Friend has housing association house with single coal fire in lounge
that also feeds back boiler that feeds 3 radiators downstairs,
secondary radiator in lounge then bathroom and kitchen, electric
circulation pump, electric immersion heater back up on hot water
supply. Radiators are from days of british empire and are plumbed in
wide bore pipe, well it aint narrow microbore anyway.

Geniuses at HA have decided to ,er , upgrade the heating system. This
`upgrade` consists of adding 4 extra radiators upstairs, one in each
of 3 bedrooms and one on upstairs landing.

These will all supposedly be heated from the back boiler on the single
fireplace.

Not an expert on thermodynamics but currently the fireplace needs
banked up the chimney to get any heat at all out of the downstairs
radiators, adding another 4 radiators seems pointless and not
inexpensive.

Presume there is a limit to the amount of heat can obtain from a
single fireplace, must be a reason old properties had a fireplace per
room.

Is there an accepted method of calculating heat output and
requirements, for those without a degree in mathematics, to
demonstrate to the HA that they may not be spending money wisely.

Concerned that the additional load on the fire will put friends coal
bills unacceptably high and the property is in dire need of a rewire
which would seem a better use of limited resources.

Any advice gratefully received.

Adam