Gas Fire or Electric Fire

amcd2407

Hi Guys I need your help please.
I have just redecorated and want to fit a fire in the lounge / dining room. It is an open plan semi detatched and there is a gas pipe on the adjoining wall with some sort of flue / chimney ( can see the raised tile on the roof.

Just want to know which will be more cost efficient to run. I realise that a gas fire costs more to purchase and fit, but elec is more expensive per kWh.

My heart tells me go for gas, as it psychologically feels warmer, but some people say half the heat disappears up the flue, making it less efficient.

Thought opinions comments welcome. xxx:T:beer::snow_laug

iamesbo

Get gas. Heat was disappearing up the flue at the gas powered power station to make the electricity, and there are losses converting the heat into electric and futher losses transmitting it to your home, thats why its about 4 times the price.

It would be cheaper to get an open fire and burn £5 notes on it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Mazio_2

If you go for a gas fire check out how efficient it is gas fires range from below 40% to above 80% so choose carefully.

If you have some form of primary heating as well and this is a secondary heat source?

You could block the flue and plug a big draft in your house also electric is nearly always 100% efficient and in a well insulated house can be thermostatically controlled so may possibly not be on allot.

There are allot of varibles and each situation varies you need to do some checks and calcs yourself.

In most cases though I agree with iamesbo and gas normally is more cost effective (if you choose the correct fire).

gazza975526570

Will you actually use it much anyway?

ours is hardly ever on - but id def go for gas

amcd2407

I was thinking of using it to just heat the downstairs as I don't like the bedroom hot, and being as it's only me and the cats it's more efficient than having the gas central heating on. Yes, radiators are switched off in the rooms i don't use :rotfl::D

iamesbo

I am not sure how effective it is switching off radiators in rooms you don't use as they help keep the house warm in general. The way I see it some heat is lost up the flue and some is 'lost' in to the house (the heat from the radiators).
So if you don't have enough radiators on your heating may not work very efficiently, however I am not too sure about this 'theory' but I think with just one radiator on
you might be transfering as much heat up the flue as you do into the house. so I have at least one other 'strategic' radiator on.
I am not sure how valid my theory is thouogh.

Mazio_2

The other factor to check is that the CH boiler has to heat the water inside the heat exchange and then pump this heated water to the radiator(s) this heated water is normally controlled by an internal thermostat inside the boiler so that even if the rooms are warm enough the internal stat could still switch the boiler on if the water inside it is cooler then the water stat this means you could still be wasting energy warming the water up inside the boiler even if your rooms are warm and also heating the pipes running around your house to the other rads.
Thats how mine works anyway.
But again you should run a check to see if you can determine how yours works there are many different types.
But if you are heating only 1 rad / room then you could be better off with good efficient gas fire or if well insulated maybe electric thermostaically controlled heater.
By this I mean if you were to heat 3 or 4 rooms then you would need 3 or 4 gas / electric fires this would then cost possibly up to 3 or 4 times the amount but the central heating boiler will use a smaller % of energy to heat multiple rooms and I think be more efficient.

Again this will vary in most dwellings and you should check this your self by reading the meters and making comparisons also insulation will play a big part in usage ( is the room you are going to heat have doors that you can close off to the unheated rooms?).