CASE STUDY: Solar Collector and Underfloor Heating

Case Study – Boscastle Cottage

There is a 16kW Fireview woodstove in the living room with an integral boiler which heats a 300 litre thermostore directly. This thermostore has a high efficiency coil to provide mains pressure hot water at 35 litres per minute.

Also in this thermostore is a coil for the solar collector which heats the cylinder directly as does the woodstove. It follows that either of these heat sources will provide domestic hot water and the solar  will contribute to the central heating even at times meeting the demand. A control panel on the upstairs landing displays the current activity and records the solar gain and kW hours.

Additional features of the cylinder are: a stratification plate positioned below the DHW coil which ensures a higher temperature at the top of the cylinder for hot water priority , a blend valve to govern the temperature of the DHW and two independently switched immersion heaters for backup if required.

The two zones of underfloor heating are controlled by Honeywell programmable room thermostats.

The upstairs radiator circuit has a Honeywell wireless electronic thermostat coupled to a twin channel timer, the second channel of which controls the towel rails.

PROS:

-          Underfloor heating has a large surface area so little energy is needed to power it.

-          All future installations of this nature are eligible for Renewable Heat Incentive

CONS:

-          Thermostores are large and heavy ; a reasonably secure first- floor space is needed

-          Thermostore has to be open vented due to solid fuel

-          Reliant upon the weather

GOOD FOR:

-          Second homes, as the underfloor heating automatically airs the house when no-one is there

-          New builds or renovations ; this system would easily allow a building to reach Code 3.

FoFor more information on this case study or others, please call us on 01579 345018 or email sales@stoveshop.co.uk