funkypixie wrote:We've talked about gas fired CH but we'd both like to explore other, greener options... I'm wondering about solar panels.
Not really for central heating; they'll do your water heating, though.
In our climate, space heating (ie, heating rooms) is usually the single highest consumer of energy in the house - particularly one that predates modern insulation levels (or higher).
As ever, first spend your money on insulation, so that you don't need to use so much energy in the first place. Ask your council if any insulation grants are available. Insulate the loft for certain (250mm or more), consider cavity wall insulation if you have cavity walls. Make sure all exterior doors and windows are fully draught-proofed, and that none of your walls have any damp problems. If you don't have double glazing, seriously consider it, even though it is expensive. It doesn't have to be uPVC, you can get wooden frames, too. If you can't afford it, get secondary glazing, or even a sheet of polythene and some double sided tape, plus thermally lined curtains.
Open fires (or even closed stoves) are a lovely option, though can be fairly hard work, and messy with it. And if you burn coal, you are adding CO2, and other stuff, to the atmosphere. Wood burning may be more carbon neutral. And you will need ventilation too, which may work against the need to draughtproof the house.
But also consider that a moden boiler installation
has to be with a condensing boiler, which is much more efficient that an old open flued boiler. The condenser effectively extracts heat from the flue gases that would otherwise be lost. Any new or replaced radiators should also have individual thermostatic valves, which will also help to reduce wasted heat. Combined with good insulation, this may not be so un-green after all - certainly far and away better than electric storage heaters.
