Heating systems or air conditioning systems are key elements for almost any building project, using a variety of heat sources, distribution schemes and hot water heating systems.

Wholebuild provides you with information from expert professional associations and suppliers with guidance relevant to selecting the appropriate heating systems for your application as well as assistance on the latest regulations, best practices and products.

There are a number of efficient heating systems available, including; Central Heating Boilers, Condensing gas boilers, Solid fuel heating, electric heating, Underfloor Heating, Solar Hot Water heating, Photovoltaic, Ground Source and Air Source Heat Pumps and other systems such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems.

The use of energy efficient heating systems is vitally important, both in terms of sustainability and also to keep running costs down. It is worth noting that many of the new gas and oil central heating boilers are designed to operate much more efficiently than traditional boiler designs and it is well worth considering updating your boiler, even if you leave the rest of the heating system alone.

Heating systems range from those suited for domestic heating to those suited for industrial heating. Combined heating air conditioning (HVAC systems) are also available and having a clear focus on the requirements for each project will enable the best solution to be found.

Two primary aspects to select the most suitable heating systems are; the heat source and the heat distribution system, with certain distribution schemes being more appropriate to particular heat sources and vice versa.

Condensing Boilers.

Traditional boilers can be75%-80% efficient; however this wastes up to 25% of the overall heat energy in heating systems. A Condensing boiler system however, can achieve over 90% efficiency, by routing the hot gases which would normally be sent through the flue over an extra heat exchanger and using the heat recovered to begin heating the cooler water that returns from the radiators to the heating boiler.

Solid Fuel Boilers.

Efficient wood burners are use in some heating systems, burning all forms of timber in a way which maximises the heat output. This uses virtually all the timber leaving a tiny residue of ash. The benefits of using such a system is that less fuel is consumed; there is less ash to dispose of and wood pellets can be sourced as renewable fuel source. The modern solid fuel heating systems store the heat produced for longer period than other types of boilers, releasing it slowly rather than losing most of it up the flue. High efficiency wood burners tend to be located in a boiler room area of the building.

Solar Powered Water heating

The latest generation of solar panels work well to utilise solar power as a heating system solution to provide both a solar heating system for warming a building and a solar hot water system to provide a good supply of hot water, especially during the summer. Solar panels supply their heat to a heat-store and then are used to provide hot water. Solar water heating systems require specialist expertise to size, install and balance a system for effective use and it can be best to utilise a specialist heating services company with suitably trained heating installers to make sure you get the optimum setup.

Photovoltaic (PV), Generating electricity from the sun

Photovoltaic cells use light to generate electricity with solid state cells. New technologies are being developed to provide significantly higher power outputs than older cells. There are a number of different PV panel technologies, with these typically arranged as groups of panels, mounted on a building’s roof, walls or located in the garden.

The latest PV cells can also be integrated into the roof tiles themselves to provide an aesthetic complementary design for traditional houses. These systems can be utilised to provide an electric heat system but are normally utilised for powering other items.

Heat Pumps

Ground source and air source heat pumps can be utilised to provide a high efficiency heating system.

These systems use a small amount of electrical power to harvest environmental energy, either from the ground or from the air. These systems pump a liquid, typically a water/anti-freeze solution, either through an underground piping network or through an air heat exchanger.

In terms of providing an energy efficient heating system, these can provide an energy output equivalent to an annual average of 3.5 times as much as the energy expended to power the system for a ground source system and a little less from air source heat pump systems.

Ground source heat pumps need you to install long lengths of pipework under the ground to extract heat from the ground; the bigger the building, the longer the pipe. Ground Source pipes are laid either in trenches around 2m deep, or in a vertical deep hole, so after installation there is no impact on using your garden. The system works well all year round, because the ground maintains a fairly constant temperature at that depth. You can compare this with alternative traditional heating systems that typically have to be on for longer than conventional boilers to heat a similar property.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

CHP heating systems integrate the production of usable heat and power (electricity), in one single, highly efficient process. This contrasts with conventional ways of generating electricity where vast amounts of heat are simply wasted. CHP systems were large systems utilised for large residential areas and large business developments; however, small ‘micro-generation’ CHP units are now available for use in individual homes.

Underfloor Heating

Underfloor heating systems compliment those heat systems where heat is produced by heat pumps and other sustainable heat sources.

They generally work efficiently to provide a lower, more constant temperature that can be dissipated over a longer period from a ‘heat sink’ like a concrete slab or sub flooring screed, without the peaks and troughs normally associated with radiators.

Underfloor heating systems provide an efficient means to warm domestic spaces with no ‘hot spots’ associated with other forms of heat distribution.

There are two broad types of underfloor heating; warm water heating systems that uses a pump to circulate the hot water, or electric heating systems that uses a specialised coil laid under tiles and other floor coverings.

Radiator Systems

Classic radiator based heating systems are convection based systems, rather than providing radiant heating which, as the name would suggest, use hot water heating circulated by a heating pump.

A wide range of radiators are available from small but highly efficient systems to elegant architectural designed radiators with structural appeal.

The use of thermostatic valves on each radiator in a house enables different temperatures to be set in different rooms to suit their use and increase overall systems efficiency.

Radiators are still the most common form of heat distributors in domestic properties

There are a range of standards and regulations surrounding heating systems, and at Wholebuild we provide Building Regulations information such as:
Part J – Combustion Appliances & fuel storage systems
Part L – Conservation of Fuel and Power
Part F – Ventilation

On Wholebuild you will find both links to the appropriate regulations and links to advice from professionals and to products that are designed specifically to meet particular regulations.

Reading the advice from the professional associations in this area, such as that provided by Hetas our articles, such as the excellent room heat loss calculator provided by Pitacs will enable you to select the most appropriate solution for your needs.