Will I save money disconnecting from gas and just using electric

happenstance

Hello,

I live in a small 2 bed detached cottage, it is fairly well insulated apart from the floors.

I'm thinking about just cutting off the gas and just using electricity.

Has anyone else done this to save money?

I know gas is 4p per kw/h and elec is 14p, but once you add on the gas standing charge (140), yearly service (80) and the fact that my boiler is old and not reliable and a new one is 2500-3000 gas doesn't seam to be cheaper and has a far higher maintenance.

HappyMJ

happenstance wrote: »

Hello,

I live in a small 2 bed detached cottage, it is fairly well insulated apart from the floors.

I'm thinking about just cutting off the gas and just using electricity.

Has anyone else done this to save money?

I know gas is 4p per kw/h and elec is 14p, but once you add on the gas standing charge (140), yearly service (80) and the fact that my boiler is old and not reliable and a new one is 2500-3000 gas doesn't seam to be cheaper and has a far higher maintenance.

You could....as long as you don't use the heating or hot water much. If you have an electric shower then you don't really need any hot water on standby. If you need to wash dishes boil a kettle or use a dishwasher. The washing machine will be cold feed anyway and already use electricity to heat water.

You could try it this winter by switching the gas to Equigas by Ebico and don't use any gas. There is no standing charges so it won't cost anything to have it remain connected.

The house will be colder than having the gas central heating running so you need to find cheaper ways of keeping warm. Use an electric blanket overnight and thick duvets. Try not to use heating in the morning at all if you can and sparingly in the evening only heating the room you are occupying. Leave the kitchen, hall and bathroom cold.

happenstance

HappyMJ wrote: »

You could....as long as you don't use the heating or hot water much. If you have an electric shower then you don't really need any hot water on standby. If you need to wash dishes boil a kettle or use a dishwasher. The washing machine will be cold feed anyway and already use electricity to heat water.

You could try it this winter by switching the gas to Equigas by Ebico and don't use any gas. There is no standing charges so it won't cost anything to have it remain connected.

The house will be colder than having the gas central heating running so you need to find cheaper ways of keeping warm. Use an electric blanket overnight and thick duvets. Try not to use heating in the morning at all if you can and sparingly in the evening only heating the room you are occupying. Leave the kitchen, hall and bathroom cold.

thanks for that advice, glad to hear of somewhere without a standing charge to try out no gas.

I don't actually use the hot water, I have a dishwasher, an electric shower and no bath so didn't seem worthwhile heating a whole tank for the odd time i want a bit of hot water.

I dont actually like heating in the bedrooms, so just planning on having an oil filled in the lounge and office.

notjustlaura

If you're not planning on using electricity to heat your home or water then, yes, you'd probably save. I think trying it out for a year on a no standing charge gas tariff is a good idea.

happenstance

notjustlaura wrote: »

If you're not planning on using electricity to heat your home or water then, yes, you'd probably save. I think trying it out for a year on a no standing charge gas tariff is a good idea.

well I was planning on using two oil filled radiators. 2kw each and using one in the lounge and one in the spare room, but not bothering to heat the rest of the house.

HappyMJ

happenstance wrote: »

thanks for that advice, glad to hear of somewhere without a standing charge to try out no gas.

I don't actually use the hot water, I have a dishwasher, an electric shower and no bath so didn't seem worthwhile heating a whole tank for the odd time i want a bit of hot water.

I dont actually like heating in the bedrooms, so just planning on having an oil filled in the lounge and office.

Oil filled heater are a little slow to start so you might also want a fan heater for a quick burst of instant heat until the oil filled heater has reached operating temperature.

pigpen

For a start.. what kind of boiler are you looking at? I was quoted £2500 for a full central heating system with boiler!!! My boiler which was replaced a couple of years ago was £900 including fitting through british gas! I guess you could get a smaller model given your house probably fits in my kitchen .. I got one of the top of the range vaillant ones which was recommended best buy in Which and recommended by the gas fitters... my old ones were 15 and 25 years old separate ones.. 1 for water and one for the heating. A lot of places have reduced boilers if you book before the end of October (BG have £400 off theirs!)

I also have the cheapest british gas homecare thing which is £10 a month and includes a free boiler service which is £175 separately so I actually save £55 a year paying that.. plus the annual quidco cashback on it.

I'd be putting replacing the boiler as a priority and getting that sorted next summer.. but this winter.. improve on insulation, doing baking, thermal linings to curtains, excluding draughts will all help.. have a look on the winter prep list on her there are some great ideas for making your home warmer without increasing the bills!

happenstance

pigpen wrote: »

For a start.. what kind of boiler are you looking at? I was quoted £2500 for a full central heating system with boiler!!! My boiler which was replaced a couple of years ago was £900 including fitting through british gas! I guess you could get a smaller model given your house probably fits in my kitchen .. I got one of the top of the range vaillant ones which was recommended best buy in Which and recommended by the gas fitters... my old ones were 15 and 25 years old separate ones.. 1 for water and one for the heating. A lot of places have reduced boilers if you book before the end of October (BG have £400 off theirs!)

I also have the cheapest british gas homecare thing which is £10 a month and includes a free boiler service which is £175 separately so I actually save £55 a year paying that.. plus the annual quidco cashback on it.

I'd be putting replacing the boiler as a priority and getting that sorted next summer.. but this winter.. improve on insulation, doing baking, thermal linings to curtains, excluding draughts will all help.. have a look on the winter prep list on her there are some great ideas for making your home warmer without increasing the bills!

It was a condensing boiler and I know someone recently that had one fitted with British gas for 2400 ish, your 2.5 for a whole central heating system seams very very cheep.

i looked into home care, doesn't cover my boiler as 15 years old and the excess was high and didn't include parts and labour so seamed pricey as does 175 for a boiler checkup.

thanks for the list, will try to make my home more energy efficent, it is a c rating and apparently in order to be a b i need solar panels and a wind turbine! haha

lol glad to hear your kitchen is so big

Gigervamp

You say you're in a cottage. Is it stone built? Ours is half stone, half brick and with no heating on it gets very damp and cold.
We don't have gas here, just oil for the water and heating and electric for cooking etc. Our electric bill (and the oil bill too) is horrendous.

happenstance

Gigervamp wrote: »

You say you're in a cottage. Is it stone built? Ours is half stone, half brick and with no heating on it gets very damp and cold.
We don't have gas here, just oil for the water and heating and electric for cooking etc. Our electric bill (and the oil bill too) is horrendous.

It's brick, first winter here and already feeling a bit cold, but just to the extent of having to put a hoodie and slippers on.

Pretty low user of leckie at the moment - 20 a month for 100% renewable. Wouldn't mind spending another 30 a month on heating for a couple of months of the year.

Or i might just get a woodburner for 2k installed in the lounge, really not a fan of gas.

Gigervamp

One of the reasons we get through so much electric is that there are 4 blokes living here. All those gadgets!

A woodburner would be a wise investment. You can even cook a stew or keep a kettle of water hot on them. And of course, you can't beat sitting in front of a fire on a cold winters day. Wish we could afford to install one, but our chimney needs relining which bumps up the cost considerably.