The units are very heavy. Thats first dowside. They probably cost twice as much as a water tank but advantages, store up heat to 2 weeks, no water stored so no legeonella risk. Heat not diluted every time you open the tap unlike a tank that receives cold water each tap opening. Multiple sources of heat input from waste heat via an AC unit for example. Only two water pipes and an electric supply or a heat exchanger for waste heat collection
How many would consider solar thermal hot water via evacuated tubes to heat their hot water?
No idea what that lot means…
All I do know is that back in 1970 ish we had hot water direct to the taps from solar panels on the roof… steaming hot… or it could be redirected to the hot water tank during winter/cooler times… when an electric heater would click in to bring the temp up to required level…
We were one of the first in our area with this (then) new technologie… 
Years later, we looked at having similar here in France but… at that time… solar stuff was a rarity and exhorbitantly priced.
Sorry Stella, but great to hear of your previous experience. Solar evacuated tubes need light not heat so will provide hot water in the middle of winter. Thats why they use then in antartica.
It looks like about 10 tubes would be sufficient to heat a water tank in normal conditions. Apart from a standard swimming pool setup the next largest consumer of energy is a hot water system, due to the longer storage times of a sunamp heat battery that could well mean less tubes required. This is something I am going to discuss with sunamp very soon.
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Thanks Graham. In fact I’ve found an even cheaper one from Cdiscount. It’s not a Bosch but I’m sure it’s sufficiently accurate for my needs. We have two very dead conifers in our little woodland one is about 30 ft the other about 60 ft. I’ve cut through the smaller one with a hand saw which didn’t jam at all so the resin has definitely gone. Unfortunately the tree is still standing as it’s being supported by other trees so it needs a hard push or a gale.
So if the wood burns well we shall invest in a small chainsaw and cut up both trees. If we are happy with the wood burner then as suggested we will order some wood next spring for the following winter
Also in the spring I think we will invest in a standard electric water heater as at our age expensive installations are not economically worth while. From what I have read electricity in France is cheap because of the investment in nuclear power and perhaps capping. So we will also rely on electric heaters to supplement the oil fired central heating. My most job immediate job is to restore our hallway as the wall adjoining the living/dining room has been knocked down to give an open plan feel. So when we heat up the living room we also heat up the hallway leading to the bedrooms which to us does not make sense especially as our ceilings are very high about 9ft. So temperature changes are very slow to make
In which event, you may find this topic of some use… unfortunately the OP has left SF but the advice remains extremely valid…
I have been told that burning pine logs in a woodburner is not to be advised…
Frankly, that’s all I remember… none of the reasons for and/or against, it’s simply something which has stuck in the back of my mind…
just thought I’d mention it…
Point taken and at my age it’s probably better to find an experienced woodcutter to do the job
@geoffrey_Croshaw if the logs are well seasoned and the chimney is well maintained there should not be a problem. There are quite a few references to this on the internet (mainly US based but valid nonetheless).
Split, they will dry out quicker of course.
In the UK, we had a virtual forest of conifers stealing our light round the boundary so chopped them all down, logged them and after a couple of years split them. When the oil for our CH was all used up a few months before moving permanently to France having sold up, we used the split logs on our open fire in the winter. There was no spitting (as you might expect from a high creosote content) but burnt quickly giving good heat.
It’s just the resin I believe that causes too much tar. We’re a bit curious about our 'wood burner '. It’s looks like the original fitted in 1970. It’s just a built in metal box no fire bricks and inside is an electric fan with two settings which presumably is for creating a draft when lighting the fire. Lots of vents on the chimney to let out the heat. So we’re looking forward to giving it a try though our experience with wood burners has not been overwhelmingly good
Best get a ramoneur (chimney sweep) in to check it out and he will advise you. Cost usually in the region of 75€ but will give you peace of mind (and may be required for your house insurance anyway).
IIRC the two speed fan is an attempt at convecting the heat in to the room and nothing at all to do with lighting it up.
We have found lighting up is progressive. Start with kindling and smaller dry pieces (such as broken branches blown off in the wind for example) gradually adding the heavier stuff when it going well. Ensure there is a good air supply to the firebox… and once its really going, you should be able to close the door and adjust the flue ram to keep it going nicely.
Is there a model name (or maybe a photo) to help identify it?
As I said… I’m just mentioning something which had stuck in my mind… and has now become unglued… 
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I do recall something similar years ago so you’re not quite yet “unhinged”… but when researched (for our own purposes) it became clearer.
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well, that’s a relief…
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I did say not quite yet…
I made the mistake of burning pine when OH was at work over a few months and the resin caught fire in the flue pipe with bits dropping down behind the stove. I called the pompiers who ripped out the flue pipe, made sure the chimney itself was ok and also checked in the roof space for any signs of smouldering. Never again and was chastised by all the neighbours for burning it and it was quite old too, not recently cut.
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We swear by the Norwegian approach, so top down burning, as being less polluting. So 2 big bits on the bottom, a small amount of easily burnable stiff between them (cheese box, pine cones that sort of thing and then a few bits of kindling on top. Fire burns downwards so this work brilliantly for us. Prepare the fire, light a twist of paper at the top, and don’t need to do anything else for a few hours!
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may be to do with accumulation of pine resin being considered to be a fire hazard
in my childhood we burned mostly pine from trees which had fallen, well seasoned. In a normal log fire in a house with chimney regularly cleaned I can’t see why it would be a problem.
Tell that to Sweden and Norway. But they do have better stoves than crappy Godins.
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What you describe is indeed what we do successfully with our Godin cylindrical wood burner but the OP has a different style of wood burner which requires a different approach.
I just think he has to experiment and find which method suits him best. It can be a trial and error thing really and much does depend on the burner itself.