One of our biggest challenges turned out to be removing the faulty solar hot water panels and close-coupled tank from the roof, due to the weight, height of installation on a sloping roof and the equipment nearby at ground-level (gas boiler and water tank). Such issues are not always thought through before deciding on a course of action, but can add a lot to the cost and difficulty! Happily, we were able to gain access through our neighbour’s property the only other (quite expensive) alternative would have been to temporarily remove one of our water tanks.
#Electric hydronic heat install
We used ceiling fans (turning slowly in reverse) to improve warm air circulation and room heating time.Īnother issue was the tight access beside our home to remove the old gas boiler and install the heat pumps. And it did-we found that it performed quite acceptably, just with a slower response to heating demands. Would the existing radiators effectively heat room spaces at the lower operating temperatures of a heat pump hydronic system (typically 55 ☌ to 60 ☌ compared to 70 ☌ for our gas boiler)? So we conducted a test in the winter of 2016: we reduced the gas boiler’s maximum temperature to 55 ☌ to see whether that would meet our needs. However, we were uncertain about the viability of using a heat pump instead of a gas boiler in our hydronic system. Our decision to continue to use hydronic heating was essentially made prior to this when we upgraded the air conditioner to a cooling-only system. We really like the warmth and comfort of hydronic heating, and also wanted to retain the system’s sunk costs in radiators and copper pipework. A key aim was to convert our gas hot water and heating systems to electric heat pumps, ideally achieving zero carbon emissions for energy. For us, reducing household operating costs was important, but secondary to doing our part to tackle climate change. With those changes in place, it was time to really address energy efficiency.
#Electric hydronic heat windows
We also replaced four windows with double-glazed Miglas wood-aluminium windows as the old frames had rotted due to hidden roof leaks in the newer rear extension. In retrospect, a reverse-cycle unit would have been useful for individual room heating, especially during shoulder seasons. The multi-head outdoor unit fitted in the footprint of the old outdoor unit and saved us about $2000 compared to four separate split systems buying ‘cooling-only’ saved another $500. We also serviced the hydronic gas boiler (which had a controller fault) and replaced the air conditioner with a Daikin multi-head 9 kW cooling-only unit servicing the living area (7.1 kW) and three bedrooms (2.5 kW each). We began by replacing the halogen lights with LEDs, keeping the original fittings and transformers, and embarked on a spree of draught sealing around windows, doors, exhaust fans and more hidden locations such as behind cupboards and around the bath. These issues included a lack of insulation on the below-floor hydronic heating pipes, limited draught sealing-found by listening for shaking closed doors on cold windy days, then using a ‘back of hand’ test to find the source-and poor cooling effectiveness from the 20-year-old air conditioner inefficient to start with, it had lost much of its refrigerant gas. Once we moved in, we found quite a few such problems.
The Archicentre property report we got before we purchased the home in 2008 identified some minor structural issues, but made little reference to building energy performance. And, as befit the times, halogen downlights were almost everywhere.
They also removed the old chimneys and fireplaces, restumped and rewired. They added a flat-roofed rear extension, wall and ceiling insulation, gas hydronic heating, solar hot water with gas boost and a 7 kW air conditioner. The previous owner had renovated our house in the early 1990s. We’ve achieved this by upgrading from gas to heat pumps for our heating and hot water, installing solar PV and buying 100% GreenPower.
#Electric hydronic heat upgrade
One year after converting from gas to heat pump hydronic heating, Peter Hormann gives us a full account of the upgrades at his family’s Melbourne home and how they are staying comfy and zero carbon.Īs an energy conscious family of three, we wanted to upgrade our 1908 Edwardian three-bedroom weatherboard home in Melbourne to be zero carbon for energy.
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