Wood stove with Back Boiler Part L compliance

betterbuilt

Hi we are building a small house and don't have enough money to install a heat pump or PV panels as advised initially by a BER consultant, to comply with BER guidelines / Part L requirements.

We are considering installing a wood stove with back boiler in the short term, and moving in to our house without having completed the official certification process in relation to Part L, so that we have somewhere to live, and then sometime in the future, (if and) when we can afford it, to install whatever technology might help us finalise the official certification process.

I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone know if a really efficient log stove (with a back boiler to heat radiators) as our main source of heat and water heating would count as a "renewable" on a par with a heat pump or PV panels? The BER consultant we paid to draw up a BER "thing" at the outset, seems (mysteriously?) biased against anything that isn't a heat pump or a PV panel.

2. Can anyone point me towards an accessible list somewhere, of renewable heat sources, with some sort of indication of the loading they get in terms of compliance with Part L? (preferably written in such a way as it is intelligible accessible and clear, to a non-expert in legislative terminology or heating technology!)

3. I have heard many people suggest the whole Part L "thing" is flawed and even potentially influenced by political interests. Can anyone explain this rationally, clearly and calmly to me? As in, is it weighted in favour of lining the pockets of specific industries / business interests over others - heat pumps seem to be very popular at the moment for example, whereas apparently wood pellet burners used to be seen as most desireable? My wife and I much rather the idea of using a really efficient wood burning stove judiciously, in conjunction with an extremely well insulated house with a high degree of airtightness. Even if we had the money, I'm really not sure about the wisdom of installing a heat pump at huge cost, in order to then be dependant on electricity prices in future, even if the heat pump is supposed to use minimal electricity.

Any help most welcome on any of these questions.

sydthebeat

betterbuilt wrote: »

1. Does anyone know if a really efficient log stove (with a back boiler to heat radiators) as our main source of heat and water heating would count as a "renewable" on a par with a heat pump or PV panels? The BER consultant we paid to draw up a BER "thing" at the outset, seems (mysteriously?) biased against anything that isn't a heat pump or a PV panel.
.

yes it absolutely does. in fact if wood is the main source of your heating then all your renewable requirement will be met by this.
it wont be "on a par" with a Heat Pump.... as the efficiency of the system, is the big factor here.... a wood log burner may have a tested effieicency of 90% whereas a heat pump could be 500%

your BER assessor should have taken your provided specification... but maybe they were just asked to provide any option?

betterbuilt wrote: »

2. Can anyone point me towards an accessible list somewhere, of renewable heat sources, with some sort of indication of the loading they get in terms of compliance with Part L? (preferably written in such a way as it is intelligible accessible and clear, to a non-expert in legislative terminology or heating technology!)

that doesnt exist.
renewable heat sources is everything you can think of, from solar thermal, PV, wood source, heat pumps, wind turbines, tidal etc
how they impact Part L and DEAP can only be assessed through individual analysis

betterbuilt wrote: »

3. I have heard many people suggest the whole Part L "thing" is flawed and even potentially influenced by political interests. Can anyone explain this rationally, clearly and calmly to me? As in, is it weighted in favour of lining the pockets of specific industries / business interests over others - heat pumps seem to be very popular at the moment for example, whereas apparently wood pellet burners used to be seen as most desireable? My wife and I much rather the idea of using a really efficient wood burning stove judiciously, in conjunction with an extremely well insulated house with a high degree of airtightness. Even if we had the money, I'm really not sure about the wisdom of installing a heat pump at huge cost, in order to then be dependant on electricity prices in future, even if the heat pump is supposed to use minimal electricity.
.

theres no point in thinking of conspiracy theories... the industry follows the regulations, not the other way round.

15 years ago a regular oil boiler was all you needed....

the regs coming in in march will require you to be 70% more efficient than 15 years ago..... thats a HUGE sea-change in how we build homes in a very short space of time, and its up to the industry to react or pro-act.

BryanF

You cannot legally inhabit a new house without BER compliance. https://www.seai.ie/resources/publications/Your-Guide-to-Building-Energy-Rating.pdf

1. Yes, but don’t compare to HP.
2. https://www.seai.ie/sustainable-solutions/renewable-energy/
3. Rational: reduce CO2. If you’re house is rural and have access to a renewable (2+ year stored, bone dry) timber source (that’s not coming from a kiln in Slovakia) then More power to you!

betterbuilt

Many thanks indeed for this help and for taking the time to reply.