night storage on economy 7 or install gas central heating?

jacquibaby

I'm in a 30's semi which is on economy 7. We moved in around 10 years ago and haven't had the cash to upgrade the heating at all.(until now)
we currently have
3 bedrooms

- 2 have night storage heaters, my bedroom one is set on low and son's bedroom one is hardly ever on as his room is not too cold.

The other bedroom is a very small room about 8 x 10 foot, with an oil filled radiator which we turn on in the evening and off all day. (daughters room). It is a corner bedroom and gets cold!



Bathroom- no heating at all. Artic.

Upstairs hall- no heating.

Downstairs;

Living room- gas fire. old, needs replacing whatever we do!

Hall- night storage heater- don't bother using it.

Dining room/kitchen- storage heater in dining area.

conservatory- no heating. Too cold to enter in winter.

hot water system- heats up at night on Economy7. Is a huge tank in one bedroom- the bedroom with the storage heater but son rarely turns it on as his room is warm (!) and gets the sun too.

Now we pay £118 a month electric.
£13 a month gas. That is for the gas fire in the living room and our gas rings in the kitchen.

We don't tend to have baths, showers only apart.

Is it worth getting gas central heating? Money saving wise?
I would like the conservatory to be warmer, although I tend to think it would cost a lot to heat up as it is mostly glass!

I would like rads in all bedrooms but want to be able to turn them off individually...or very low. I don't like overheated homes!

What kind of boiler will not break down every winter?!

Thanks,

Jacqui

Johnandabby

If you have the opportunity, then gas central heating would definitely be my choice. Not sure if you will save money on your energy bills, as it sounds as if your house isn't heated fully at the moment - however, will definitely be warmer.

Have you looked at cavity wall and loft insulation as well? You mention the corner bedroom is cold, and insulation would definitely help to reduce energy costs and improve comfort regardless of what heating system you have.

If you only have one bathroom, you could install a combination boiler, and get rid of the hot water tank to create more space in the bedroom. If you have an additional en-suite (or want flexibility to install one in the future?) then you should look at a system boiler which heats up a new hot water cylinder. There are been lots of debates about combi boilers vs cylinders on these forums, so won't repeat everything here.

You will need a Gas Safe Engineer to check whether your existing gas supply is sufficient for a central boiler system.

I wouldn't recommend putting radiators into a glass conservatory, as the heat will be lost straightaway - would be cheaper to just have a small portable electric fan heater that you turn on only when you want to use the conservatory.

In terms of controls, thermostatic radiator valves (trv) would provide you with control on heat output from radiators. But have a look at HouseHeat wireless room stat & trv, as it allows you to set each room at a specific temperature at different times of the day - also has a proper temperature reading rather than a generic 1-5 dial on the trv.

Most main stream boiler manufacturers are reliable - my personal preferences are Vaillant, Glow-worm and Ideal, but based on personal experiences.

Sorry for the long reply, but lots of questions raised in your post

phill99

Johnandabby's advice is on the mark.

Gas gives you much more controlability, but importantly is highly efficient and delivers the right amount of heat when and where you want it. Gas boilers are very efficient now, add to that TRVs and programmers and the cost effectiveness is significant.

I've always found that economy 7 gives off heat when you are out all day, and when you need a boost in the cold (last winter!) evenings, you are paying high prices for it.

E7 is only really ideal for highly insulated homes.

Insualtion is a must too. You may get it free if you are on certain benefits, and if not, it is heavily subsidised by the Government and the Electricity/gas companies.

If you get a combination boiler, you will not need a Hotwater cylinder, so will gain some cupboard space.

Heating a conservatory? No, not unless its triple glazed with low E glass, otherwise, too expensive.