Fuel comparisons

klaatu

Does anyone know where I can get up-to-date figures for comparing the relative costs of heating a house using electricity, gas, oil and coal?

Steve

Cardew

Almost impossible to give an answer to that as it depends on so many variable factors.

Cost of the fuel.

Efficiency of boiler

Pattern of usage.

In price per kWh of heat produced, there is not a lot to chose between gas, solid fuel and storage heating on Economy 7 electricity; oil costing quite a bit more.

With Economy 7 you need to plan ahead and if you ‘run out’ of heat in the evenings you have to top up with very expensive daytime electricity. On the other hand you don’t have to pay for expensive servicing. It makes a lot of sense for smaller properties especially where people are out all day at work.

Gas being ‘instantaneous’ is the most convenient and I suspect few people with a gas supply will opt for another system.

Ken68

Hi Kla...if you can limit the capital costs, as, e.g., a cheap woodburner and the fuel is free, that is the plan to go for.
Pelleted woodburners (with a gravity fed hopper) attract a grant and I can't see why someone couldn't pellet there own free supply of wood.

klaatu

Thanks, chaps. Gas isn't available here, and wood I guess isn't an option as it would have to be shipped in as there are no trees here. But it's still interesting to compare.

We're currently oil-fired, one boiler does the CH and a Rayburn does hot water and cooking (along with an electric hob). I've been toying with the idea of going all-electric.

Steve

peat

Ken 68, I think you are confusing wood pellets with woodchips. Woodchips are exactly what they say and can be made from most wood sources with a chipper. Wood pellets are manufactured from compressed sawdust, the manufacture of wood pellets requires specialist equipment.

Ken68

I see what you mean Peat.. quote from a stove site...
"Densified Pellet Technology. Pellets are dried ground wood or other biomass waste compressed into small cylinders about 1/4 inch in diameter and 1 inch long. The pressure and heat created during their production binds the pellets together without the need for additives. Pellet-burning appliances include a hopper to hold the pellet fuel and a screw auger to move the pellets from the hopper into the combustion chamber. Pellet appliances are generally able to operate at lower emission levels than natural firewood appliances because pellets are fed into the combustion chamber at a controlled rate, matched with the right amount of combustion air for a complete burn."