Starting from scratch-best option?

marcy_2

Hi there,

I have been looking on this board for advice for our situation but feel like I'm getting even more confused!

We are about to move into a (very exposed to the elements) semi-detached property built in 1900ish with no gas on the street. At the moment it has a wood burner in the dining room that I think is able to warm the water tank as a top up. There is also another big fireplace with a pillow blocking the chimney in the lounge with a plug in electric stove in it. There are 3 old electric storage heaters, one in a bedroom and the rest downstairs and an immersion heater for the water and a heated electric towel rail. There are 3 other smallish bedrooms without any heating at all.

We were planning on moving in and seeing how we get on for a while but are now thinking that it may well be too cold over the winter to not do something straight away-especially for our young kids! Also it may end up costing us a fortune in electricity. As we are pretty much starting from scratch what would be the most economical way to keep warm? We should be able to get hold of wood relatively easily, so was thinking about a multifuel burner with new radiators fitted in all the rooms. I was also looking at solar panels but our house faces west so not sure if that's an option. Oil is what most in the area use.

We don't have a massive budget either but obviously would be happy to invest a bit if it could work out cheaper in the long run, and would be interested in any green incentives too. Just getting a bit nervous now as we are leaving nice warm GCH!

Thanks very much for any advice as I just feel stumped at the moment!

Ebe_Scrooge

It sounds like oil may be your best bet. It's not cheap by any means, far more expensive than mains gas, but still a lot better than either electricity or LPG. It's probably about on a par with wood as well if you're talking about heating your entire house - unless you have access to free wood. However, if you've already got some fireplaces, you need to balance the cost of installing an oil tank and boiler against future running costs if you were to rely on just wood fires .....

ASHP or GSHP are the other alternatives. They need a fairly hefty initial outlay, and my understanding is that whilst the heat itself is "free" as such, and green, they do burn a heck of a lot of electricity to run the systems, so they're not the magical panacea that many people think.

You say there is no mains gas in the street - it may be worth finding out how much it would be to get connected. If there's no gas in the area at all then it'll be a non-starter, but if it's a case of running a pipe for a few yards then it's worth considering - the long-term running costs of a conventional mains-gas boiler will be substantially lower than any of the alternatives currently available.

bernithebiker

Firstly, and it's not a glamourous answer - check the insulation. This is the best £ you can spend. Loft insulation, windows, etc. Sort this first.

You don't say where you are. If in the West or South West a heat pump could be worth looking at. Elsewhere, my feeling is that winter temperatures are too cold.

Wood is good! But you have to put some effort in.

Oil is a lottery. Just about affordable now, but will it be in 5 years time? Hard to say, but it's a risk.

Don't go anywhere near LPG.

marcy_2

Thanks for your replies. The house is in the North of England and judging on the last couple of winters will be very chilly indeed! Unfortunately gas isn't an option as nearest pipes are a mile up the road!

marcy_2

Thanks so much for your replies, i'm still investigating all the options. It seems that none of the options are easy,but hopefully once we are in the house we'll get a better idea of how cold it is!