Joining the Renewable Heating Hub forums is completely free and only takes a minute. By registering you’ll be able to ask questions, join discussions, follow topics you’re interested in, bookmark useful threads and receive notifications when someone replies. When choosing your username, please note that it cannot be changed later, so we recommend avoiding brand or product names. Before registering, please take a moment to read the Forum Rules & Terms of Use so we can keep the community helpful, respectful and informative for everyone. Thanks for joining!
External Building - Extending ASHP vs Infra-Red Heating
Hi,
I'm after some insights/advice into how best to heat an external building that I use as a studio workspace.
The building is a brick-built 9.44m2 (2.5m Height, 1.93m Wide, 4.89m Length) structure that was refurbished last year to modern building standards, with insulated floor, ceilings and apex roof.
It is located approx 12-13m away from our main house.
The outbuilding is currently heated by 2 x Herschel Select XLS 400watt Infrared Panel Heaters which are connected to smart thermostats which we can turn on/off as needed.
Without the infrared heating turned on (and during the current cold-snap, with 0c external temperature here in Newcastle-upon-Tynet, UK) the temperature inside the outbuilding will drop to around 6c.
Our challenge is, that while the outbuilding is used a few times per week, but not in continuous use, the infra-red heating takes around 40mins to raise the temperature by 1c -- so to bring the building up to habitable warmth can take hours.
Our main house is heated by a recent installed Daikin Altherma Low Temperature Monobloc 4kW Air Source Heat Pump (EDLA04E2V3) which works really well.
My questions are...
1. Is it worth exploring extending the existing house ASHP heating to incorporate the outbuilding, so the outbuilding is kept at a stable temperature and always ready to use?
2. Or, is it more cost-effective to leave the Infrared heating on at a lower temperature, so that the outbuilding can quickly be warmed to a habitable temperature when needed.
Any advice and thoughts are most welcome. 🙂
Regards,
Richard Tubb.
76m² Semi-detached House in North East England
Nissan Leaf 110 kW N-Connecta, 2017 Hyundai IONIQ Premium SE PHEV
Podpoint EV charger
Daikin Altherma 3M ASHP (EDLA04E2V3)
Daikin WLAN Adaptor (BRP069A78)
Daikin 150L Hot Water Tank
Solar iBoost
P1P2 and Home Assistant
SolaX X1 Hybrid Series inverter
2 × SolaX Triple Power 5.8 kWh Batteries
1 × EcoFlow Stream Ultra X 3.8 kWh, 1 × EcoFlow Stream Ultra 1.92 kWh, 2 × EcoFlow Stream AC 1.92 kWh batteries
12 × 365 W solar panels (roof), 1 × 380 W, 1 × 400 W, 1 × 200 W, 2 × 100 W solar panels (garden)
Posted by: @weoleyricHi,
I'm after some insights/advice into how best to heat an external building that I use as a studio workspace.
The building is a brick-built 9.44m2 (2.5m Height, 1.93m Wide, 4.89m Length) structure that was refurbished last year to modern building standards, with insulated floor, ceilings and apex roof.
It is located approx 12-13m away from our main house.
The outbuilding is currently heated by 2 x Herschel Select XLS 400watt Infrared Panel Heaters which are connected to smart thermostats which we can turn on/off as needed.
Without the infrared heating turned on (and during the current cold-snap, with 0c external temperature here in Newcastle-upon-Tynet, UK) the temperature inside the outbuilding will drop to around 6c.
Our challenge is, that while the outbuilding is used a few times per week, but not in continuous use, the infra-red heating takes around 40mins to raise the temperature by 1c -- so to bring the building up to habitable warmth can take hours.
Our main house is heated by a recent installed Daikin Altherma Low Temperature Monobloc 4kW Air Source Heat Pump (EDLA04E2V3) which works really well.
My questions are...
1. Is it worth exploring extending the existing house ASHP heating to incorporate the outbuilding, so the outbuilding is kept at a stable temperature and always ready to use?
2. Or, is it more cost-effective to leave the Infrared heating on at a lower temperature, so that the outbuilding can quickly be warmed to a habitable temperature when needed.
I would say its difficult to say. However 12m is a long way to run pipes, particularly if you decide to go underground (which you probably want to to get better insulation). As you use it relatively rarely, it may well cost more to keep it constantly warm even with the efficiency gain of an ashp, and definitely the case with the IR heaters - so I definitely wouldn't leave these on all the time.
TBH I would be tempted to get a fan heater so you can quickly bring the air up to temp, or buy a small self install air to air ASHP for the outbuilding alone. Heating the air only for the occasional use may well be a better bet than trying to heat the fabric. I dont know if you can get heated office chairs to sit on though
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
@jamespa Thanks for the advice, and I wasn't aware that self-installed ASHP existed! Are there any you'd recommend?
I forget to mention that I have an Air Conditioning unit (a Toshiba RAS-B13J2KVG-E 45W) in the outbuilding, that can also heat. I could use that to quickly bring the temperature up if necessary -- I've always been reluctant to as I'd assumed it was far less efficient than Infra-Red Heating or ASHP.
76m² Semi-detached House in North East England
Nissan Leaf 110 kW N-Connecta, 2017 Hyundai IONIQ Premium SE PHEV
Podpoint EV charger
Daikin Altherma 3M ASHP (EDLA04E2V3)
Daikin WLAN Adaptor (BRP069A78)
Daikin 150L Hot Water Tank
Solar iBoost
P1P2 and Home Assistant
SolaX X1 Hybrid Series inverter
2 × SolaX Triple Power 5.8 kWh Batteries
1 × EcoFlow Stream Ultra X 3.8 kWh, 1 × EcoFlow Stream Ultra 1.92 kWh, 2 × EcoFlow Stream AC 1.92 kWh batteries
12 × 365 W solar panels (roof), 1 × 380 W, 1 × 400 W, 1 × 200 W, 2 × 100 W solar panels (garden)
Posted by: @weoleyric@jamespa Thanks for the advice, and I wasn't aware that self-installed ASHP existed! Are there any you'd recommend?
I forget to mention that I have an Air Conditioning unit (a Toshiba RAS-B13J2KVG-E 45W) in the outbuilding, that can also heat. I could use that to quickly bring the temperature up if necessary -- I've always been reluctant to as I'd assumed it was far less efficient than Infra-Red Heating or ASHP.
An Aircon unit is an air to air heat pump. I think you already have all you need. A2A should get you good cop so should save relative to the ir heater.
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
- 27 Forums
- 2,541 Topics
- 59.2 K Posts
- 684 Online
- 6,822 Members
Join Us!
Worth Watching
Latest Posts
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
@toodles If I ever catch myself feeling hubristic I ...
By Papahuhu , 27 minutes ago
-
Why? Factor in 85% efficiency for that oil boiler and...
By Old_Scientist , 34 minutes ago
-
RE: Samsung Gen 7 16kW Integrated unit Modbus monitoring
I've been watching this with interest as I would like s...
By JohnnyB , 2 hours ago
-
RE: Aerotherm 12+12kw cascade huge power utilisation
What the hell. There is exactly one reason to use a h...
By bobflux , 2 hours ago
-
RE: If a heat pump can only heat DHW to 50C then what? Issue with 18KW Heliotherm heat pump
Thanks for such a comprehensive response!!! ...
By errmm , 3 hours ago
-
RE: Who's your electricity provider and what's your tariff?
@chandykris Thanks, that’s a fair point and I agree th...
By Eliuccio , 7 hours ago
-
Daikin high temperature heat pump
Hello, I have a DAIKIN ERSQ 016AAV1 16KW. I have a BRC2...
By gajolos , 13 hours ago
-
RE: Setback savings - fact or fiction?
I changed the pump power to the actual value to see if ...
By RobS , 14 hours ago
-
RE: NIBE Heat Pump Warranty: What's an Adequate Engineer Attendance Time?
Totally agree. However the manufacturers know that fe...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
-
RE: The law of unintended consequences....
Oh Thank you Major, I was just beginning to wonder wher...
By Toodles , 1 day ago
-
RE: Forum updates, announcements & issues
I know that the notifications are being delivered now w...
By Mars , 1 day ago
-
RE: Advice needed after a successful "leftfield" experiment.....
@pauli I have sent a direct message with the financial ...
By ChandyKris , 1 day ago
-
RE: Octopus Cosy 12 Heat Pump Regret: Incredibly Loud, Poor Heating & Constant Hum - Help!
Does it disappear when the heat pump is off? What abou...
By JamesPa , 2 days ago
-
RE: Fitting heat pump plumbing and pipes in advance?
Great tips, thanks. The PEX/Al/PEX option sounds much m...
By Jonatan , 2 days ago
-
RE: Struggling to get CoP above 3 with 6 kw Ecodan ASHP
Those control valves on the UFH manifold could be an is...
By Travellingwave , 2 days ago
-
RE: Daikin Altherma 3 LT compressor longevity question
Up to a point yes. However every heat pump (and every ...
By JamesPa , 2 days ago
-
RE: New Build ASHP Defects - Looking for Advice, Support & Shared Experiences
Is that a single pair only? If so it may be part if th...
By JamesPa , 2 days ago
-
@batpred, you’re quite right; it does work well. I don’...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 2 days ago
-
RE: Ecodan Cylinder Possible Weeping Around Thermostat Port
Update: Mitsubishi sent an engineer around. It was li...
By Gruff2001 , 2 days ago
-
RE: A Smarter Smart Controller from Homely?
@benson Agreed. I believe the COP gains with homely, i...
By Papahuhu , 2 days ago
-
How to Find All Your Posts and Topics on the Forum – A Quick Guide
If you’ve ever posted something on the forum and then s...
By Mars , 3 days ago
-
RE: Say hello and introduce yourself
@pt151 welcome to the forums, and looking forward to he...
By Mars , 3 days ago
-
Samsung Gen 7 16kW Integrated unit Modbus monitoring
Looking for some assistance to get modbus monitoring wo...
By antonical , 3 days ago


