Hello

A newbie here. We are renovating a house in northern Spain and I have a query about possibilities for heating it. The locals don't appear to go in for keeping their homes very warm (hardy bunch) but we want to be nice and cosy. Unlike many parts of Spain, Galicia where our house is, is very wet, windy and sometimes cold. Wood is the local material so to speak and gas only appears to come in bottles. What we were thinking of, if at all technically possible, is a system whereby when we have a wood burner on, this heats the hot water and the house, but when not on, it uses gas instead (we do have some warm weather!). Does this kind of thing exist and does anyone have any advice for us? We have spoken to a local plumber who said he would provide a quote then he never showed up again....

Gracias

Probably start by looking into how thermal stores works.

http://www.ecoenergydepot.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=74&osCsid=72e33e3c6dbaae6115157340cec73cd5
http://www.consolar.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=15
http://www.accumulatortanks.co.uk/FAQ.htm
http://www.miketheboilerman.com/Thermalstore.htm
http://clockworkweb.net/chelmer/php/datasheets/dualThermostore.php

They should be capable of multiple inputs, (including economy 7 in some cases) but you'll need to watch which fuel you use to heat the water, as fuel costs have a big effect on energy costs. Bottled gas is one of the most expensive sources.

In both cases - have a good look round the forum about insualtion. Insualting first is much cheaper in the long run than fancy heating systems, and doesn't require any ongoing fuel! Think how do I KEEP the house warm, rather than how do I GET IT warm.

Simon.

I know you said wet and windy, but how much sun do you get in the winter in Galacia?

http://www.idealspain.com/pages/Places/Galicia.htm

says: "When the north wind blows in the winter, night-time temperatures can fall to zero even on the coast, though snow and ice are unknown there. To compensate for this, the days are gloriously sunny. Otherwise, when the wind is from the south-west the winter days are cloudy or wet and the daytime temperatures are around 15 degrees and the nights average around 9 or 10."

Sounds like solar thermal and with thermal mass needs to be considered. Though:

http://colindavies.net/weather%20in%20Galicia.htm

"One thing different from the UK is that the weather 'sets in' for several days at a time; so you can have several days of continuous sun interchanging with several days of continuous cloud/rain. One learns to be pragmatic."

would seem to indicate a lot of thermal mass.

I have just the system for you, but first as stated by others Insulate first. Cut your heat input to the minimum.

Now for the system, while your renovating build in underfloor heating/ wall heating /ceiling heating, you can use any one or a combination of all 3 and in the summer you can use them in reverse for cooling.

You could use a reverse cycle ground or air source heat pump or a separate heat source (which could be a wood burner) and a chiller. The reverse cycle heat pump is simple to fit whereas the separate units are a little more complicated.

For the floors you can just use pipe laid in the screed or concrete slab, for the walls and ceilings I have some niffty plastic panels that are embeded behind the plaster or can be fitted in dry stud walls and ceilings.

If your interested in persuing options email me at warmwater@blueyonder.co.uk and I will do what I can to help.

Regards Cliff The midnight Plumber.

Thanks all - what a great bunch you are!

Fergy - 'netiquette' - never heard of it, but no worries about the hijack!

About 'keeping the heat in' - yes we are looking at this too. One of the main jobs is all new windows that need installing soon. Aluminium seems to be what everyone has. Having done a bit of research - a thermal break appears essential and 'Planitherm' appears to be one of the best glazing we could get. It does costs a bit more but worth it later I think.

About the weather - it doesn't get really cold but we do have days and days of rain. I don't mind as it's lovely and green everywhere. We apparently are in a micro-climate - not sure what that's all about.
I don't think we'll need any sort of cooling as when we have had hot days, the house is lovely and cool.
Thanks to everyone for all the links and advice. I shall print and take on my next trip over to consult with the other half who is the 'project manager'...(ie. doing all the work)

Hasta la vista