DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Dear All,

This one's a bit contorted, just looking for general advice from those with experience really!

I am building a brand new house in a village in Norfolk. I am trying to work out the best heating solution. The questions:

(1) Can underfloor heating downstairs and normal (not enormous) radiators upstairs run off the same boiler?

(2) Can the rooms downstairs all on underfloor have different floor coverings (e.g. ceramic in one place, wooden in another) and still maintain a uniform temperature? Generally I favour old-fashioned quarry tiles, but they are quite thick - will they be suitable?

(3) Can the same boiler also heat the hot water tank, and can this be used in conjunction with solar water heating (i.e. with two separate coils in the tank I guess?).

(4) I have looked into grants for groundsource, but I can see it getting a LOT cheaper in the future. I will only be living there at weekends, at least for a few years, so the investment just isn't worth it. Is it possible to build the system as suitable for a groundsource pump, but actually run it off an oil boiler for the time being?

That's about it!

Thanks for you help.

Hi sorry late reply but usually stay on electrical forum.
For what its worth I have solar water heating last 5 years into cylinder with 2 coils & 2 essential immersion heaters one for occassional overcast summerdays top, up the other on night store rate for November to April when very little solar available even on south Kent coast...
Salesmans big lie "don't need sun only daylight" B@LL@X.
Second coil available for boiler if fitted, no gas, no room for oil tank, so not in use at the moment.
Air/ground source heatpumps great for U/floor heating as run at lower temps. which is what is required compared to rads.
As each room U/F system can/will have own stat. different types of floor no probs.
no experiance of mixed rad-U/F systems but would think if boiler stat turned fairly low would work both,
regards SPARX