simple bit..

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Jeff B</cite>Richardab1967 - like you I too am always interested in comparing other folks heating requirements to ours! I have some figures as below. But first, can anyone tell me please, am I correct in taking it that burning one litre of heating oil produces about 10.5 KW of heat (assuming 100% efficiency)? If so, if I am using 3000 litres of oil p.a., our boiler must be producing about 24,000 KW p.a. (assuming 75% efficiency, as we currently have a 10 year non-condensing boiler). If so, I am ashamedly well above the UK average quoted above (17,700)!
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You've been trying to overcomplicate things on working out you figures...

You are actually using 3000 litres of oil x 10.7kwh (per litre of heating oil). Or 32,100 kWh. The fact that your boiler is 75% efficinet doesn't factor into it. You burned all the oil and the energy potential of the oil was always there. Regardless of whether the heating was on 2, 4, 6 or 8 hours and how efficient the boiler is - that oil is now smoke and therefore your energy consupmption.

And obviously you can reduce it by either getting a more efficient boiler to get the same amount of usable heat out of less oil, or insulate to reduce the heat demand required from the boiler.

When average figures are quoted (mostly based on gas) they are based on annual fuel consumed which is converted to kWh. They dont ask how long the boiler is on for, or how effeicient your boiler is.

I bet now you feel even more guilty as you're almost double and would qualify for my high energy consumer tax ;-)

Simon.

Jeff, search here & read all you can about air from outside blowing arround under your first floors -- there is a huge potential for heat loss and air infiltration.

Or from a satellite!

Tony - you wrote:

Jeff, search here & read all you can about air from outside blowing arround under your first floors -- there is a huge potential for heat loss and air infiltration.

You mentioned this to me in another thread. I agreed that this is a definite hazard in a dormer bungalow where the spaces between the joists under the bedroom floors act as mini wind tunnels channelling cold air from one side of the loft (behind the dwarf wall) to the other. Perversely this air becomes increasingly colder of course as you add more insulation in the loft space!

What I have done is to stuff a roll of insulation at each end of each of the "tunnels" so as to prevent air movement and create static void spaces under the bedroom floors. I realise this is not ideal as heat can still rise from the ground floor, heat the void space (volume = approx 12 cubic metres) and thus up to the bedrooms. However the bedrooms will be extensively insulated so as to retain this heat up there and not let it escape the building. I would put insulation in the voids but the flooring is T&G chipboard which has been nailed down and so would be a heck of a job to take up. It would be wrecked in the process necessitating new boarding - would it be worth the hassle do you think?

Jeff B.

Jeff - I realise that your thread has been hijacked to some extent (both by myself and others) and that one of your original questions i.e. that relating to the noise generated by ASHPs has not been addressed. Some time ago I raised this same concern with my intended supplier/installer of an ASHP. The heat pump I am interested in has a noise level of about 35 dB at a distance of 5 metres. Apparently from a comparative table I was sent, a very quiet garden has a noise level of 30 dB, a residential area with no traffic 40 dB and a slow moving river or brook 50 dB. This helps to put things in perspective I think but ultimately I would say that there is no substitute for actually going along and listening to the unit yourself, which is what I intend to do sometime early next year I hope.

I did find some information on the Internet about reducing the impact of the noise from ASHPs on the neighbours. It might be useful for you. Please see the link below:

www.hurlcon.com.au/manuals/HP_LEVELS.pdf

Happy Christmas,
Jeff B.