Heating hot water in the summer

[Keefiedee]

Which is cheaper - heating hot water in the summer with an immersion heater on economy 7, or using the central heating boiler? What variables need to be taken into account?

Keith

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Keefiedee saying something like:

It's already hot.

[David Hansen]

On Wed, 4 Feb 2009 22:35:16 -0800 (PST) someone who may be Keefiedee wrote this:-

It depends. Is the cylinder insulated with sprayed on insulation? How long is the pipe run between boiler and cylinder? How old is the boiler? How good are the controls?

Why not fit solar and get nearly all hot water in the summer from the sun?

[meow2222]

Gas CH boiler normally. If you have a cast iron exchanger boiler and a long pipe run, immersion might beat it.

NT

[Rod]

OP had just posted in another thread about additives for CH oil. So I suspect not gas.

Effect, I'd guess, would be higher cost than gas? (For a variety of reasons starting with oil itself and continuing with burner efficiency.)

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:22:46 +0000 someone who may be David Hansen wrote this:-

Also, are the pipes between boiler and cylinder insulated? As others have said, what is the fuel?

[RobertL]

I remember calculating this back in 1987 and concluding that it was a little cheaper to use the economy 7 immersion heater at night than gas. but that electric heating at the day rate was more expensive than gas.

However, I think now that gas is cheaper.

R

[The Natural Philosopher]

depnds on fuel prices.

one litre of oil roughly equals ten kilowatt hours.

[The Natural Philosopher]

cos its expensive and ugly, and teh payback period is at least fifteen years, by which time its clogged up and needs an expensive service?

[Chris J Dixon]

If you have an old gas boiler with a pilot light, and you are only using it for hot water in the summer, the cost of running the pilot light can be significant.

Chris

[John Stumbles]

Because you can probably save more money and energy spending the same amount of money on draughtproofing, insulation, better heating controls, a more efficient boiler even?

[Big Les Wade]

It'd be interesting to know the numbers. Is it possible to get dirt-cheap DIY-fittable solar heating panels, as it is with roof insulation? Or are you stuck with getting some cowboy to do it for ten grand?

[The Natural Philosopher]

My silly father in law fitted two and a half grand of solar panels with fancy meters and all. He thinks its fine.

The fancy sales blurb said 'up to half off your heating bills'.

Then lower down in teh small print it gave the best case solar output, which equated at 100% efficiency to £165 a year worth of electricity or oil'

A net ROI of about 5%. At 100% efficiency.

Right.

I fact I suspect it's less than half that.

Now also consider that ter have been well document caes of thse pabnles going wrong and clogging after a couple of years. Lichen dirt and crap can cover them. If not well installed they can scale up. Pumps can and do fail. If they are pumped..and how much electricity does the pump use?

Inshort, a complete and utter waste of money.

I get loads of solar power here. I draw the curtains in the living room on sunny days. generally the room temp leaps by up to 2 degrees in winter..nearer 5 in summer.

Cost me NOTHING to install.

In our climate solar power is a total utter and complete CON.

california or greece maybe..not here.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher saying something like:

Utter c*ck. You keep trotting this old s**te out and totally ignoring the diy aspect of it. DIY solar works very well and that's what the question related to. If you've nothing constructive to add, just f*ck off.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well if you wantto commit to a shit load of plumbing and =several dys laboutr to rean less than you could've laboring for someone else, be my guest.

And precisely what constructive ideas have you contributed with this post?

Its not MY fault if you've been conned. Don't shoot the messenger

[David Hansen]

On 6 Feb 2009 23:58:56 GMT someone who may be John Stumbles wrote this:-

As I have said many times, passive measures like insulation should always be undertaken before considering a gadget to "make" energy.

I could have a boilerplate piece of text to that effect, but someone would no-doubt complain about that.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher saying something like:

At least the OP now has an idea that it can be done by himself. All he needs to do now is drive google for ten seconds.

[Doctor Drivel]

That is so wrong. DIYed DHW solar is cost effective. All the heat you get is for free. As fuel prices go up, the payback period shortens dramatically.

[Doctor Drivel]

He told you to eff off which is constructive enough.

[Big Les Wade]

Grimly Curmudgeon posted

What terms should I search on?