JWL

OK, I give up...

Touraine

No sense of humour.

I have two very young kids too.......

I certainly don't laugh when people can't sell there houses and get themselves stuck. I can't help them but I can certainly try and advise those thinking of moving and prevent them from not making the same mistakes. From what I have read here, everyone very much says the same thing.

You have just asked a question about how to heat a French house... so you are well on the ball then. Probably the first question ask before buying a house. But hey ho.

Little piece of advise, don't rewire your house yourselves. Get a French electrcian to do it.....there a couple of very good reasons for that.

Ras0888

We've bought a working dairy farm, before you ask, my husband is an organic dairy farmer here in the UK, we are not trying to live the good life. So the house was second really to finding a farm/location we liked. So you got that wrong too, hey ho!

Ras0888

Ps yes planning on French electrician. Thanks

Touraine

Why don't you investigate solar panels to generate electricity. A lot of French farms have them all over their barns and I am sure there is a grant / subsidy available.

Chatter Static

We have another member that is a beef farmer " L'Acajou "I believe off the top of my head but they are further up than you in Loir-et-Cher nearish Tours so they may prove an invaluable source of Farmer info...

Ras0888

My husband has looked a little into it, from what he can gather the electricity supplier pays for a building but has rights to all the electricity. We already have huge barns and no need for others. Will delve a bit deeper once in.

Ras0888

Thanks. We know a couple of expat farmers that we knew in England Before they left. Its been invaluable to have them when checking prices of land/contractors/machinery and generally how they've found it in France. They're still here....so far :-)

Ras0888

Thanks

bigglesworth

Ras re the merits and demerits of geothermal etc I haven’t a clue. Not technical at all.
It sounds as though you are doing virtually a full rebuild, so can I emphasise something you have certainly already thought of. Insulate, insulate and insulate again.
We bought a house that was as near a shell as we could as I did not trust any of the buildings I had seen renovated by English builders and DIYers = does not mean they do not work, just that as DIYers, even professional ones, tend to find their own way around problems it is very hard to track through what they have done if you want to change everything. Equally, as someone who is already a farmer you will appreciate the difference between a farm electrician and a domestic one.
Heating - everyone has their own ideas and needs. I have a neighbour who heats her house happily and warmly off one woodburner. My wife thinks it cold. My neighbour does not like to be too warm. Be careful with geothermal –it gets less effective the lower the temperature goes, and is pretty near useless at 6 below. If you can install it do so, but you will need a back up. I have an elderly French neighbour who put in geothermal over twenty years ago and swears by it. But he still bought a new oil boiler last year. My cousin who is a ferocious green has a ground system in the UK and air in France. Both have stopped working in the middle of winter.
The house we bought is quite large - 250 square metres a floor with two and a half floors. As I said I am the most technophobic around so know I could not cope with heat exchange units and the like. I put in a good oil boiler, radiators everywhere and three wood burners. But then I also firmly believe the cost of energy will nosedive over the next ten years. Although this being France that might take a while to come through.
And quite literally lorry-loads of insulation - floors, ceiling, walls (interior and exterior) and roof. New doors and windows.
Don’t forget French drains. Old stone houses are generally just built straight on to the ground around here so get VERY damp. Slightly off topic, but contrary to popular belief French drains are NOT a French system so builders here may not understand them. French is the name of the American chap who pioneered them.
I also found that when I had taken the old crepi off re-pointed and re crepi-ed that that made quite a difference to the heat in winter.
There is only one floor I did not dig out – has lovely old stone tiles in that classic black and white diamond pattern. Love it in the summer. Hate it in the winter. I may well have it removed next year.
And keep an eye on the neighbours shutters. Shutter management is a very arcane science that only the French seem to understand, but it makes a surprising differences to the damp and warmth of the house.

Novocastrian

Hi Biggles; I'm curious as to what makes you think that?

InVinoVeritas

I have installed just about every type of heating system that exists for clients in the past.

IMHO, the worst is geothermal and the best is reversible aircon with PAC's. I'm sure that will surprise a few people but then most people don't get the opportunity to try out different solutions. Also remember I am/was in the south and most of you, I think, are/were in the north.

But my views are probably irrelevant because on this forum people often ask a question after they have already made up their minds. They then shoot down anyone who takes the time to express a different view.

bigglesworth

IVV - interesting. I have always had doubts about geothermal - it seemed to me there was too little history to it, and I could not see how it would work when temperatures dropped seriously. (I had the same problem though when I was taught to sail dinghies. Logically it appeared impossible to me that a boat could sail into the wind, so I could never consistently do it. S I got no further than RYA 2.

But what is a PAC please - I know I could google it, but an explanation would be good and helpful for others. I doubt it would benefit me, as I find I do not need aircon in the summer - I was VERY particular about the house I bought.

InVinoVeritas

Sorry, a PAC is a pompe à chaleur, or heat pump. Geothermal is very complicated in terms of heat capture and it is usually associated with underfloor heat dispersal which again is complex and often poorly executed. Considering how expensive it is, it needs to very cheap to run and often it just isn't.

bigglesworth

Novo, I am a profound believer in human ingneuity. We ALWAYS find our wa out. I never imagined that OPEC would be dumb enough to let oil prices rise to the point where the US and others would find it cost effective to find solutions. They did and they have. Not just shale, but more importantly the investment that the US and China have made in alternative energy. Particularly solar. Wind is an expensive nonsense at the moment but given the improvements in battery technology that will change in the very near future.
Sure China is a massive user - but that increase in demand is tailing (not just as China slows). Add in demography - us old uns use less energy- changes in work patterns - many of the jobs created in the UK and US have been self employment technology start ups. Likely to remain small and Moores Law makes it ever more unlikely that they will stay in cities.
Tech improvements also will finally start to impact on office travel - at the same time that many start ups find they can work just as well in Cornwall or Shropshire as they can in London. Especially as they will then have the space to generate their own energy.
It seems to me very much that demand has passed its high point, at the very time that supply starts growing faster than usage.

I think the energy business is about to find its perfect storm. If I were an active stock trader - which I am not - I would short energy stocks long term.