using back boiler & ASHP
Hi there, I am wondering if anyone here has experience of using a back boiler with an ASHP and electric boiler? I am currently planning a significant extension of my 1860 cottage. It has no central heating at the moment, just running off electric radiators and a (eco) wood burner and open fire to heat the house in winter, and an electric storage tank heater for hot water (which I barely have on as dont use much).
The new build is an opportunity to install a proper wet central heating system (at least in the new part of the house), and have hot water on tap, which would be nice.
My thinking at the moment is to fit an electric combi boiler and plumb in to the existing pipe system, and using an ASHP to do the majority of the heating and then electric boiler if it starts to struggle in the cold.
Im also interested in the possibility of adding a back boiler to my incredibly hot wood burner, and adding this into the mix to help heat in the winter as we will likely to continue to use the wood burner to heat the old part of the house, as there are no radiators or pipes in there. Just wondered if anyone has experience of using these together, and if this sounds like a good idea? Im aware that its probably a lot of cost upfront (although its a 2 storey extension so in the context of the build its not as scary) , so im also considering just doing the ASHP + boiler, or possibly just the back boiler + boiler for now, but leaving the option open to add the other later.
Thanks so much, Lewy
@lewyh, welcome to the forums. We have a bivalent, hybrid system where we retained the oil boiler to work alongside the heat pump. The oil kicks in when the heat pump is really struggling on ir defrost cycles. It works pretty well - please let me know if you have specific questions about the set up.
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