Install central heating?

iancrt

If you can possibly insulate (including Double glazing) and put the CH in as you move in I would - mainly because all are very disruptive.

Look for grants and/or cheap loans for all these they are all eligible if you are. The whole 'costs more to heat the whole house' is not really an argument any more as modern CH systems are so efficient compared to single point heating units and with relatively cheap enhancements you can make each room heat only as its needed saving even more. Payback is immediate on your house value, with energy bill savings effectively a bonus.
It may be a 'house for life', but it may not be a 'mortgage company for life' - the lower the loan to value the easier to re-mortgage for the best rate in the future - so increasing house value is a good thing to do.
CH, DG, kitchen and bathroom are the current quick hits for increasing house value. Insulation was almost there with the HIPS, and will be again at somepoint in the near future.
Key thing is to heat a house you need to generate more heat than it loses. Reducing the losses by insulating is cheaper to fit and has no running costs than increasing the heating with a wacking great boiler and its associated running costs.

As for energy savings? I live in a 1950's semi with an old D rated combi boiler. Gas costs currently at £108 a month (reduced from £140 a month by fitting a electronic multi-program controller). I do have to use Single point heating as well because the CH is so poorly fitted. My other house is a 1950's semi - slightly smaller but massively insulated with a class A* boiler and with individual electronic timers/thermostats on key room radiators all positioned for optimum radiation (not under windows or behind sofas!) - gas cost £35 a month.

shegar

MX5huggy wrote: »

People do all sorts of things that won't payback. Best example being Double glazing.

If you insulate correctly and to the right level you won't need any heating. If you don't insulate and like your house hot then pay back on a new central heating system will be quite quick.

Excuse me for my lack of knowledge , but my place is very well insulated to a high level, but I cant go without heating , temp drops to about 13 degrees in mid winter, thats not comfortable temperature during the day..........

Ben84

shegar wrote: »

Excuse me for my lack of knowledge , but my place is very well insulated to a high level, but I cant go without heating , temp drops to about 13 degrees in mid winter, thats not comfortable temperature during the day..........

It's not all about insulation. Insulation simply slows heat transfer, it doesn't produce heat, so you still need some heat source to make a temperature difference between inside and outside. Of course, some houses, deliberately or not, benefit from solar gain through the windows. The front of my house picks up quite a lot of heat this way during the winter. Some houses are designed to do this and a few very well designed ones are entirely heated by the sun. Or it could be things you do in the house like cooking and water heating emitting heat that with sufficient insulation keeps some buildings warm. However, a well insulated house may not benefit enough from these kinds of sources to be sustained without using a heater sometimes. Just depends on your house and what you do in it.

Oh, and insulation isn't the only important thing. Drafts matter too, in fact some very well insulated houses are cold because of too many air leaks. If your insulation isn't working well, for example the temperature drops fast after the heating is turned off, I'd suspect something like air leaks is compromising it.

MX5huggy

shegar wrote: »

Excuse me for my lack of knowledge , but my place is very well insulated to a high level, but I cant go without heating , temp drops to about 13 degrees in mid winter, thats not comfortable temperature during the day..........

You don't have enough insulation, plus some other elements. You can get the heat losses down to the point where the house is heated by its occupants and use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

Dotjs

I was on the phone to British gas today and found out that the my post code is on the eligible list for free insulation (cavity and loft) so I'm getting these done as a priority. After this is in I will keep an eye on my usage for heating the house and I'll also have a feel for the comfort level and inconvenience factor of gas wall heaters (no timers so house will be cold in the morning) and I'll be able to decide if I need/want CH for the next again winter. Also gives me more time to save some funds should I go ahead with it.

I did notice the house has lots of vents in the exterior walls (no doubt because of the gas fires). If I get a boiler would these be ok to cover up as surely all the heat is bound to escape from these?

Also the double glazing is the Penicuik aliminium type (so quite old) would it be worthwhile/expensive to have the seals checked on these to make sure there is no air getting through them?

keystone

Dotjs wrote: »

I did notice the house has lots of vents in the exterior walls (no doubt because of the gas fires). If I get a boiler would these be ok to cover up as surely all the heat is bound to escape from these?

They are for ventilation. If you don't want condensation and mould growth don't get rid of them. Older houses are designed to breath - not be turned into a hermetically sealed tomb.

Cheers

Myser

Is there a missing don't there:

keystone wrote: »

If you don't want condensation and mould growth don't get rid of them.

keystone

You'm right! Thanks. Corrected.

Cheers

ic

It isn't just about the payback, its the comfort you get too. If you're used to house that is warm with radiators in each room, you'll be shocked moving into a house without this. I grew up in a house with three gas heaters as you describe - I'd never want to go back to that arrangement.

Dotjs

ic wrote: »

It isn't just about the payback, its the comfort you get too. If you're used to house that is warm with radiators in each room, you'll be shocked moving into a house without this. I grew up in a house with three gas heaters as you describe - I'd never want to go back to that arrangement.

Yes and comfort will probably be the deciding factor. May I ask, did you have cavity wall and 270mm loft insulation? I suspect this will help with comfort. Also I've found out that it is possible to get gas wall heater with timers so this would maximise comfort and convenience at a fraction of the price of central heating.