choice of heating: UFH V's Rads & Geo V's Oil

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johnnyg

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Hi,
I'm trying to sort out my heating choice for a 3200 sq foot 2 storey house and got the following quotes:
UFH : 10, 400
traditional radiator heating: 10,000
UFH plus Geothermal (horizontal collector): 24,000
I have the following queries:
1) Should i install UFH as its coming in at approx the same cost as traditional radiators and would UFH be more cost effective in the long term if using a high condenser oil burner and for the size of the house?
2) Should i go for the geo-thermal as it costs 14K extra, will it be cost effective as the house is so big and would i use alot of oil if i went the traditional radiator way with a high condenser burner
3) install UFH with a high condenser burner and down the line install geothermal when i i can afford it or would this be too messy, i have a 1.5 acre site so have the space for horizontal collector
As the budget is very tight, which option would be best, i could stretch and get the extra 14k but would be adding this on to the mortgage at the end? Would it be worth it in the long run, its the size of the house that is worring me to heat, we have gone for all block with concrete foors and have a 150mm cavity with platinum bead insulation.
All comments appreciated and i'm quite confused on the matter
Cheers
 
Last edited:
johnnyg said:
Hi,
I'm trying to sort out my heating choice for a 3200 sq foot 2 storey house and got the following quotes:
UFH : 10, 400
traditional radiator heating: 10,000
UFH plus Geothermal (horizontal collector): 24,000
I have the following queries:

1) Should i install UFH as its coming in at approx the same cost as traditional radiators and would UFH be more cost effective in the long term if using a high condenser oil burner and for the size of the house?
Yes most certainly go for UFH - it is more cost effective. The main reason being it is easier to achieve the temp of UFH than rads. Less energy used in the long run.

2) Should i go for the geo-thermal as it costs 14K extra, will it be cost effective as the house is so big and would i use alot of oil if i went the traditional radiator way with a high condenser burner
We opted out of geothermal - reason being not enough evidence that it was an effective heating source, so we opted for oil condenser.
3) install UFH with a high condenser burner and down the line install geothermal when i i can afford it or would this be too messy, i have a 1.5 acre site so have the space for horizontal collector.
It is an option to install geothermal later on, it wouldnt be too messy if done during summer, using a hymac on wheels not those metal tracks ones.


As the budget is very tight, which option would be best, i could stretch and get the extra 14k but would be adding this on to the mortgage at the end? Would it be worth it in the long run, its the size of the house that is worring me to heat, we have gone for all block with concrete foors and have a 300mm cavity with platinum bead insulation.
All comments appreciated and i'm quite confused on the matter
Cheers
Click to expand...

Do not forget for your size of house you should be able to use max 2000 litres of oil per year once the system is up and running - initially it will drink the oil very quickly at the start.

Also pellets is a another alternative heating source.. set up in garage and hook up to underfloor. Time will tell which energy source will be better than oil. The majority of people i know with UFH used oil and wait


 
johnnyg said:
... a 300mm cavity with platinum bead insulation.
Click to expand...

Thats an enormous cavity, is this a typo? If not, the u-value on that wall is around 0.11. (Excluding a correction for what would be very substantial wall ties)

If the rest of the build is up to a similar spec, then you could expect very reasonable bills from radiators and oil imho.
 
thanks kildarebuild,
i'm leaning for UFH/oil, there is also an option to get weather compensating controls for an extra 400 euro's, not sure if this is a gimmick of not? any opinions
 
€10,400 seems a bit low for UFH for 3000 sq.ft. How many manifolds will there be ? How good will the controls be and will there be stats in every room ? Does this include a buffer tank ?
If you have access to source of solid fuel then adding a stove with back-boiler may be a good idea to reduce oil usage.
 
I also agree with going with oil initially, but future-proofing your boilerhouse (i.e. make it large enough) so that you can install the larger geothermal or pellet equipment in a few years if you so wish.
 
ennisjim said:
€10,400 seems a bit low for UFH for 3000 sq.ft. How many manifolds will there be ? How good will the controls be and will there be stats in every room ? Does this include a buffer tank ?
If you have access to source of solid fuel then adding a stove with back-boiler may be a good idea to reduce oil usage.
Click to expand...

I didn't get a break down, i got a quote valid for 60 days based on my house plans submitted and it included the following:
"
Your Underfloor heating system shall consist of the following:
All necessary oxygen tight multi-layer pipes. Our pipe has a metal core which guarantees 100% lifetime oxygen barrier. This is essential for prevention of corrosion in the heating system over time. This metal core also helps the structural integrity of the pipe.
All necessary tracking and clips designed for securing the underfloor pipes to the sub-floor insulation
Distribution manifolds complete with isolation valves, flow meters and individual circuit control. These can be discretely located in a central location in the house, i.e. under stairs, behind cupboards, or in specially designed manifold cabinets
Automatic mixing valves to control water temperature to underfloor heating
High head circulating pump to match required flow rate incl. isolating valves
Thermostats and thermo electric actuator heads for individual room control
Bathrooms or utility rooms may need to be left as open circuits
Weather compensating controls are an alternative control to the thermostats and actuators option and offer higher efficiency and better comfort conditions. This will cost ca. €400 extra
The installation of your under-floor heating system shall include the following:
The fitting, testing and commissioning of all pipe work and control equipment.
The client will be supplied with an operation and maintenance manual, which explains how to run your Under-floor heating system properly and efficiently.
Piping and wiring schematics will be supplied"
 
Sounds very professional. I'd advise researching the buffer tank issue though since I was strongly encouraged by my installer to go down this route and I've seen many postings from people who recommend buffer tank approach.
 
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