GAS vE3LECTRICITY: which gives you the most bang for your buck?

Microboy

Based on my usage over the last 12 months, I am paying an annual average of 3 pence per kWh for gas and 9 pence per kWh for electricity. On the face of it, this means that kWh for kWh electricity is three times more expensive than gas. Can this really be true? Does this mean that if I change my electric cooker for a gas one, I get the same amount of heat out of it for one third the cost? Is the UK really burning cheap gas in its power stations to generate expensive electricity? This makes little sense to me. Can somebody explain?

grahamc2003

Microboy wrote: »

Based on my usage over the last 12 months, I am paying an annual average of 3 pence per kWh for gas and 9 pence per kWh for electricity. On the face of it, this means that kWh for kWh electricity is three times more expensive than gas. Can this really be true? Does this mean that if I change my electric cooker for a gas one, I get the same amount of heat out of it for one third the cost? Is the UK really burning cheap gas in its power stations to generate expensive electricity? This makes little sense to me. Can somebody explain?

basically, yes you're correct.

Remember that electricity is much more valuable than gas - it is high quality energy which can be used to do many things, whereas gas is very limited and basically only good for heating, including cooking (but there are other uses for gas coming along, e.g. using fuel cells to generate cheap electricity while at the same time providing heating).

If you like, electricity can be used twice - once for it's primary purpose (like fueling the TV for instance), and then the same amount of energy also ends up as heat, which heats your house.

Electricity for heating is usually supplied at a cheap rate (although 'cheap' isn't the right word anymore!), but it is still 50% more expensive than gas.

It is truely madness burning gas to generate electricity in power stations, when the same gas could be much more efficiently used by direct burning in the home. The reason many gas burning stations has been springing up over the recent years is that they are relatively very quick and cheap to build and commission and they fill a gap in generation capacity. The gap is due purely to the opposition to Nuclear over the last 3 or 4 decades, leaving a situation today where there's really no option to inefficiently burn gas (a fossil fuel of course) - a great green own goal. I find it really sad that the earth's resources are squandered in this way. It'll get much worse before it gets better, with some very large Nuclear and Coal stations about to be closaed over the coming years to be replaced with even more gas stations (the 'green' solution of replacing these large stations with wind and PV really is a complete no starter, and new Nuclear stations can't come online for several years after the large stations are decommissioned - hence the looming energy gap)

Yes, your gas cooker would cost about a third to cook on as an electric one (but then again, I like my food cooked in hot air rather than burnt gas fumes).

Jon_Tiffany

grahamc2003 wrote: »

basically, yes you're correct.

Remember that electricity is much more valuable than gas - it is high quality energy which can be used to do many things, whereas gas is very limited and basically only good for heating, including cooking (but there are other uses for gas coming along, e.g. using fuel cells to generate cheap electricity while at the same time providing heating).

If you like, electricity can be used twice - once for it's primary purpose (like fueling the TV for instance), and then the same amount of energy also ends up as heat, which heats your house.

Electricity for heating is usually supplied at a cheap rate (although 'cheap' isn't the right word anymore!), but it is still 50% more expensive than gas.

It is truely madness burning gas to generate electricity in power stations, when the same gas could be much more efficiently used by direct burning in the home. The reason many gas burning stations has been springing up over the recent years is that they are relatively very quick and cheap to build and commission and they fill a gap in generation capacity. The gap is due purely to the opposition to Nuclear over the last 3 or 4 decades, leaving a situation today where there's really no option to inefficiently burn gas (a fossil fuel of course) - a great green own goal. I find it really sad that the earth's resources are squandered in this way. It'll get much worse before it gets better, with some very large Nuclear and Coal stations about to be closaed over the coming years to be replaced with even more gas stations (the 'green' solution of replacing these large stations with wind and PV really is a complete no starter, and new Nuclear stations can't come online for several years after the large stations are decommissioned - hence the looming energy gap)

Yes, your gas cooker would cost about a third to cook on as an electric one (but then again, I like my food cooked in hot air rather than burnt gas fumes).

Yep, per kWh gas is about a third of the cost. Grahams reply above is excellent and explains what some people forget - that while gas is better for heating, electricity is much more usefull. I dont think many TVs run on gas yet. Another problem with burning gas in a power station for it to only turn back into heat in your home is that a certain amount is lost in the lines, from memory somewhere around 10% I think.

Gas central heating is definately the way to go. As for cooking, we like a mix of gas rings with an electric oven.

Plushchris

I always find electric ovens dry food out and much prefer cooking with gas (not just because its cheaper..)

Different strokes for different folks I guess..

amtrakuk

Yes gas is a cheaper fuel to use at source, its the appliances that are inefficient.

Older boilers 20+ years old are only about 60% efficient, about 40% of the heat escaping out the flue. Modern boilers are about 80-85% efficient.
A Gas hob is only 60% efficient, electric about 85% efficient, electric induction about 95% efficient.

one of the things to be mindful of is he cost of a replacement boiler every 10 or so years and cost of maintenance, things I found out when my boiler went US after 7 years and BG condemned it. Replacement boiler and fitting 2.5-3k and I was paying £20 a month for BG home care, I see british gas prices now start fro £13 a month.

I understand the average Gas bill is about £50 a month, the hidden costs about £38 a month making the cost of ownership of a gas boiler being about £88 a month. £88 a month can buy allot of electric. For the last 3 years my electric DD has never been greater than £85 a month, I overpay in the summer and built up enough credit to heat, cook and bathe as much as I want in winter.

I have switched to Scottish power online energy saver 10 where in my area electric is just over 6p a unit - thats the cheapest I have ever paid!