I've been a long time lurker on arbtalk and have finally registered to post in this thread as it interests me greatly for 3 reasons...
1 - I installed a log burner last year and have it running almost constantly at the moment. It's 8kw. I run it on scabs (I think that's what they're called) from a local wood yard so my fuel is 'free' apart from my time and a good drink for the yard owner. I'm pushing about 25-30kg of hardwood through it per day, 2.5-3kg per hour ish. At that rate, once the heat gets baked into the brickwork after a few hours, it warms the whole house (5 bed leaky 1950's) to the point that the central heating doesn't come on. This is a winner as far as I'm concerned. Only problem is early mornings, which is when the central heating kicks in.
2 - I'm currently converting my garage into a 40m2 one bedroom annexe, well insulated per building regs. It'll be heated via underfloor heating by an air source heat pump. Heat loss calculations show that I need 3.2kw ph when it's -5c outside. It's a 5kw heat pump. Will report back on how this performs once it's commissioned in a few weeks time, although admittedly the weather should have improved by then. I'm in the Southeast.
3 - British Gas have kindly just sent me details of the 1st April price increase. Gas and leccy combined is something like a 45% increase. Ouch. Time to consider an alternative method for heating my domestic hot water. Any recommendations??
