storage heaters/electric central heating or gas?

Cardew

sanman wrote: »

my total usage is approximately 70% off peak, 30% peak.
Thus we use on average approx 70 units of electricity per day (remember, no gas) and this works out to about £32 per month with E7 (may now be higher ... need to check latest tariff).!

You presumably mean £32 a week?

70 units a day average is 25,550kWh. 70%/30% split is 17,885 cheap rate and 7665 day rate.

Taking E7 as 4p/kWh and day as 11p/kWh that is £1,558pa.

amtrakuk

Peeps

Just heard on IPTW there are energy price rises due this summer. Did a bit of looking on the web and came across http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7306173.stm has been advised to look for capped energy prices.

Over winter my electric energy prices are about 80.00 / month and no gas bill :j

amtrakuk

Cardew wrote: »

You presumably mean £32 a week?

70 units a day average is 25,550kWh. 70%/30% split is 17,885 cheap rate and 7665 day rate.

Taking E7 as 4p/kWh and day as 11p/kWh that is £1,558pa.

Cardew: Looks like the calculations are right, but I don't think the heating is on all year?

derbygirl1

Miss_Ladybird wrote: »

Can I add my question as there seem to be lots of knowledgable people about!
Have bought a 3-bed semi which has no heating except an electric fire in the living room. There is no gas in the village. We are thinking about installing an oil tank and oil central heating, or alternatively using some kind of electric heating (unknown!) Any thoughts or advice? Thanks!

Hi, I am renting a house which uses oil heating and I would very strongly advise AGAINST it! Its a 3 bed semi (like yours) and costs us £300 every six weeks in oil. On top of that the house NEVER heats up - its always cold, so cold I have to wear a jumper to bed! Unfortunately, I know that electric is not much better. :eek:

Cardew

amtrakuk wrote: »

Cardew: Looks like the calculations are right, but I don't think the heating is on all year?

Agreed the heating will not be on all year.

However he stated an average of 70 units a day.

If it was only £32 a month that would be for approx 6,000kWh a year for a large 5 bed house with storage heating as well as the normal electricity use.

Well at 70 units a day(490 a week) he would use 6,000kWh in 12 weeks.

Seems strange that sanman has written a long and informative post and not visited the site since!

amtrakuk

True... But since the scheduled 9.7% increase in lekky and 15% for gas - the distance is closing

samtheman1k

I don't think the gap is closing, just not increasing at such a fast rate as oil is increasing by stupid amounts too!

ElectricPeace

I live in a terraced house and some time ago my neighbours got a new gas heating
system. The installers had the complete thoughtlessness to put the boiler on our
party wall where its noise has managed to make my life sheer hell. Fortunately
the local Environmental Health Department persuaded them to turn it off at night
after my own efforts failed.
Noise matters if you don't live in a detached house. My neighbour used to have
storage and immersion heating before and even dabbled in running their washing
machine in the middle of the night, but it woke them up so they stopped!! It
woke me up too and probably their neighbour the other side!
I too have gas water and central heating, but the boiler is placed on an outside
wall and I have had no complaints so far! However it is old and needs replacing.
I cannot face gas any more, both because of what my neighbour's noise has done
for me and because I fear disturbing my neighbour on the other side, so I have
been thinking of going electric, but have not known where to start. Coming upon
this forum has been such a help - you never come across adverts for electric
heating, only gas, and have gained some ideas and followed links. I realise that
it will cost more to run but am happy to pay extra for peace. Thank you all so
much and please bear noise in mind in your own plans if you live in a terraced
house or flat, as I'm sure most of you would of course anyway!

mute_posting

ElectricPeace wrote: »

I live in a terraced house and some time ago my neighbours got a new gas heating
system. The installers had the complete thoughtlessness to put the boiler on our
party wall where its noise has managed to make my life sheer hell. Fortunately
the local Environmental Health Department persuaded them to turn it off at night
after my own efforts failed.
Noise matters if you don't live in a detached house. My neighbour used to have
storage and immersion heating before and even dabbled in running their washing
machine in the middle of the night, but it woke them up so they stopped!! It
woke me up too and probably their neighbour the other side!
I too have gas water and central heating, but the boiler is placed on an outside
wall and I have had no complaints so far! However it is old and needs replacing.
I cannot face gas any more, both because of what my neighbour's noise has done
for me and because I fear disturbing my neighbour on the other side, so I have
been thinking of going electric, but have not known where to start. Coming upon
this forum has been such a help - you never come across adverts for electric
heating, only gas, and have gained some ideas and followed links. I realise that
it will cost more to run but am happy to pay extra for peace. Thank you all so
much and please bear noise in mind in your own plans if you live in a terraced
house or flat, as I'm sure most of you would of course anyway!

What sort of noise are we talking about? I think there might be something wrong with the boiler if it is making enough noise to be heard on the other side of a party wall!

Replacing a boiler will be pretty straightforward and if you have never had any complaints (?) why do you think you will start getting them now? If you are going completely electric I would think that will cost a lot more installation wise than just a boiler upgrade?

Also, like you say running costs will be more, and we could be talking almost double here for your heating and hot water needs (assuming 95% efficiency on a new gas boiler at 3p per Kwh that's 3.15p, versus at least 5p perhaps more for E7 units)

ElectricPeace

The noise is a hum which becomes a higher pitched whine as the day goes on and loudest in the evening. Also the wall is only one brick thick and we can hear quite a range of sounds in each others' houses, which usually doesn't matter, but the boiler is hard to live with. If you are right and a boiler should not be heard the other side of a party wall and therefore even less so where my own present one is then I might reconsider going electric, especially as your figures put it rather bluntly just how much more it will cost both to install and run! I've heard it my neighbour's side and it seemed quieter. It's inside a cupboard in their bathroom, but I get the full blast the other side of the wall in my bedroom, where it seems to be louder. Perhaps it's a freak acoustic effect.
Anyway I'm thinking of giving in and offering to pay them the full price to move it. It will be worth it for a quieter life! When I first contacted them about it they said they would move it if I paid for it. I replied that I would pay 30%. Then they told me it was installed under a Government grant, and they'd see if the installer would move it. He came and said it was all right and anyway he didn't think he could move it for some reason - regardless of the disturbance it was causing me! I'm hoping that with my offer that they will find an installer who will move it, especially as it won't cost them anything.