Anyone used Rointe heaters?

Jonna_935

I'm new here, so hi to all!

Due to my current interest, I spotted this thread a week ago after a Google search. Over the last few days I have been reading the 23 pages of posts. I've just done 3 hours on the trott, so now have sore eyes and a mild headache! But a fascinating thread. My dilemma is this:-

I am seriously considering buying a newly completely refurbished mid-sized 3 bed bungalow, in a rural location with no mains gas, that would suit my overall 'wants & needs' very well. The potential catch is that it has brand new Rointe heaters throughout (numbering 8, plus 2 towel rails), professionally installed with new wiring and consumer boxes. I have digested all the comments and arguments over the past 23 pages, but feel I need a little clarification in one area.

I know the Rointe system will be more expensive to run than a gas system, and accept this is the compromise to live in a more 'rural' setting with no mains gas. My question is, how much more expensive? In this instance, is an 'intelligent' installation of Rointe heaters (if used correctly with lower settings for bedrooms etc) likely to be prohibitively expensive compared to gas. I'm talking 100%, 200%, 300% more expensive, or is the figure more likely to be, say, a 20-40% increase in running cost? I don't mind paying a premium for having a well controlled, convenient system, but a limit naturally has to be set.

I know the options could only have been Electric, Oil or LPG.

The house is perfect in every way, the heating system is new and in place, but I worry that I may be faced with a heating bill double or triple that of gas (That said, I know Oil and, in particular, LPG is very expensive).

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Happy Christmas!

Owain_Moneysaver

Jonna_935 wrote: »

I know the Rointe system will be more expensive to run than a gas system, and accept this is the compromise to live in a more 'rural' setting with no mains gas. My question is, how much more expensive?

Other things being equal, about 3 times the price of gas.

British Gas standard tariff, exact amount depends on where you are, but for comparison:

Gas 26p/day standing, 5p/kWh
Electricity 26p/day standing, 13p/kWh
Economy 7 Elec 26p/day standing, 13p/kWh peak rate, 8p/kWh off-peak

The Rointe system may be more controllable than central heating if you can heat only the rooms you are using, however it is still using peak rate electricity.

If you are at home during the day then storage heaters and stored hot water using off-peak electricity will probably be cheaper than the Rointe system, but is less controllable. And you will have to buy storage heaters.

Read the survey and energy performance certificate for the property very carefully.

Cardew

Jonna_935 wrote: »

I'm new here, so hi to all!

Welcome to the forum.


You can look up the price of electricity for your area; generally about 11p to 12p/kWh.


Gas is in the region of 4p/kWh and Oil at today's best price is 5.7p/kWh(57p a litre).


However with gas and oil you have to factor in the efficiency of the boiler, which can range from around 90% for a modern condensing boiler to around 65% for an old boiler.


Electrical heating is 100% efficient.


With an electrical heating system, you also have to heat water at the 11p to 12p/kWh; instead of that task being done by the gas/oil boiler.


However you have to get oil/gas boilers serviced annually.


An electrical heating system, with the requisite controls, is easy to set up to get a fully automated system.

LittleVermin

Jonna_935 wrote: »

I'm new here, so hi to all!

.....................................
I know the options could only have been Electric, Oil or LPG.

The house is perfect in every way, the heating system is new and in place, but I worry that I may be faced with a heating bill double or triple that of gas (That said, I know Oil and, in particular, LPG is very expensive).

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Happy Christmas!

If you'd like to fiddle with the figures the Notts Energy Partnership produce heating costs
http://www.nottenergy.com/energy_cost_comparison/

- just adjust the figures they give for the actual prices per unit (of electricity, gas, etc) you'll be charged and make some assumptions about boiler efficiency (they use 90% - for a modern efficient condensing one; conversion of electricity to heat is 100% efficient).


Full price electricity is around 3x dearer than mains gas per kWh, and about twice the cost of oil or LPG. (LPG in a bulk tank is only a little bit more expensive than oil).


Happy Christmas!

Jonna_935

Thank you Owain Moneysaver, Cardew & LittleVermin for your warm welcome and swift responses - they are much appreciated.

So, it seems roughly 3 times the price per kWh for electric over gas it is then.

It may be wishful thinking on my part to hope that the much debated 'distribution' of heat and more controlable 'heating zones' of the Rointe heaters may make a small improvement.......so, lets say 2.85 times the price of gas. That's still huge.

I guess on the positive side (I do try and look to the positive side of things), any problems in oil or LPG delivery in winter months would be avoided with electric.

But then there is the heating of the hot water to consider also(thanks for pointing that out Cardew).

Swings and roundabouts!

No EPC has been done yet on the property either - but I know much boils down to common sense.

I'll keep thinking it over. Thanks again for your help.

Jonna_935

LittleVermin

Jonna_935 wrote: »

......
It may be wishful thinking on my part to hope that the much debated 'distribution' of heat and more controlable 'heating zones' of the Rointe heaters may make a small improvement.......so, lets say 2.85 times the price of gas. That's still huge.

I guess on the positive side (I do try and look to the positive side of things), any problems in oil or LPG delivery in winter months would be avoided with electric.

....................
Swings and roundabouts!

.....................
I'll keep thinking it over. Thanks again for your help.

Jonna_935

Hmm, reliability? All electric heating isn't much good right now down here in parts of Cornwall.


So oil and LPG are fine! Working a treat! ...oh no, there's an electric pump in the system!


Moral? "Always look on the bright side of life but don't keep all your eggs in one basket" (but the last bit ended up on the cutting room floor).


And any well-planned central heating system will have controls that match Rointe's much-praised (they say so themselves - so MUST be true!) system.


I think the LPG suppliers learnt their lesson during two recent winters - yes, it took two hard winters for them to get their act together! Of course they cannot cope with customers who don't re-order until they've only 5% left.

Owain_Moneysaver

LittleVermin wrote: »

Hmm, reliability? All electric heating isn't much good right now down here in parts of Cornwall.

So oil and LPG are fine! Working a treat! ...oh no, there's an electric pump in the system!

It's not that difficult to run the boiler control and pump from a small generator, or even a car battery and inverter for a few hours.

Richie-from-the-Boro

10 Rointe heaters, off gas grid and no mains gas, newly completely refurbished mid-sized 3 bed bungalow with no EPC certificate

Rointe, as is the case with 6 or so other brands of a similar nature can and do work economically and well in an uber insulated dwellings .. .. but its down to the dwellings capacity to hold heat .. .. not the heatings ability to perform economically with comfort. You are in a position where because the purchase & install cost is already factored in where, you would be better on a suck~it~and~see 4 month trial, an EPC would have given a 'rough guide' 'clue' to cost.

Best of luck and welcome to the forum Jonna_935.

reeac

Jonna_935 wrote: »

I am seriously considering buying a newly completely refurbished mid-sized 3 bed bungalow, in a rural location with no mains gas, that would suit my overall 'wants & needs' very well. The potential catch is that it has brand new Rointe heaters throughout (numbering 8, plus 2 towel rails), professionally installed with new wiring and consumer boxes. I have digested all the comments and arguments over the past 23 pages, but feel I need a little clarification in one area.

I know the Rointe system will be more expensive to run than a gas system, and accept this is the compromise to live in a more 'rural' setting with no mains gas. My question is, how much more expensive?

You haven't mentioned whether the bungalw has a fireplace+chimney. If it has then you have the possibility of installing a wood burning stove as a back-up in case of elec. failure and maybe a supplement to the elec. heating. Being in a rural location you may have access to timber that's just lying around - needs some work collecting and sawing up though. We live in such a location and have a stove but only as back-up as I prefer a more uniform temperature distribution than is provided by a stove. I have neighbours, though, who cut their oil consumption considerably by burning wood.

Richie-from-the-Boro

A chimney without an effective restrictor where outside air does vent into the room would lose 8kWh per 24 hours of heat .......... for those who can not for whatever reason have double glazing ponder the following :

Heat Loss Reduction Values are ish !

- secondary glazing + insulated shutters 77%
- secondary glazing + heavy curtains 66%
- stand alone insulated shutters 60%
- double-glazing 55%
- honeycomb blinds 36%
- modern insulated roller blinds 22%