Air Source heat system

[Keni]

I am sure this has been covered before, and if someone could point me to where I would be grateful.

Having just had a conversation with a friend, he reckons an air source heat pump system would be ideal for a small place in France. Added to that there is a well, and he thinks that using the water with a pump to take the water to the roof, it could also be used to heat/cool the house.

I have been following the articles a bit in LF, but wherre does one start looking to find out information/purchase items for the system? Especially one trying to get her head around technical french! Is this also considered an eco/green heating system for the french - especially when trying to circumnavigate around being in a village with a chateau!

All help gratefully received.

[herbert]

Hello Keni

with google you will find pages like this

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Air-source-heat-pumps

that might give you some information on this technology.

But you must bear in mind, that this system uses electricity and the more people take over to such a thing, the less chance to get away from nuclear power. When you make your calculation that you get an output of three to Four Watt to your input of one watt, in winter this figure drops down a lot And do not forget, this thing works like a fridge and no seller will tell you how long the life expectancy of this mechanical instrument is.

[herbert]

Do I understand that air-air heat pumps are no longer supported?

Herbert

http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/finance-taxation/taxation/calculation-tax-liability/tax-credits/

5.4.1. Home Energy Conservation

An allowance ranging from 15% to 50% for the installation of certain energy conservation works in the family home. It may be an existing property, or one to be constructed, but second homes are not eligible.

The allowance is called crédit d’impôt development durable.

Hitherto, only the material costs have been eligible, but since 1st January 2009, in the case of solar glazing and thermal insulation installation costs can also now be charged.

However, the tax credit is only available if the work is carried out by a professional tradesman, so DIY schemes are not eligible.

The measures for schemes carried out in 2008 include low temperature boilers (15%), insulation and double glazing (25%), wall insulation (25%), rainwater harvesting systems (25%), heat pumps (50%), solar energy (50%), and wood burning stoves (50%). Certain of these percentages are increased if the works are carried out on an older property within two years of purchase.

Low temperature boilers and 'air-air' heat pumps have been removed from the list of eligible works for 2009.

The maximum eligible costs are €8000 per person, or €16,000 for a couple.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="herbert"]

But you must bear in mind, that this system uses electricity and the more people take over to such a thing, the less chance to get away from nuclear power.[/quote]

Why would you want to get away from a zero carbon emission electricity generating method.?

[herbert]

That's why:

No site has been found anywhere in the world considered safe to store highly radioactive waste, which remains dangerous for millions of years.

http://linksunten.indymedia.org/en/node/9492

http://nuclear-news.net/2009/05/29/gorleben-nuclear-storage-site-developed-illegally/

[powerdesal]

And your alternative, currently available, low carbon generation method is.............?

[herbert]

Hello Steve

one is this

http://www.solarplaza.com/news/lieberose-solar-farm-becomes-biggest-of-germany

and make people more and more conscious of the possibilities and need of renewable energies

by the way, a russian military training field was converted, no more migs there

[powerdesal]

Interesting, technically.  but.........

53Mw from an area of 210 football pitches (whatever that equates to).  Think about this :-

53Mw is about one quarter of the size of one modern gas turbine generator, the total demand (uk) is in the region of Giga watts ( I cant seem to get the figures at the moment), as an example of how little 53 MW is, in real terms, my last power station had an installed capacity of 1000MW against a single city demand of 1400MW. Thats one city, and not a big city at that.

How much land do you want to put aside? There is not a lot of sunshine at night either, how do you meet demand on a dark, cold, winter night? Wind power - forget it, that dark cold winter night is also frosty, clear and calm, ie no wind.

Its time to face reality. Modern civilisation cannot exist without electrical power and that power has to be available 24/7 irrespective of weather conditions. By all means press for sensible reductions in power use, that makes sense both for the individual (financially) and for the power companies (capex / opex reductions), it also stretches out the lifetime of fuel resources.

Nuclear is, unfortunately, the only current option (fission at present, fusion in the future) if you want to reduce carbon emissions to zero, otherwise consider 'clean coal technology', small scale micro-hydro, run-of-the-river hydro, barrage hydro, all of which have a carbon impact if only for the construction.

PV arrays may sound good but large scale power storage for night time use is a serious issue, as is land area.

I dont think you want to go back to animal fat / oil lamps or being restricted to a medieval life style - or do you?

[herbert]

steve wrote: How much land do you want to put aside?

not much land

just every roof should have one. and prices will go down with the quantity and I hope, in a few years, batteries will be found that are more efficient and less expensive ..

and

do you know this

http://www.solarmillennium.de/upload/Pressestimmen/SunWind_Energy_05_2008.pdf

they store the heat 400°C in huge salt reservoires and so can keep producing electricity during night and there are already ideas for electricity lines that do thousands of kilometers without the losses they have nowadays.

all this research is much more efficient, than wasting

€1.5 Billion on Gorleben

I do like the slogan I found today."Nuclear power? Great! Nuclear waste? Wait!"

[La Guerriere]

Well done Steve, it is time a bit of realism was put into the debate. Sorry Herbert, some of these technologies look promising and are worth developing but nuclear (fission) works, works now, and (you may not like this) is one of the safest energy production methods available.

[herbert]

Okay, let's come back to the topic.

Keni, In Perigueux there is the salon de habitat normally around april, a nice exposition where you can meet the different professionals demonstrating their energy saving products. There should be equivalent in other departements.

But as I already said: you won't get any more the credit impot on an air-air heating pump.

And I would like to apologize to all those I bored with my discussion on nuclear power. Can we just wait a little bit till the year 1.002.009

Herbert

[Théière]

Just briefly back on nuclear power, I watched a James May (Captain Slow) programme the other day on alternative sources and it covered nuclear fusion reactors. If they can get that to work power without the waste [:)]

I agree herbert it would be good to have demo's around the country, so far I have seen the Leroy Merlin demo only