Heating & ventilation

Want a system that will offer you low-bills, low-carbon heating and a healthy living environment? Nigel Griffiths outlines the pros and cons of the main options

How you choose to heat your new home is about more than simply keeping cosy in winter: you’ll no doubt want a system that’s efficient, keeps bills low and is easy to maintain in the future. Exactly which option best suits your project will depend on a number of critical factors, including:

Predicted space heating demand in your home. Up front costs (versus mains gas).

What type of distribution system you plan to use (eg radiators or underfloor heating). Overheating risk and cooling requirements.

The availability of solid sustainable fuels (such as logs) and your ability to handle them. Provision of domestic hot water.

On top of these, you’ll need to weigh up the balance of priorities that works for you in terms of low running costs, affordable capital costs (for the setup and installation) and minimising CO2 emissions.

Before we cast an eye over the key options, it’s worth bearing in mind that most new build homes achieve very good levels of insulation and airtightness. This means that space heating demand should be minimal, and the environmental impact of your heating in use should be very low – whatever technology you install. So, if sustainability is a key part of the equation for your project, then you should also consider the embodied energy required to manufacture and install the system.

Gas boilers

Affordable to install, provided it’s easy to connect to the mains supply, and cost-effective in use.

Requires no effort to use, and is ideal for producing the higher temperatures needed for domestic hot water. Modern boilers work fine with both radiators and underfloor heat distribution, as well as in conjunction with warm air distribution systems.

Gas is slightly higher in carbon emissions per kwh (kilowatt-hour) of heat supplied than heat pumps or biomass, but lower than oil and electric heating. Requires relatively little resource to manufacture and install compared to some renewables, so offers a low embodied environmental impact.

LPG site-stored gas option if you’re off mains. Now also available as BIOLPG to reduce CO2 emissions.

Biomass boilers

This tech does the same job as a conventional gas boiler, providing space heating and domestic hot water – although it’s more expensive to install.

Biomass is any form of plant matter (normally wood) that can be burned to deliver heat. Usually pellets for domestic installations.

Wood is considered to be a carbon-neutral fuel, as the CO2 emitted from burning it is slightly less than the carbon that’s absorbed as the tree grows. Consistency of pellets’ size and moisture content means they can be used in automated systems, for controlled heat on demand with relatively little intervention.