Multiple combis versus central boiler

[johnb]

A landlord asked me to look at a fairly common heating / energy efficiency problem.

Big old house cut into (currently) 4 flats. Landlord wants to divide the basement into 2 studios. All existing boilers sh*gged past point of economic repair. So he's looking at FIVE new combis!
What I'd LIKE to be able to propose is a shared central boiler for heating and 5 'burnerless combis' in each flat to do the hot water. (Yes - such a thing DOES exist (www.kamo.de)). Trouble is, once you've done a single large boiler (say 50kW) plus the water heaters PLUS the heat-metering and billing system for the individual tenants - you've passed the cost of 5 combis by a big margin and you're trying to scrape up extra savings from reduced maintenance, etc. - maybe! But everyone already has an electricity meter!

Theoretically, there should be reasonable energy and initial cost savings in a central boiler system. Due to the way components are priced and sold, I don't believe it's possible to make a case for such a system, versus multiple (cheap!) combis.

Anyone recently made a convincing case for a central system and then actually built it??

The other problem is the landlord's point of view. On paper, for a tenanted property, electric heating and hot water will win out every time! OK - it's expensive to run but the tenant pays for the electricity. And no gas safety checks, no annual servicing, probably fewer breakdowns, .... . Go figure! Trouble is, if this happens a lot it will kill the electricity distribution system! There were serious capacity problems as a result of electric heating marketing campaigns in SouthWest UK during the early 90s.

best regards,
John
_________________
best regards,
John

[Agile]

There are only two options:-

Landlord includes central heating and HW within the rent. This is the most efficient!

Each unit has its own combi and tenants pay for their own supplies. This suits landlords as it means defaulting tenants have a debt to the energy suppliers not the Landlord.

The nigger in the woodpile is that tennants as a species have a very poor payment record. Even energy suppliers often insist on prepayment meters.

Tony Glazier

Agile Services.