Hot water via a "Thermal Heat Store"... ?

[Jim Audiomisc]

TBH any savings in cost due to having a thermal battery would be a secondary consideration for me.
My main aim at this point is simply to get a good way to provide hot tapwater for all the hot taps in our house. And to remove the skeleton of our failed ancient gas boiler. At some future point I may add solar PV etc. But I have doubts about or roof being up to that.

So at this point simple considering it as a 'hot water tank for the taps". Once I have that I can consider other changes as and when it suits. I expect solar PV to improve a lot in the next few years as better PV convertion materials go into use. Similarly, at some future point i'll look at house heating, but for now I'm OK with what we have.

 

[dweezil]

We've given up on conventional 'water-circuit' radiators. PITA. Use other means (mix of gas fire and electric). The aim now is just for having an updated hot water system for the hot water taps. In effect we are grading out relying on gas as we approach the time when things will be all electric inc solar PV not water-piped.

FWIW If you read things like IEEE 'Spectrum' you can see that solar PV, wind, etc, are rapidly getting better. Main issues we can foresee are 'political' in that area not engineering per se.

Similarly, my main concern with the thermal heat store idea is to find a *reliable* seller/installer who will do a decent job promptly and not leave any new 'issues' - damage, flaws, etc. Our general experience in recent years of plumbers, etc, is shoddy work that can break more than it mends seems the norm! :-<

We use an Immersun to divert xs electricity to a 300 litre hot water tank which works well in the summer.

It's not particularly sophisticated (unlike the Sunamp?) but with a 4kW set of panels we could heat enough water for two showers eight months of the year, in summer just about a big bath on a sunny day.

The Gledhill tank is well insulated and it's got a coil for oil backup if there isn't enough hot water by 17-00.

 

[Jim Audiomisc]

The smallest (hot water for taps only) Sunamp seems too big to fit where I had in mind. i.e. where our existing (defunct) boiler sits, under a kitchen worksurface. So something physically smaller seems needed.