Recommendations for electric heating and hot water system required

[Pigletty]

We've just bought a cottage to renovate and are looking at heating/water heating options. We have an electric supply (no mains gas and no space for oil/gas tank, similarly no space for anything like a heat pump). The current supply is max 60A.

We're thinking in-screed underfloor heating downstairs (the house has flagstones floors which will be coming up to allow insulation and DPC to be fitted, before re-laying the flags) with electric radiators of some description upstairs.

For water heating we're considering either an instantaneous boiler to supply both the shower and two sinks (one bathroom, one kitchen), or an electric shower with separate undersink heaters for the water. It won't be lived in all of the time so we won't have a bath or any real need for a tanked hot water supply.

Any thoughts/comments/criticisms/better ideas? Any recommendations for specific radiators/water heaters we should be looking at?

 

[Pigletty]

In that case, I would probably go with good panel heaters

Which brands would you recommend?

 

[somersetsparks]

Well I would say Dimplex or Creda as thats what I know and I know they are good, I wouldn't go with rointe as to my mind they seem like a scam, however I have no experience of them.

 

[JD Hogg]

In reply to JD Hogg:

I'd not really considered this. Is 6kW really enough to heat a whole house (albeit a small one!) and hot water? that's less powerful than the showers I was looking at!!

The 6kW boiler could well be enough but the best thing to do would be to carry out a heat loss calculation on the property. The thing about the hot water storage cylinder is the fact that you are heating a lot of water over a relatively long period of time as opposed to a shower where you are heating the water instantaneously and therefore need a much bigger power input.

 

[drew35]

With the heat loss from a cottage I would have thought storage heaters would be the best way forward. Get an economy ten meter fitted so you get a better spread of heating day and night. Depending on the size of the cottage you may only need one downstairs and one up.

And an electric shower with two under sink heaters and you're only heating the water you need.

If you also use showers etc when the electricity is on the low tariff you save even more. Panels heaters would cost a fortune to heat an old cottage, you need constant top up heat.

Try the Elnur range from TLC, these are delivered free of charge, and I've fitted quite a few. A storage heater will probably last you a decade at least, maybe two!

Economy ten is currently cheap rate from 01:00-06:00, 14:00-17:00, 21:00-23:00