storage heaters/electric central heating or gas?

Scotslass1978

Hi there, This is my first time on the forum so i hope im in the right place. I could really use some advice and this is the topic that is most like my problem. I have recently moved into my first house(end of october) and i am having some heating issues. I have an old gas warm air heating system in place just now and single glazed windows. The house is really cold unless the heating is on and the draft from the windows and doors is terrible. My last couple of gas bills have been really high(£107 one month and £97 the next) and don't know what would be the best thing to replace...the windows/doors or the heating system. I have had some qoutes tonight and it will cost £4000 for new windows and im guessing about £2000 for the heating system. Does anyone know which would be the best thing to replace, considering all the factors ie value to house etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i have to get in touch with the sales guy for the windows tomorrow to let him know if im going through with the sale.

Help please.....

paceinternet

If the heating is working reliably, I would sort the windows and doors and any other insulation oportunities as phase 1, then do the heating phase 2 when you can.
You should ask 2 or 3 heating installers for quotes and give them the 2 scenarios with and without the first phase done on the basis that you are doing both phases. They could indicate to you what the heat losses and therefore gas consumption would be with and without phase 1. Maybe then review what the savings would be compared with your current situation.

andym4764

I have had Electrorads conservation heaters installed for 4 years and found the running costs to be extremely high.

On a more recent and serious note i have had a circuit board overheat within the unit causing it to melt and leave a lot of smoke on the circuit board and metal casing , it did NOT blow the fuse within the plug.

Electrorad are not interested in this safety issue , they previuosly advised this had occured before on other heaters and have since had the circuit board re-designed to prevent it happening again They will NOT however replace the other stats unless i wish to pay.

They do not take a fire hazard as a serious risk and are merely salesmen.

They have refused to provide their insurance details and are not interested.

Has anybody else come across a issue of this nature with these units ?

jediknights70

I have the same problem with storage heaters, that have dis-charged in the evening when you need the heat the most. After a bit of research on the internet I bought an electric radiant panel heater. It is an electric heater with a superb heat up time and we only need to use it for a fews hours each evening. It uses a micathermic element which produces a nice and comfortable form of heat. Google "Sunburst radiant heater" and see what comes back.

cp101

I've just moved out on my own for the first time. I have a 3 bedroom house and just moved in yay. I'm worried about the ammount of power the boiler is going to use.

Southern electric Economy 10 prices:-
Peak 13.86p
Off Peak 5.985p
Standing charge 19.857p per day
You get 5% for paying direct debit

E On
first 900kWh = 23.49
Then 10.01p
you get8.9% online discount, and 6% Direct Debt discount

Taking this in to account I have worked out that i would have to use over 50% of my total power within the off peak times to break even, so it cant be that much cheaper to have economy 7 or 10 can it? also that means I can use the power when I want, like have a bath when I need one.

What percentage of power does the boilder account for, I have alot of computers running, wont things like lights, cooker, kettle, tv added up at the end of the day.

Thank You, just incase im being stupid

Cardew

cp101 wrote: »

I've just moved out on my own for the first time. I have a 3 bedroom house and just moved in yay. I'm worried about the ammount of power the boiler is going to use.

Southern electric Economy 10 prices:-
Peak 13.86p
Off Peak 5.985p
Standing charge 19.857p per day
You get 5% for paying direct debit

E On
first 900kWh = 23.49
Then 10.01p
you get8.9% online discount, and 6% Direct Debt discount

Taking this in to account I have worked out that i would have to use over 50% of my total power within the off peak times to break even, so it cant be that much cheaper to have economy 7 or 10 can it? also that means I can use the power when I want, like have a bath when I need one.

What percentage of power does the boilder account for, I have alot of computers running, wont things like lights, cooker, kettle, tv added up at the end of the day.

Thank You, just incase im being stupid

What do you mean by boiler?

The 'break even' percentage for having Economy 7 varies by company, area and tariff.

Not all companies will cater for Economy 10.

Without storage heating, many(not all) people will not be able to make Economy 7 pay. It will be cheaper to get a cheap internet 24/7 tariff.

The problem is that at this time of the year it is difficult to get a picture of the day/night split as you will not be using storage heating much(even if you have it)

Chavez

What an immense thread! So useful for those of us who have no clue!

Anyways, I am a first time buyer about to move into a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom flat in London. The flat is double glazed, has mains gas (powering the cooker) and 3 storage heaters - one in lounge and each bedroom.

Now, the heaters look pretty old - probably at least 20 years. So my question is - is it worth getting gas CH put in and how much would it cost roughly? Also, how much disruption will it cause? Will the guy who fits the Gas heating be able to get rid of the storage heaters too?

We will be in the flat for around 4-5 years before selling on so house value is important (buying at stamp duty rate of 250k).

Thanks!

samtheman1k

Chavez wrote: »

What an immense thread! So useful for those of us who have no clue!

Anyways, I am a first time buyer about to move into a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom flat in London. The flat is double glazed, has mains gas (powering the cooker) and 3 storage heaters - one in lounge and each bedroom.

Now, the heaters look pretty old - probably at least 20 years. So my question is - is it worth getting gas CH put in and how much would it cost roughly? Also, how much disruption will it cause? Will the guy who fits the Gas heating be able to get rid of the storage heaters too?

We will be in the flat for around 4-5 years before selling on so house value is important (buying at stamp duty rate of 250k).

Thanks!

IMO, it is worth getting gas CH due to flexibility, running costs and comfort level. Although the payback may or may not be achievable in your timescales, although it should increase the value of your flat to cover the installation costs.

However, installation costs are impossible to predict on a forum. There are too many variables. Do you have wooden or concrete floors? Do you need freeholder approval? Yes, it will be disruptive. Your best bet for getting rid of the NSH is to put them on ebay! I got £112 for 5 of them last year, and the guy collected them!

Cardew

Chavez wrote: »

What an immense thread! So useful for those of us who have no clue!

Anyways, I am a first time buyer about to move into a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom flat in London. The flat is double glazed, has mains gas (powering the cooker) and 3 storage heaters - one in lounge and each bedroom.

Now, the heaters look pretty old - probably at least 20 years. So my question is - is it worth getting gas CH put in and how much would it cost roughly? Also, how much disruption will it cause? Will the guy who fits the Gas heating be able to get rid of the storage heaters too?

We will be in the flat for around 4-5 years before selling on so house value is important (buying at stamp duty rate of 250k).

Thanks!

As you have a gas supply I would think that around £3-£4K might be a ballpark figure for gas CH. Get several written estimates - BG will be the most expensive.

It obviously will cause quite a bit of disruption, install boiler(where??) gas pipe, water pipes, radiators, remove Hot water tank if you are having a combi, electrical fittings for boiler, thermostat and timer.

Don't forget to change your electricity tariff from Economy 7.

Getting an Air Source Heat Pump system might be worth considering.

Chavez

Thanks for the advice.

The flat itself has wooden parquet flooring and single brick walls (no cavity to hide pipes in). The survey mentioned that the hot water cylinder needed looking at - so a combination system may be the way to go.

It's a share of leasehold property, but will need to check the small print to see if such things can be done. The difficulty may be finding a place for the boiler!