ᐅ What to replace an oil heating system from 1989 in an old, characterful house with?
Created on: 9 Jan 2021 14:19
M
meowmeow
Hello dear forum,
we have an old timber-framed house in the Alpine foreland. Built around 1910 with an extension from the 1960s, the original building has a basement, the extension does not. The insulation is rather poor, and the windows are either double-glazed or old. A hailstorm completely destroyed our roof, so a new roof with good insulation has now been installed.
Currently, we have a Viessmann oil heating system from 1989 with a 2000l (528 gallons) oil tank in the basement, which has caused no major problems so far. The hot water is also centrally supplied by this system. With the old roof, we used about 1900-2500l (502-660 gallons) of oil in winter, depending on the season. With the new roof, we don’t have experience yet, but I expect some improvement. The house has about 115m2 (1238 square feet) of living space, heated by radiators.
Since the heating system is getting old and there are currently larger subsidy programs, we are considering modernization. From my research so far, a heat pump seems to be out of the question because we would need a better-insulated house and underfloor heating? Other types of electric heating seem even less economical?
The least invasive option would probably be a new condensing oil boiler, but these are not subsidized, so I could just wait until the old one breaks down?
A pellet heating system seems too complicated to operate? My mother will soon be 70 and often lives alone in the house. In her old age, I don’t want to put too much strain on her. We frequently visit with our child for several days, but mostly in summer. Also, the long transition phase with low heating loads appears to speak against a pellet system.
I can’t really estimate the costs for gas. A gas connection might be possible with the local supplier if the neighbors join in. We would need about 60-70m (197-230 feet) of gas pipeline on our own property. What costs should I roughly expect? Alternatively, a tank could be buried in the garden, but we are not very enthusiastic about that idea. We are somewhat confused by current politics: on the one hand, fossil fuels are supposed to become much more expensive to promote renewable energy, but on the other hand, gas condensing boilers are heavily subsidized?
For sentimental reasons, we could imagine installing a water-bearing wood stove in the living room. We already have a wood-burning stove in the kitchen where we occasionally cook, and which also provides some heating in winter.
However, it would have to connect to the same chimney currently used by the oil heating system – or the future gas heating system – and from what I understand, this is not allowed, so I might have to give up that dream, right?
We are considering a photovoltaic system on the roof, but we plan to remove the attic floor and renovate the upstairs room within about 5-10 years to get higher ceilings. This would also include adding a few skylights. I should probably wait for these renovation measures first.
What would you recommend? How should the new heating system be sized – I assume this can be calculated quite well based on previous energy consumption?
Thank you very much for your time and help!
we have an old timber-framed house in the Alpine foreland. Built around 1910 with an extension from the 1960s, the original building has a basement, the extension does not. The insulation is rather poor, and the windows are either double-glazed or old. A hailstorm completely destroyed our roof, so a new roof with good insulation has now been installed.
Currently, we have a Viessmann oil heating system from 1989 with a 2000l (528 gallons) oil tank in the basement, which has caused no major problems so far. The hot water is also centrally supplied by this system. With the old roof, we used about 1900-2500l (502-660 gallons) of oil in winter, depending on the season. With the new roof, we don’t have experience yet, but I expect some improvement. The house has about 115m2 (1238 square feet) of living space, heated by radiators.
Since the heating system is getting old and there are currently larger subsidy programs, we are considering modernization. From my research so far, a heat pump seems to be out of the question because we would need a better-insulated house and underfloor heating? Other types of electric heating seem even less economical?
The least invasive option would probably be a new condensing oil boiler, but these are not subsidized, so I could just wait until the old one breaks down?
A pellet heating system seems too complicated to operate? My mother will soon be 70 and often lives alone in the house. In her old age, I don’t want to put too much strain on her. We frequently visit with our child for several days, but mostly in summer. Also, the long transition phase with low heating loads appears to speak against a pellet system.
I can’t really estimate the costs for gas. A gas connection might be possible with the local supplier if the neighbors join in. We would need about 60-70m (197-230 feet) of gas pipeline on our own property. What costs should I roughly expect? Alternatively, a tank could be buried in the garden, but we are not very enthusiastic about that idea. We are somewhat confused by current politics: on the one hand, fossil fuels are supposed to become much more expensive to promote renewable energy, but on the other hand, gas condensing boilers are heavily subsidized?
For sentimental reasons, we could imagine installing a water-bearing wood stove in the living room. We already have a wood-burning stove in the kitchen where we occasionally cook, and which also provides some heating in winter.
However, it would have to connect to the same chimney currently used by the oil heating system – or the future gas heating system – and from what I understand, this is not allowed, so I might have to give up that dream, right?
We are considering a photovoltaic system on the roof, but we plan to remove the attic floor and renovate the upstairs room within about 5-10 years to get higher ceilings. This would also include adding a few skylights. I should probably wait for these renovation measures first.
What would you recommend? How should the new heating system be sized – I assume this can be calculated quite well based on previous energy consumption?
Thank you very much for your time and help!
Hmm, an outdoor chimney is probably not a viable option here. My main goal is to calmly develop a solid plan that I can implement when the heating system actually needs attention, rather than making rushed decisions.
I will check what the cost of a gas connection would be, as having a gas tank in the garden doesn’t appeal to us. I have read some success stories about heat pumps in older buildings, and if it can be implemented sensibly in our case, I would really like that solution. We have a long transition period, and I think from mid-March to November we could rely exclusively on the heat pump, which would also pave the way for a nice wood-burning stove in the living room to heat during the winter.
It is important for us to have a reliable heating system that can protect the house from freezing or mold even during longer absences. Pellets seem less suitable to me; gas, oil, and electric heating appear to be more reliable options here.
I will check what the cost of a gas connection would be, as having a gas tank in the garden doesn’t appeal to us. I have read some success stories about heat pumps in older buildings, and if it can be implemented sensibly in our case, I would really like that solution. We have a long transition period, and I think from mid-March to November we could rely exclusively on the heat pump, which would also pave the way for a nice wood-burning stove in the living room to heat during the winter.
It is important for us to have a reliable heating system that can protect the house from freezing or mold even during longer absences. Pellets seem less suitable to me; gas, oil, and electric heating appear to be more reliable options here.
meowmeow schrieb:
I’m going to check how much a gas connection would cost.Great!meowmeow schrieb:
Pave the way for a nice wood stove in the living room that can be used to heat the house in winter.You really have to want that. My relatives do that, and their whole house always smells like a fireplace. I wouldn’t want the work or the smell. Even if the system is better sealed than what I’m used to, it would be too much effort for me.
meowmeow schrieb:
It’s important to us to have a reliable heating system that can protect the house from freezing or mold during longer absences. Pellets don’t seem very suitable for this, gas, oil, and electric seem to have the advantage?Any heating system can keep a room above freezing. Ventilation helps prevent mold. That’s independent of the heating type. A pellet heating system will also keep running without intervention when you’re away!
W
WilderSueden10 Jan 2021 11:02I think you say pellets but are actually thinking of logs. With pellets, there is usually an automatic feed screw that fills the stove without the residents needing to do anything. The disadvantage of pellets is mostly the space required (which can be almost prohibitively expensive in new constructions), but that should be less of an issue for you since the oil tanks are already in place and might be converted. However, it is definitely important to check whether you have space for 4 tons of pellets (equivalent by rough calculation to 2000 liters (530 gallons) of heating oil) and whether you can properly install the feed system and heating unit.
There is enough space, but the internet is full of people whose pellet heating systems fail, and I also see this among acquaintances. From my understanding, a pellet system should ideally operate at maximum load to be efficient. In my view, this somewhat conflicts with the long transition period here.
As long as the old oil heating system is still running, I wouldn’t change anything. After that, I would install a low-maintenance heating system suited to the building— in my view, that would be a gas heating system operated with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). If the gas tank in the garden is visually too obtrusive, there is also the option to place it underground. Of course, this involves higher costs.
P
pagoni202010 Jan 2021 13:14Originally, I was unfamiliar with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) since I come from Baden-Württemberg, but now that we live in Saxony, I feel like it’s used in nearly every second front yard here in rural areas. In the new development area, about half of the homeowners have buried LPG tanks in their gardens. We also have LPG here in our temporary apartment, and after a while, you don’t even notice the tank— the heating runs steadily. So, LPG could definitely be an option.
Your mother mostly lives there alone, and you are only there occasionally, which would also make me lean towards keeping the existing system running. With the old roof, the consumption was around 2000 liters (530 gallons) per year, which I think is quite reasonable and should now be improved. It’s also not the case that a new heating system is completely environmentally neutral; there is still quite a bit of greenwashing when you look at the whole picture.
Of course, the heating behavior and detailed situation are unknown, but if you carry out some insulation measures that you would have done anyway, consumption could already be reduced enough to be acceptable. One really shouldn’t believe that all newer houses are that energy-efficient, and if they are, users often still live in an energy-inefficient way by maintaining high room temperatures or using excessive lighting or electronics—things your mother likely won’t have.
Every type of heating system has its pros and cons, as well as particular operational and functional characteristics.
Those definitely exist, but you can find such stories for all options. Ultimately, your personal preference for a system is what counts; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is also true that your mother might need something different than you do, and fortunately, you can still monitor the situation for a bit longer.
With this “scenario,” I would take a close look at whether it really fits your needs, especially since it sounds like you do not have underfloor heating there. There are people here or in specialized forums who can give you precise advice on that.
That’s exactly what you should carefully consider, and that’s where I would have my doubts regarding a heat pump. That would rather argue in favor of electricity plus photovoltaics, because this system probably has the lowest risk of damage.
Like my predecessor, I would also vote to keep the current system and then switch to gas or electricity afterward. But you still have time. 😀
Your mother mostly lives there alone, and you are only there occasionally, which would also make me lean towards keeping the existing system running. With the old roof, the consumption was around 2000 liters (530 gallons) per year, which I think is quite reasonable and should now be improved. It’s also not the case that a new heating system is completely environmentally neutral; there is still quite a bit of greenwashing when you look at the whole picture.
Of course, the heating behavior and detailed situation are unknown, but if you carry out some insulation measures that you would have done anyway, consumption could already be reduced enough to be acceptable. One really shouldn’t believe that all newer houses are that energy-efficient, and if they are, users often still live in an energy-inefficient way by maintaining high room temperatures or using excessive lighting or electronics—things your mother likely won’t have.
Every type of heating system has its pros and cons, as well as particular operational and functional characteristics.
meowmeow schrieb:
I have read some success stories about heat pumps in older buildings,
Those definitely exist, but you can find such stories for all options. Ultimately, your personal preference for a system is what counts; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It is also true that your mother might need something different than you do, and fortunately, you can still monitor the situation for a bit longer.
meowmeow schrieb:
We have a long transition period, and I think that at least from mid-March to November, I could manage with the heat pump alone, which would also pave the way for a nice wood stove in the living room that could then be used for additional heating in winter.
With this “scenario,” I would take a close look at whether it really fits your needs, especially since it sounds like you do not have underfloor heating there. There are people here or in specialized forums who can give you precise advice on that.
meowmeow schrieb:
It’s important for us to have a reliable heating system that protects the house from freezing or mold even during longer absences.
That’s exactly what you should carefully consider, and that’s where I would have my doubts regarding a heat pump. That would rather argue in favor of electricity plus photovoltaics, because this system probably has the lowest risk of damage.
Like my predecessor, I would also vote to keep the current system and then switch to gas or electricity afterward. But you still have time. 😀
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