Is Gas Central Heating the Most Fuel Efficient?

drdoom

Hi guys,

Am looking around at some rental apartments.

Our current place has gas central heating but the boiler is old and the place is poorly insulated so its proving very expensive to heat.

Am looking at newly built apartments, just wondering with all things being equal if gas powered central heating is like to be the most efficient, best value?

The alternative in most new places is all electric storage heaters, I'm guessing these are not as good?

Thanks

Cardew

Efficient NO! - Cheapest yes!

All electric heating is 100% efficient. Gas boilers between 60% and 90% however gas costs between a quarter and a third that of electricity. As a rented apartment the landlord will have to pay for annual servicing of a gas boiler and a new build should have a boiler closer to 90%.

Storage heating has many other drawbacks - leaking heat during the day when you are not in occupation - need to plan ahead - you pay a lot more for your 'normal' electricity; that is why they are unpopular.

Pincher

Blame the developers, who don't even bring in a gas supply to the building.

The developers will blame the buy to let landlords,
who don't want to pay for an annual gas safety certificate.

I blame the tenants and first time buyers.
They will rent and buy anything shoved under their noses. We need FTBs to refuse to buy anything without gas, and tenants to boycott apartments without gas central heating, so the developers and landlords are forced to offer what everybody wants.

The tenants will then blame refugees and immigrants, who are so desperate for somewhere to live, that they will take anything provided it's cheap, breaking the embargo.

A heavenly scenario is a building where they have commercial grade boilers in the basement,
which supplies CENTRAL gas central heating. They typically have a whole bank of boilers, so one or two failing is not a problem. You never have to deal with boiler breakdowns, and you have no leaking gas pipes in your apartment. It ain't easy to get into heaven.

Andy_WSM

Pincher wrote: »

I blame the tenants and first time buyers.
They will rent and buy anything shoved under their noses. We need FTBs to refuse to buy anything without gas, and tenants to boycott apartments without gas central heating, so the developers and landlords are forced to offer what everybody wants.

No! We shouldn't be encouraging the uptake of gas AT ALL. Gas is a finite resource, one that the UK doesn't have enough of and has to buy in to meet our ever increasing demand against an ever decreasing supply!

The developers should be FORCED to use heat pump technologies when building new properties.

End users can still have their cosy panel radiators without a further burden on the gas supply and without massive additional loads on the electricity supply (compared to conventional electric heating). As the grid becomes greener over the years, wind, nuclear, tidal, wave etc, then Britain's emissions will continue to drop also without further investment by the home owners.

Pincher

Yes, gas is so last century.:p

moonrakerz

Pincher wrote: »

Yes, gas is so last century.:p

Agree - we should all have windmills in the garden now !

freddi_2

And solar panels on the roof

Andy_WSM

Pincher wrote: »

Yes, gas is so last century.:p

Well it is, yes! We certainly don't have enough of it in our own back yards, so have to buy it in from around the World. How long is that sustainable for?

davidgmmafan

"Agree - we should all have windmills in the garden now !"

I read somewhere that Windmills, regarding as scenic now and something to be preseved, were regarded as eyesores at the time. Same as Wind turbines now; I was Harrogate recently and a viaduct there was protested against when built, now it is something to be preseved.

The point of this? I felt left out on the random post. Seriously though its all relative

albyota

Most Housing associations, developers and small new builds are now fitting heat pumps, Worcester bosch, Vaillant, Dimplex, who make very good boilers/heating systems are now making air source heat pumps....wonder why that is???