Contemplating my next step regarding heating the home. This is (hopefully) no time soon. My current gas boiler is 14 years old, so getting close to end-of-life, but has recently been serviced and is working OK. But I like to know where I am going when the inevitable happens.
My gas guy is poo-pooing electrical options, and saying the way forward is another gas boiler, this time a hydrogen-ready one. To quote Mandy Rice-Davies, “He would say that, wouldn’t he?”. To my mind, the future of heating being hydrogen is driven by the gas companies trying to maintain their grip on the market, rather than any inherent suitability of the fuel. Not dissimilar to the promotion of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for cars. Hydrogen has to be made, and is generally produced using electricity, and not particularly efficiently in doing so.
The method getting all the press at the moment is the heat pump. The main kind of heat pump we are seeing domestically in the UK is air-to-water, where an air source pump is used to heat water for central heating. The difficulty with that, at the moment, is that the operating temperatures of the current kit available is lower than a gas boiler. This need not be a problem in a new installation designed for the lower temperature, but my home’s CH uses microbore piping, and the radiators simply will not be able to circulate enough heat. Which means I would almost be replacing my whole CH, not just the boiler!
However, I have read that newer designs are achieving higher circulation temperatures, which might be compatible with a 1970s microbore system. All I can do is wait and watch.
Another solution is the Zero Emission Boiler (ZEB) or heat battery. This uses clever material chemistry to store energy as heat, not electricity. The system can be “charged” overnight on cheap energy, then used during the day, as required. Temperatures are compatible with systems such as the one I have, so it is almost (but not quite) a straight replacement for my gas boiler.
An issue both heat pumps and ZEBs have is – unlike my gas combi boiler – they need to heat my hot running water (for the sinks, bath, etc) in a separate hot water tank. Which I had with my original gas boiler, so it is not unfamiliar. I would just have to give up the cupboard space I am used to back to hot water storage.
Combi options are in the pipeline (pun) for both systems, but apparently don’t have the flow rates a gas combi has. I am not sure that would bother me – obviously, I need running hot water, but I don’t use as much as I once did. Both my washing machine and dishwasher are cold-fill, and I already have an electric shower. So my use of hot water from the tap is mainly for washing hands, washing up items that don’t fit the dishwasher, and house-guests who might want to run a bath.
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