Ibiza and houses in winter...

WeLuvIbiza

Active Member
Having left behind centrally heated housing, it is a wake up call how molly coddled we have become in the UK...

Obviously the houses are built to stay as cool as possible here in Ibiza, great in the 40oC of summer, not ideal in winter.

What I wouldn't give for a lovely open fireplace, all set and ready to light, ahhh the thought of it....
 
well you do need some form of heating here! dehumidifiers are also a big help. you'll get used to it quickly. but i agree, it is different than with central heating of course!
 
I feel your pain, I fitted central heating to my place a few years ago. If I arrive mid winter, the house is like a fridge, it takes around 4 days ( and 4 bottles of gas) with the heating on to get the walls and furniture warmed up. On top of that I have a large fireplace that's lit up straight away as well as a couple of electric heaters.
I have found that once the walls and furniture are warm it's not so bad. Then I use the central heating as background heating on low ( 2 bottles of gas a week) and the fire as the main source of heat. Also found electric blankets are one of the best buys around!

Before the central heating and discovery of electric blankets, I would just go to bed fully dressed and sit by the fire to watch tv. If I was visiting with my family I would arrive a few days before them to heat the place up, too cold for the little ones.

I am looking into renewable energy to heat the place for next year. I already have solar panels on my pool that I turn off in August as the water gets too hot. With all that sun there must be a good way to heat the house in winter that isn't too costly.

If I discover any good ones I will report back, meanwhile I can't recommend electric blankets enough.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have never felt so consistently cold as this past week, I look forward to getting under the 13.5 tog quilt every night (was only a few weeks ago I was insisting to wifey she was being totally ott ordering a new quilt:oops:) In fact our bedtime is getting earlier as we yearn the warmth of the quilt.. Might be rocking up at stephens place with a bottle of nice Rioja and a bag of driftwood one of these cold nights:lol:

I need to splash out on a decent de-hum, got one second hand that sucks a few litres per day but still leaves the bedding feeling damp. We are now paying the winter price for having a fantastic location next to the river, also it is now clear why we are the only residents in our complex over winter:idea:

Wouldn't swap it for the world though, only last week on the roof terrace, it was warm enough for sunbathing. The sunshine and clear blue skies are priceless.
 
I am guessing your by the small park by the bridge, it's where I park my car if I go into town, nice spot. You know you are going to have to get a small boat, that close to a free mooring, (used to keep my boat there) opens up a great new angle on the Island as well as fishing, Formetera, etc.

P.S. Electric blankets will only make those early nights earlier!

Enjoy
 
Thankfully our apartment is quite warm still (maybe cos it's a newish block?)... but we've got the benefit of air con which can blow up to 32 degrees in the main room so if we put it on for half an hour or so it warms the place up enough to last most of the evening!! (before anyone says it, yes I know it's expensive to run air con, that's why it's only on for half an hour!! lol)

On the balcony mid morning the sun's still a bit too hot to be able to sit there for too long tho!! :)
 
Thanks for the replies. I have never felt so consistently cold as this past week
I always say that I have never been so cold indoors as what I have been here. Most of the houses were definitely not built with the cold in mind. The great thing is you can go outside to warm up because the weather is usualy so nice. :)
I am looking into renewable energy to heat the place for next year.
Firewood is renewable. :)
Thankfully our apartment is quite warm still (maybe cos it's a newish block?)
The dwellings built in the last few years have been built to new specifications. Insulation is now used. This keeps the place warmer in winter and cooler in Summer. The places built during the building boom are not built to the same spec. The solid concrete roofs draw heat out of the houses in winter and store heat during the Summer and release it during the night when you are trying to get to sleep.
 
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i knew warren would contribute to this thread. he isn't known as der feuermeister in cala vadella for nothing - you can roast chicken in his lounge!
 
Lisa
(before anyone says it, yes I know it's expensive to run air con, that's why it's only on for half an hour!! lol)

Pretty much the opposite, AC/ Heat pump is one of the cheapest & most efficient ways to heat (Excluding installation costs) Even the old ones have a COP of 4 new up to 6, In English that basically means for every KW of Electricity it uses it produces 4KW of heat,

Rewdan,
I am looking into renewable energy to heat the place for next year. I already have solar panels on my pool that I turn off in August as the water gets too hot. With all that sun there must be a good way to heat the house in winter that isn't too costly.

I would`nt bother :) The problem is "with it" We want heat when it`s cold, usually when the Sun is not out and in winter when the Sun is not strong, The amount of panels and size of heat store you would need would be prohibitive,
ps have you still got your boat mooring ? I could do with one :)

Tim
 
I was thinking an air source or groung source heatpump, don't know too much about them yet.

Re the mooring, it's all free down there, you just need to find a space. I kept mine there in the summer only for a few years without a problem. Just look for an obvious space and tie up. I would stay away from the mouth of the river, the guy that owns Mariners keeps his boats up there and claims to own the positions, I don't believe he can but no need to upset the locals. Also watch the depth of the river mouth, gets pretty shallow in places. Nice free mooring though.
 
Air source is fine here but to heat what ? I have gas underfloor but have only used it one winter, I do not like the fact it is so slow reacting,

Tim
 
not really sure what, I am thinking of air to air source. I guess it's just to keep the missus and kids warm in winter if we move there, background heat. I don't have much electricity, the lights flicker when you switch the kettle on, so the most efficient system possible.

That said, I have never been for more than a week in winter and have had to get the house warm and dry before it became comfy, normally a process that took a few days. Possibly being there all the time would mean the house was warm anyway so not a problem.

I have gas underfloor in the Uk which I love but it's on from September until May I would imagine, bit different to Ibiza!
 
Re the mooring, it's all free down there, you just need to find a space. I kept mine there in the summer only for a few years without a problem. Just look for an obvious space and tie up. I would stay away from the mouth of the river, the guy that owns Mariners keeps his boats up there and claims to own the positions, I don't believe he can but no need to upset the locals. Also watch the depth of the river mouth, gets pretty shallow in places. Nice free mooring though.

After your previous posting re: using a free mooring, I spoke to el president who looks after our complex, he told me it is in fact €60 per annum. But... they are doing several months of upgrade work starting in January to be completed by May (was supposed to start in October). Cost of the work if €560,000, quite a chunk of money considering all the other cuts taking place. Cost of keeping your boat in the harbour at SE..€18 per DAY. You have to assume that following the upgrade work the €60 per annum could be in for a sharp rise.

On the heat source topic, my father-in-law has taken a keen interest in this recently as some of the new equipment is quite space age. He is a heating engineer and says the few systems he has fitted have been fascinating, basically laying miles of coiled pipework in the ground. The technology draws the heat from the ground and uses it to provide heat and hot water for the house. Considering that works well in the UK with their baltic temperatures, it must surely be a viable option for properties here where the ground temperature must be consistently warmer?
 
i'm sure this system will be easily adapted to draw heat from the house to keep the ground toasty warm.
 
i'm sure this system will be easily adapted to draw heat from the house to keep the ground toasty warm.

Conversely every swimming pool could be turned into an ice rink by drawing the cold from within the house:lol:, there would even be the option of spraying the moisture/ damp from the house into a fine mist to create snow atop the frozen swimming pool...
 
I don't have much electricity, the lights flicker when you switch the kettle on, so the most efficient system possible.
Ahh Another Ibiza peculiarity and something to watch for :spank: Unlike UK we do not get a "Decent" mains supply as standard, In UK you will get a minimum of 60amp, More usually 80amp incoming supply, Here it is not unusual to only get 15amp in apartments and older buildings, (Even my 15 yr old 3 bed vila only has 40amp) Just to make it a little more fun you should also have an "ICP" installed (looks like a normal breaker but the switch is yellow) This is a breaker that will switch of the power if you go over you supply`s rating, Until recently it was VERY difficult to "go up" on your supply, I believe due to infrastructure and generation limits but as new lines and generators are going in, I hear it is getting easier,,,,, Slowly,,,,,,, Very Slowly :)

Ta for the Mooring info :)

The technology draws the heat from the ground and uses it to provide heat and hot water for the house. Considering that works well in the UK with their baltic temperatures, it must surely be a viable option for properties here where the ground temperature must be consistently warmer?

Ground source is more efficient in colder climates but due to installation cost`s and the fact we rarely see 0c, It is not necessary here :)

Have a good one
Tim
 
Tim, I have just checked our fuse box. There is an old looking one with the letters ICP-M and 15A below. Presumably this is an old one, no longer in use, it has certainly never tripped. On the newer looking fuse box, the main trip says 40Amp, this tripped when we tried using an old electric heater we found in the house which burst into flames after 20 minutes use. I am concerned as the landlord said we had a bill of €271 for October and we barely used any appliances, probably the kettle is the most used piece of equipment! Still waiting to see the bill as it freaked us out somewhat.

Is it usual for hot water tanks to be heated overnight? If we use too much hot water in the am on washing up etc, there is not enough warm water in the evening for a bath or shower, leading me to think water is heated once only, overnight. Any used hot water doesn't seem to be replaced during the daytime.
 
There is an old looking one with the letters ICP-M and 15A below. Presumably this is an old one, no longer in use, it has certainly never tripped.

Was probably installed, inspected and by-passed lol

On the newer looking fuse box, the main trip says 40Amp
Does it also say RCD, 30ma or have a test button on it ? If so that is your " Diferencial" in Spanish, RCD (Residual current device in English) It`s a safety device that detects faults (not overloads) and kills power hopefully before it kills you :)

I am concerned as the landlord said we had a bill of €271 for October and we barely used any appliances

Oww that stings, It may be Gesa as they seem to estimate when they feel like it (And are not good at it) And read meters,,,,, whenever they have to, My bills often do not make sense but even out over time, (As well as kettle do not forget water heating and fridges)

Is it usual for hot water tanks to be heated overnight?
It depends but presuming the "norm" here, No solar panels, Just the white heater on the wall, Normally on 24/7 ?

Tim
 
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