Electric heating or gas central heating?

hazyjo

knightstyle wrote: »

We had then in three properties and found it best to turn them right down so they just kept the place warm. We then used an electric fire to boost the temp. for the room we were in.
If you turn them up enough to heat the rooms in the evening you will be too hot in the morning and your bills will be high.
As others have said a lot depends on how well insulated the property is, as someone said, you only pay for the heat the property looses!

(For the record) as G_M touched upon earlier...

Storage heaters generally have two dials. One is left closed at night (or on one if it's freezing and somewhere you might need a tiny bit of heat such as in a bedroom with freezing outside walls (been there!)).

It 'stores' the heat during the economy 7 night time period. (So if you left the vent open, or on the maximum dial setting, yes it would let out all the heat and have none left for the next day.)

If you're out all the next day, leave the dial on zero or 1. When you're home in the evening, THEN you open it to whatever number you need to in order to let the heat out. YOU MUST TURN IT BACK TO ZERO OR ONE WHEN YOU GO TO BED/BEFORE THE PRE-SET TIMER KICKS IN TO START CHARGING! As above, if you leave it open, all the heat will be charged and released straight back into the room.

The second dial is the temperature you want it 'stored' at. Usually 1-6. If freezing, use 6. Should get away with a 3 or 4 in normal cold weather.

Sorry if stating the obvious but I've rarely met anyone who's actually used them properly! They can work! BUT... GCH all the way - I would avoid storage heaters and economy 7. My BF's one bed flat cost loads to run!

Jx

DepositSaver

CLAPTON wrote: »

storage heaters can provide good levels of heating midnight to 7 am, then they provide declining ability during the day and it's generally cold in the evening
additionally unless you leave them on every night you have to predict what the weather will be like and whether you will be in during the following day/evening.

I don't think I would like that lack of flexibility. I wouldn't want to have them on and using electricity unnecessarily (or have them off and have me freezing!) because I failed to check the weather forecast the night before!

DepositSaver

HappyMJ wrote: »

In a 1 bedroom flat when taking the installation, maintenance and standing charges of a gas central heating system into account it's not really worth it. You may as well spend an extra £10-£20 a month onto an average dual fuel bill for a 1 bedroom flat and use electric heating which is much cheaper to install.

Although, I would never buy a 1 bedroom flat for myself...unless I was considering retiring. Leave the 1 bed flats for investors and buy yourself a much more useful 2 bedroom flat.

I wouldn't be paying for any intallation myself though, I'd just be using whatever heating system is already there, so just trying to gauge what might cost me more each month. If it costs and extra £10-20 a month for, then over 20 years that could pay for a new boiler in a flat that had gas central heating, so it could all work out equal in the end. Though I guess there is the annual gas safety check to take into account...

DepositSaver

HappyMJ wrote: »

In a 1 bedroom flat when taking the installation, maintenance and standing charges of a gas central heating system into account it's not really worth it. You may as well spend an extra £10-£20 a month onto an average dual fuel bill for a 1 bedroom flat and use electric heating which is much cheaper to install.

Although, I would never buy a 1 bedroom flat for myself...unless I was considering retiring. Leave the 1 bed flats for investors and buy yourself a much more useful 2 bedroom flat.

Oh and I would love a 2 bedroom flat, but sadly most are 20k more than a one bed and thus beyond my budget . There is the odd one around within budget, and I will certainly go for a 2 bed if it's affordable, but realistically it's mainly one beds I'll be looking at.

HappyMJ

DepositSaver wrote: »

I wouldn't be paying for any intallation myself though, I'd just be using whatever heating system is already there, so just trying to gauge what might cost me more each month. If it costs and extra £10-20 a month for, then over 20 years that could pay for a new boiler in a flat that had gas central heating, so it could all work out equal in the end. Though I guess there is the annual gas safety check to take into account...

A boiler only has a lifespan of 10-15 years and has an ongoing maintenance requirement of at least £60 a year. You also have standing charges on the gas bill... You'd lose money in the long run.

Gas is very economical in 3 bedroom houses and larger as those houses are just too large to heat by electricity economically.

The average bill in a 1 bed flat will be around half that of the national average being a 3 bed house.

DepositSaver wrote: »

Oh and I would love a 2 bedroom flat, but sadly most are 20k more than a one bed and thus beyond my budget . There is the odd one around within budget, and I will certainly go for a 2 bed if it's affordable, but realistically it's mainly one beds I'll be looking at.

Then I'd highly consider renting until you can afford it. Do a rent/buy calculation...one bed flats tend to be cheaper to rent than buy in the long term.

DepositSaver

ging84 wrote: »

You are worried about the fire risk of a washing machine running while you sleep?
only thing that would concern me would be the noise

how would you feel about a gas boiler that involves having a fire inside it ?

Every house I've lived in so far has had a gas boiler, including the current one, so I have no problem with a gas boiler that involves having a fire inside. It's a contained and controlled flame and I haven't heard any stories of them setting fire to the house (which isn't to say it never happens).

Washing machines (and tumble dryers and dishwashers) on the other hand are a known fire risk, with fire brigades advising that they aren't run overnight, or when there is nobody home.

DepositSaver

jk0 wrote: »

Regarding running the washing machine overnight, you could compromise as I used to in a flat:

You probably know that the water heating is the most energy intensive part of the cycle. Probably 90% of the energy is used in the first half hour of the cycle.

Therefore, if your E7 time ends at 7.30 am, set the machine to come on at 7 o'clock. (I presume you will be sufficiently awake by then to hear the smoke alarm if it sounds. )

I am up at just before 7 on weekdays so would most definitely hear the smoke alarm/notice a fire after 7. Trouble is, if I was doing a longer cycle (e.g. a 2 hour whites wash) I'd have to leave for work before it had finished.

DepositSaver

hazyjo wrote: »

(For the record) as G_M touched upon earlier...

Storage heaters generally have two dials. One is left closed at night (or on one if it's freezing and somewhere you might need a tiny bit of heat such as in a bedroom with freezing outside walls (been there!)).

It 'stores' the heat during the economy 7 night time period. (So if you left the vent open, or on the maximum dial setting, yes it would let out all the heat and have none left for the next day.)

If you're out all the next day, leave the dial on zero or 1. When you're home in the evening, THEN you open it to whatever number you need to in order to let the heat out. YOU MUST TURN IT BACK TO ZERO OR ONE WHEN YOU GO TO BED/BEFORE THE PRE-SET TIMER KICKS IN TO START CHARGING! As above, if you leave it open, all the heat will be charged and released straight back into the room.

The second dial is the temperature you want it 'stored' at. Usually 1-6. If freezing, use 6. Should get away with a 3 or 4 in normal cold weather.

Sorry if stating the obvious but I've rarely met anyone who's actually used them properly! They can work! BUT... GCH all the way - I would avoid storage heaters and economy 7. My BF's one bed flat cost loads to run!

Jx

Thanks for this! I was aware that you were supposed to be able to store the heat but wasn't entirely sure how!

Errata

Although some flat conversions may have gas you'll be lucky to find a flat in a block that has it.

ktk

I have Economy 7 and put as much as poss on overnight: washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier. My Elec only bill works out considerably less than most people's combined gas and elec! BTW, have lived in this house (4 bed semi) for 25 years. Recently had the luxury of a wood burner to provide heat in the evenings though!!