Low carbon Heating

   When your house is heat efficient you do need expensive boilers & heating systems. Passive houses require so little heat just a simple direct electrical heating device will suffice, such as underfloor or a simple plugin heater.

   As long as you are buying 100% renewable electricity , all of the heating methods below should be low carbon. Heating with electricity at night can be much cheaper if you are on a variable tariff like economy 7.

When To Heat ?

   If you're fully committed to a low carbon life you are probably on or want to switch to a renewable tariff with a low night rate. This affects -when- you heat. Houses with a large thermal mass can be heated over night & "coast" through the day. The perfect combo may be an oversized heat pump storing heat in the fabric of the building, then "coasting" through the day. My house requires 1.6kW x 24hr = 38.4kWh in the depths of winter. It is well insulated / retrofitted for economy.

   A heat pump with a COP of 3.7 would require 38.4 / 3.7 = 10.4kWh x 34p = £3.53 /day

   Below is a rough guide showing most cost efficient heat / times

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Air / Ground source heat pump

Heat pumps give you more heat (or cooling) energy than you put into them, if the unit consumes 1kW you get 3-4 kW.
Cheap and easy or big and expensive ?
This will depend on your House style, size & Insulation level.​

Heating & Cooling NO Radiators

   This type of unit cost £650 and can be installed in a day. It generates roughly 2.5kW of heating or cooling for 670w of input. COP 3.7

Pros

• Requires no radiators
• Cheap
• Easy to install

Cons 

• Won't give you hot water
• Only heats 1 room DIRECTLY
• Noise ?

Heat Pumps with radiators

​ The typical air source heat pump, you are looking at costs ranging from £9,000 to £20,000.
​ You may have to change your current radiators for larger ones as the water in not as hot so requires a bigger surface area. You can "coast" through the day and heat at night on low tariff for further savings and when combined with solar PVs gives the greatest savings on energy costs.
​
Pros

• Can be powered by 100% renewable energy
• 3 - 4 times the energy in vs energy out
• ​Hot water ?
• Unit may last longer than 10 years
• Government RHI grant
• Can heat house at night on low rate

Cons

• Very expensive Instalation
• Big plumbing job
• High embedded carbon
• No Hot Water ?
• Radiators
• Bigger than gas radiators
• Big whirring pump outside
• Ground source is even more expensive install
• Good insulation required
• May need a heat concentrator

Checkout the most efficient heat pumps at Heatpumpmonitor.org

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Bitcoin mine heating

   Here's a breakdown / comparison between ASIC heating vs Gas boiler. More mining info here
​www.thehodler.info/mining

   Due to outrageous UK electricity costs & low bitcoin price Bitcoin mine heating is not doing very well at the moment.

   A completely new way to heat your house !
​   Imagine an expensive hair dryer that just happens to make money ! Bitcoin mining hardware (ASIC's) blow out lots of warm 40c (104F) air, why not use it to heat your house?
​   Power it with 100% renewable electricity and you have zero emissions heating. Once set up its just a matter of flicking a switch or setting a timer to turn it on. Then eventually selling (or not) the resulting Bitcoin to pay for the electricity.

Pros

• Can be powered by 100% renewable energy
• Makes Bitcoin. Bitcoin pays for the electricity
• No radiators
• Low Install costs
• No gas standing charge
• Can heat most of house if well insulated
• Can be added too for more heat
• Good air quality / Filters dust from the air
• Low quantity of materials required
• Unit may last longer than 5 years
• Ends business monopoly on "wasteful" mining​

Cons

• Whirring box
• Selling Bitcoin if not tech savvy​

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Heat Batteries

Some heat batteries store heat in hot rocks (500c) such as Caldera , others store as latent heat like those hand warmers you have to break to start off. They both have the advantage of being able to use cheap off peek electricity.

Sun Amp

   Sun Amp Heat Batteries can be charged using any energy source. You can off-set peak energy costs by charging your Heat Battery with cheaper off-peak electricity, or divert energy from your solar PV, heat pumps or other renewable sources. Once charged, the heat can be released instantly when needed, delivering hot water and space heating during peak times.

Pros

• Can be powered by 100% renewable energy
• Utilises Cheap night rate electric
• ​Hot water included
• No gas standing charge
• Unit may last longer than 10 years​

Cons 

• Expensive Instalation
• Big plumbing job
• High embedded carbon
• Radiators
• Whirring pump
• Good insulation required​

Caldera

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Electric heater

   Running 1 or 2 oil filled heaters that cost a few pounds each could save you a fortune in installation. Run them on a timer if you ave cheap night rate

Pro's

• ​Can be powered by 100% renewable energy
• Quiet
• ​Very cheap n easy installation
• Ideal if renting a house
• Long Life span
• Low embedded carbon
• No pipes
• No gas standing charge

​
Con's

• No Hot Water
• High energy costs / kWh £0.12 - £0.45
• ​​Only heats one room although heat will permeate through the whole building.​
• Ugly
• Good insulation required​

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Wood Stove

   Everyone loves a wood stove (apart from the neighbours) & with the high price of fule you can always burn the furniture ! 😳

Pros

• Looks and feels comforting
• Theoretically low (net) co2
• Good backup if the electricity goes off
• Low cost fuel ?
• Can cook on a flat top stove at a pinch
• ​Off grid
• Can heat water

Cons

• Smoke from the wood can be toxic
• Can upset neighbours
• Poor air quality indoors
• Sourcing wood
• Chopping wood/sticks
• Continuous tending the fire
• Can vent warm air when not in use wasting valuable heat via Siphonage
• Can draw in smoke when in use via Siphonage (see picture)