Gas Bill HUGE! Help!!!

paulmapp8306

True. Totally forgot about combis, as I wont entertain them.

With the shower thing, a 20 min shower will use a whole tank of mine which is 150 litres (thats because I have a large rain head though). That will take more money in gas to heat than the same 20 min shower in my old 7Kw electric. That is however for my personal circumstances.

The proof is in the pudding - in that I recently changes a 7.5Kw electric for a bar shower and rain head (with a new modern 150L sealed tank replacing the old 90L vented). My electric bill went down and my gas bill went up. My gas bill has gone up more than the electric went down though - not by much but its because while its cheaper to heat the water wioth gas, Im using much more of that water with the new shower.

If you have a smaller tank and/or a shower that doesnt guzzle water, and compare it to a 10.5Kw elec shower - gas will win every time.

That said - my main point was that while gas is 1/3 the price of electric per Kw, you will generally use twice as much gas to do the same job as an electric appliance (not just hot water). That still makes gas the cheapest fuel - UNLESS, there are specific reasons such as mine, OR if your comparing old gas appliances with new electric ones (such as the induction hobs).

Theres also other things to consider I guess. Is it cheaper to heat the whole house using gas heating, or a single room using a modern electric heater? depends on the size of the house, the size of the room, the temperature you want to reach, and the insulation of the hose and the room. Too many factors to make sweeping statements really - you can only generalise.

Fire_Fox

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

True. Totally forgot about combis, as I wont entertain them.

With the shower thing, a 20 min shower will use a whole tank of mine which is 150 litres (thats because I have a large rain head though). That will take more money in gas to heat than the same 20 min shower in my old 7Kw electric. That is however for my personal circumstances.

The proof is in the pudding - in that I recently changes a 7.5Kw electric for a bar shower and rain head (with a new modern 150L sealed tank replacing the old 90L vented). My electric bill went down and my gas bill went up. My gas bill has gone up more than the electric went down though - not by much but its because while its cheaper to heat the water wioth gas, Im using much more of that water with the new shower.

If you have a smaller tank and/or a shower that doesnt guzzle water, and compare it to a 10.5Kw elec shower - gas will win every time.

That said - my main point was that while gas is 1/3 the price of electric per Kw, you will generally use twice as much gas to do the same job as an electric appliance (not just hot water). That still makes gas the cheapest fuel - UNLESS, there are specific reasons such as mine, OR if your comparing old gas appliances with new electric ones (such as the induction hobs).

Theres also other things to consider I guess. Is it cheaper to heat the whole house using gas heating, or a single room using a modern electric heater? depends on the size of the house, the size of the room, the temperature you want to reach, and the insulation of the hose and the room. Too many factors to make sweeping statements really - you can only generalise.

You are comparing apples with oranges, of course a more powerful shower will use more water and more KWH of energy than a less powerful one in the same time frame. Of course heating one room can be cheaper than heating a whole house. That holds true if both are electric, both are gas, one is electric and one is gas.

Gas is not 50% efficient, I'd love to see scientific evidence for your claims.

macman

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

True. Totally forgot about combis, as I wont entertain them.

With the shower thing, a 20 min shower will use a whole tank of mine which is 150 litres (thats because I have a large rain head though). That will take more money in gas to heat than the same 20 min shower in my old 7Kw electric. That is however for my personal circumstances.

The proof is in the pudding - in that I recently changes a 7.5Kw electric for a bar shower and rain head (with a new modern 150L sealed tank replacing the old 90L vented). My electric bill went down and my gas bill went up. My gas bill has gone up more than the electric went down though - not by much but its because while its cheaper to heat the water wioth gas, Im using much more of that water with the new shower.

If you have a smaller tank and/or a shower that doesnt guzzle water, and compare it to a 10.5Kw elec shower - gas will win every time.

That said - my main point was that while gas is 1/3 the price of electric per Kw, you will generally use twice as much gas to do the same job as an electric appliance (not just hot water). That still makes gas the cheapest fuel - UNLESS, there are specific reasons such as mine, OR if your comparing old gas appliances with new electric ones (such as the induction hobs).

Theres also other things to consider I guess. Is it cheaper to heat the whole house using gas heating, or a single room using a modern electric heater? depends on the size of the house, the size of the room, the temperature you want to reach, and the insulation of the hose and the room. Too many factors to make sweeping statements really - you can only generalise.

So a completely different point of reference then? A 7.5kW electric shower will produce a pitiful output (which is presumably why you changed it). Of course a gas heated power shower will cost more for a shower of the same time, as it has a vastly higher flow rate. but per litre it will be much cheaper. The only valid basis for comparison is the cost per kWh of heat produced, and on that basis gas wins hands down, despite it's lower efficiency.

paulmapp8306

True - but foe me, its about how much it costs to take a shower - and due to the higher flow rate the electric one was cheaper.

This is part of the problem, While cost/Litre is the only valid direct comparison - its not a like for like usage, so become invalid. Surly the really comparison is how much it costs to do a task - be that take a 5 min shower or have a bath or heat a house.