heating question

ricewasher

I'm a student with 2 flatmates and we're always in and out of the flat at odd times and are hardly ever home at the same time. Is it cheaper to run the gas heating at regular times or just have each person using their own electric heating as an when they are around to benefit from it?

I pay all the bills and I am in complete control of the boiler. Also, if I run the heating, i can't go into rooms to switch the heating off for those who aren't around...

chris1973

Personally, i'd get radiator valves fitted to each individual room, so your flatmates can control their own individual room temperature according to their tastes.

I'm assuming that you split the energy bills three ways?, so that its in everybodies interest to keep the energy bill as low as possible and so an incentive to turn down their radiator when the room is unoccupied for any long period.

In respect to Electricity, does each person have their own individual meter and pay their own Electricity Bill?. If not i'd be very cautious of using Electric Heating, it would cost you far more in Electricity to have somebody leave a 2KW convector heater whilst they are away all weekend, than it would for them to leave on Gas fired heating radiator on. Given that Electricity is about 11p - 12p per KWH and Gas can be had for around 4p per KWH, it makes sense to take advantage of the cheaper heating costs of Gas, even allowing for the fact that its not 100% efficient at turning fuel into heat, its still efficient enough to maintain the price void.

Even if you fitted Electric heaters into each persons room, what about the bathroom, hallway, kitchen etc, how would these be heated?. If you are planning on running Gas central heating to heat these areas, then you may as well heat the rooms in the same way.

Personally, i'd fit thermostatic valves to the radiators and have the heating running during waking hours.

One thing, at least you are splitting the cost of heating three ways, whilst most households only have one or two people contributing, so even with the radiators running, it should still be possible to affordably heat the whole house, where three people are chipping in.