Hi,
I have a holiday home, which when i'm old enough, me and the mrs will retire to.
Currently the water is heated by electric, which does not provide sufficient hot water for a bath, followed by a shower.
I would like to find out about gas water heating. Is it possible to have a combi type boiler in Spain?

If you want to bath (rather than shower) then electric will end up being expensive, more so if you changed the heater to supply the amount you need as you are probably aware and possible one of the reasons behind you asking the question. If you can live with it... then gas is cheaper and will give you as much boiling hot water as you want as long as there is gas in the bottle, gas water heaters are not expensive to buy and not expensive to install if using with gas bottles.

I am sure the EU will change regulations on things like this, probably sooner rather than later, so it would be a good idea to look into it a bit with a company/installer that specialises in water heating. As the EU lean to being more green and more green tax aware we will be forced to use more economical ways of doing everyday things like heating water, companies/installers that specialise in this should know what EU regulations are due in the near future and so maybe save you from spending money on your water heating twice.

In saying this I am sure combo heaters are available here and they are a greener way of heating, just haven't actually seen any myself. As I say, there are companies that specialise in water heating here, if you let us know where you have the property then someone in that area might be able to point you the direction of a company that could give you options.

Hope this helps

From previous threads it seems that gas and electric cost about the same.

I use a large (200litre) water tank heated by off peak electricity on a timer and that works out at less than half the normal price on a night tariff.

We use 2 high pressure showers a day plus the normal hot water requirements and it costs 70 euros a year.

You need to be aware that a combi boiler is different to a water heater.

A combi and a condensing boiler heat water for for your hot water supply and for wall hung heating radiators that use pumped hot water in the same unit.

A water boiler heats water just for domestic use only, ie showers,baths, kitchen etc. These can be had fairly cheaply in places like Leroy Merlin, certainly one to do what you wish ie a flow rate of around 18 litres per minute can be had for around 3-400€.
Then of course you need to have it installed if you are not capable of doing it yourself.

The basic answer is yes there are.
But there several things that will influence what combi you will require. Things like whether you have mains or bottled gas. If you want to use Gas Oil, size etc. But to help you here are two web sites that list boilers. These are the two main suppliers in Spain of heating/hot water equipment.
http://www.roca-calefaccion.com/
http://www.junkers.com/sp/sp/ek/index.html

You have to get the installation certified to be connected up to purchase gas bottles so it is best to contact a good heating installer (who is certified to install gas and not just a water plumber.

Why not solar panel. Take advantage of the sun and pay nothing after initial installation costs.

My ignorance has shown through yet again!
What I am really interested in is another form of water heating. The tank at the moment does not provide enough hot water for 3-4 showers. When Mrs Lic has a bath there is insufficient hot water for her.

So my quandary now is whether to use bottled gas for instant water heating or get a larger tank for electric heated water!
Solar power would be limited I feel, as we do not have a big tank(at th mo), and I am given to understand that the installation and purchase is expensive and would take years to recoup. In addition to this no one on our Urbanisation has solar, or the roof space to accommodate it.
But I suppose one day the EU will tax punitively those who do not use solar!Obviously I would be interested to hear from anyone who has a view on which is the best form of water heating.
Thanks for your replies and help
LIc

Buy a larger tank - 200 litres will be more than adequate. Put it on a timer during the night and it will work out cheaper than keeping it running all day.

Better still get a night tarif and save up to 55% of the cost.

i'd agree, get a bigger tank. no point going through the process of changing boiler type. we rented for sometime and the house had a tiny water tank, so small that even long showers were out of the question! bottled gas can be handy (we have it here in our house) but its a pain when you run out and you have to find a garage with any bottles.