definitely want a wood stove in the living room...
The basic conditions are:
- New construction according to KFW 55
- Living area about 175 m² (1880 sq ft)
- Construction site in the Lüneburg district
- Own forest available (about 5 ha (12 acres)) mostly pine trees
Please do not start fundamental discussions like "Hey, heat pumps are still the best solution."
For us, the options mentioned above are the ones under consideration; we just want to know which would be more economical.
Has anyone had experience with these combinations?
Thanks and best regards
K
Knallkörper23 Mar 2018 21:33Believe me, the water drainage will never be cost-effective.
M
Mastermind123 Mar 2018 23:31What is the additional cost nowadays for a wood-burning stove with water heating (that is, a stove with a water jacket + hydraulics + buffer tank + adjustment of the heating control system) compared to a simple wood stove?
Back in 2009, it was said to be around 5000-8000€ extra. And then nobody wanted to handle integrating the stove with the main heating system (air-source heat pump).
Heating engineer: That’s not my concern – I won’t take responsibility for other trades, and I can’t do anything with the large buffer tank…
Stove installer: I don’t know every type of heating system and control, that should be done by the heating engineer themselves…
It quickly became clear to us that those two trades don’t want to cooperate – right from the start. And considering the extra cost for the water jacket, you could buy a lot of firewood, or just run the main heating system… In the end, we went for a normal wood stove without any extras.
Since you want a gas condensing boiler anyway, you’ll have to install solar thermal panels on the roof. Solar thermal doesn’t require a south-facing orientation or direct sunlight.
Skip the water jacket and instead install a few more solar thermal collectors/tubes on the roof to support the heating system. And if you ever have to deal with wood (for example, after clearing storm damage) and don’t need it, a simple two-line ad with a photo on a classifieds site will sell the wood quickly. Then you can buy gas in return.
P.S. I’m a committed photovoltaic enthusiast. What roof pitch will your roof have? Even with less than 25 degrees, you can very effectively equip east/west/southwest facing roofs with photovoltaic systems. Usually, a photovoltaic system pays off after about 10 years.
Back in 2009, it was said to be around 5000-8000€ extra. And then nobody wanted to handle integrating the stove with the main heating system (air-source heat pump).
Heating engineer: That’s not my concern – I won’t take responsibility for other trades, and I can’t do anything with the large buffer tank…
Stove installer: I don’t know every type of heating system and control, that should be done by the heating engineer themselves…
It quickly became clear to us that those two trades don’t want to cooperate – right from the start. And considering the extra cost for the water jacket, you could buy a lot of firewood, or just run the main heating system… In the end, we went for a normal wood stove without any extras.
Since you want a gas condensing boiler anyway, you’ll have to install solar thermal panels on the roof. Solar thermal doesn’t require a south-facing orientation or direct sunlight.
Skip the water jacket and instead install a few more solar thermal collectors/tubes on the roof to support the heating system. And if you ever have to deal with wood (for example, after clearing storm damage) and don’t need it, a simple two-line ad with a photo on a classifieds site will sell the wood quickly. Then you can buy gas in return.
P.S. I’m a committed photovoltaic enthusiast. What roof pitch will your roof have? Even with less than 25 degrees, you can very effectively equip east/west/southwest facing roofs with photovoltaic systems. Usually, a photovoltaic system pays off after about 10 years.
C
Chris280626 Mar 2018 19:22Does anyone happen to have a wood gasifier stove installed in their utility room and can share some information about the heat radiation? There are supposed to be some food items stored in the room as well (the wood gasifier stove will be placed behind a small partition wall).
Also, I would be interested to know the approximate annual consumption. As mentioned, the plan is for a house built to KFW 55 standard.
Would around 7 cubic meters (about 247 cubic feet) be sufficient?
Also, I would be interested to know the approximate annual consumption. As mentioned, the plan is for a house built to KFW 55 standard.
Would around 7 cubic meters (about 247 cubic feet) be sufficient?
K
Knallkörper26 Mar 2018 22:107 rm (cubic meters) will get you through the winter. The energy content is approximately 14 MWh. However, you will also need hot water, which you will likely produce using a different energy source in the summer. I only know of large wood gasifiers used in industrial workshops. These are hardly insulated and therefore completely unsuitable for a utility room in a house. I don’t think you want to store food and have the gasifier in the same room. Your utility room is probably also KfW55 standard...
K
kkk27272927 Mar 2018 07:28The room where the carburetor is located gets quite comfortably warm. However, it is always advisable to keep a window open.
Additionally, dust naturally accumulates, and it is not completely odorless.
There should also be enough space for storing wood. In my heating room, I have about 8-9 cubic meters (about 280-320 cubic feet) of storage space.
Basically, I would not recommend using a utility room for this purpose.
Additionally, dust naturally accumulates, and it is not completely odorless.
There should also be enough space for storing wood. In my heating room, I have about 8-9 cubic meters (about 280-320 cubic feet) of storage space.
Basically, I would not recommend using a utility room for this purpose.
D
Deliverer27 Mar 2018 10:42That sounds like something you would really have to want urgently...
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