Air Source Heat Pumps in France Aerothermie pomp a chaleur - Tuesday, August
26, 2008
The benefits of air source heat pumps (aerothermie - pomps a chaleur) are
similar to ground-source heat systems (geothermie - pomps a chaleur). Firstly,
neither type of system requires the use or storage of external fuel. The systems
instead run on electricity, which eliminates the need for a gas connection or
storage of oil/solid fuel. Air source heat pumps present an advantage over
ground source heat pumps because they require less space to install. Instead of
requiring the installation of buried underground coils of pipes, air source
systems can be fitted using much less space, typically around half a square
meter on the ground or externally wall mounted.
Read the full article on Air Source Heat Pumps in France Aerothermie pomp a
chaleur click here
Wood Burner in France - Heating a house with
wood burning stoves - Monday, April 21, 2008
Getting fed up of feeding two wood burning stoves
with firewood through the winter! Keep feeling hope that the winter is
over and the warm weather is here but then it gets cold again :( Come
back sunshine!
Wood Burner in France - Getting ready for winter heating - Friday,
September 21, 2007
It's that time of year when the evenings and mornings have a little
chill in the air - It's now the moment we start thinking of lighting our
first fire in our wood burners in France since the end of last winter.
It is recommended and often insisted on in France that the chimney
for your wood burner is cleaned by a professional at least once a year.
This could prove essential in the case of a chimney fire - if you don't
have a bill to prove that you've had it cleaned then the insurance
company may use this as a back out for not paying for your chimney
fire!!!!!
There will be a build up of soot in your chimney as the unburnt
by-products of the combustion process in your wood burning stove stick
to the side of the chimney liner as they cool. In France we normally
burn hardwoods such as Oak and Chestnut which leave very little in the
way of deposits when well seasoned. However many will be burning pine in
the form of trees cut down in the garden or reclaimed wood from French
property renovations. Pine gives off lots of unburnt particles - Some
recommend cleaning your wood burners chimney twice a year, if you’ve
been burning pine wood. Birds nests and the odd clumsy bird that fall
down the chimney can all give unwelcome and unpleasant problems.
To ensure you continue to enjoy the warmth of your wood burner in
France, ensure your chimney is swept!!!
Wood Heating - Wood Burning Stoves in France
etc. - Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The cost of a cord of wood (3 cubic meters ie. a
pile of wood three meters long by 1 meter high and 1 meter wide.) ranges
from around 130 euros to 160 euros, depending on the mix of wood. The
better the quality ie. all or mainly oak the more expensive it is. The
other factor on price is the size of the wood. Wood for heating often
comes in 1 meter lengths, sometimes the wood is cut to 50cm lengths,
this obviously takes more time to do. Further still it's possible to buy
your fire wood cut to 50cm lengths and split. This is the most
convenient way but can be the most expensive.
Oak is considred to be the best wood for heating in France. Though
from my research a fire that has mixed types of wood will burn better
than a fire with just one type of wood. Above all your fire wood must be
well seasoned and dry!
Stay warm!
Gas Heating in France - Wednesday, October 18,
2006
The cost per tonne of Gas delivered to a house in
France for central heating and hot water etc. is currently 1,190euros
including TTC (VAT)
Unless you have bought your Citerne (gas tank) from the supplier you
can not take delivery of gas from another supplier in France. It's
normally the case that a deposit is paid for the gas tank and you
effectively borrow it from the supplier.