What is your preferred heating system in a rented house?

vivatifosi

legbutton wrote: »

We are currently buying a house to let out which has a Parkray back boiler using solid fuel (coal). We are currently undecided about whether we change the current heating system or not. We were wondering what type of heating system tenants preferred? The choices are:

a) Parkray back boiler fuelled by coal, with an immersion heater for the summer for hot water;
b) Oil fuelled boiler;
c) Bulk tank LPG fuelled boiler.

There is no mains gas in the village.

Look forward to your replies! Thank you.

I'm not a tenant, but if I were I would rule out anything that involved effort on my part to heat the house (e.g. coal) and anything that was massively more expensive than GCH.

Callie22

vivatifosi wrote: »

I'm not a tenant, but if I were I would rule out anything that involved effort on my part to heat the house (e.g. coal) and anything that was massively more expensive than GCH.

I'm a tenant and I'd agree. I suppose it depends on the area and the kind of tenants you're hoping to attract, but I personally actively avoid anything that hasn't got gas central heating. I don't like electric heating at all, and I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of coal/oil/LPG.

Dunroamin

Callie22 wrote: »

I'm a tenant and I'd agree. I suppose it depends on the area and the kind of tenants you're hoping to attract, but I personally actively avoid anything that hasn't got gas central heating. I don't like electric heating at all, and I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of coal/oil/LPG.

If you live in the country or want to move there, you just have to accept that there won't be gas available. Oil and LPG are expensive but they really aren't any more hassle than town gas.

Owain_Moneysaver

Assuming it's something like a Parkray G

then IMHO it's about as good as solid fuel heating is going to get, needing de-ashing and restoking once a day and a top up stoke and riddle another once a day (and relighting about twice a year). Crucially it is left on overnight so there is hot water in the morning.

Only better option for solid fuel is a hopped fed pellet boiler which needs hardly any manual work but they're expensive and bulky.

It wouldn't be that expensive, especially if you're refurbing the house anyway, to put in a couple of storage heaters in the hall and lounge, to give tenants the option of electric if they choose. (Probably cost <£1000 including fitting.)

One problem with bulk tank LPG is that you normally rent the tank, and this may prove difficult if you have tenants who don't want to rent the tank and there is a break in tank rental and they take it away (and charge you for removal). For both LPG and oil the regulations about locating tanks are more stringent than they used to be.

Electric boilers which heat radiators I think are the worst of both worlds - peak rate electricity, and the cost of installing radiators and pipework and the liability of leaks.

Talc1234

An air source heat pump is the only solution that isn't massively inconvenient or expensive to use.

Expensive to buy but worth it long-term

vectistim

Talc1234 wrote: »

An air source heat pump is the only solution that isn't massively inconvenient or expensive to use.

Expensive to buy but worth it long-term

Look into the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) and the forthcoming[1] Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) as ways to reduce the cost of heat pumps. Ground source would be more efficient than air source, but also more expensive.

[1] Hopefully forthcoming, it keeps getting delayed.

Davesnave

This is a rented out and obviously older property, yet there are people here advocating ground and air source heat pumps!

Ground source requires you to have plenty of outdoor space and the ability to get a digger in there, never mind the expense, and air source isn't the best option on an older house, unless you want to rip up the floors as well and install under-floor heating pipes, plus plenty of insulation everywhere else. Your existing rads won't be any use.

Pellet boilers are fine, provided you find a reputable installer, not a cowboy on the eco-wagon, but they will cost you extra, even with the incentives, and this will eat into your rental yield, which is why you've discounted them I'd guess.

I would discount LPG too for the reasons others have mentioned. On more heating-specific threads, electric boilers have received the thumbs down, so I would urge caution there too. It stands to reason that if they were the best thing since sliced bread, we'd all be having one.

The Parkray does make the tenant work harder than oil would. However, as it's already there, I would try just leaving it and see what the take-up is like.

If you have problems, oil boilers are much more efficient than they used to be and will probably be the cheapest option. They don't provide much to look at though, and in a country property, the appeal of a real fire, or at least the option to have one, could be important.

Debt_Free_Chick

Oil for me - no rational reasoning for that, but I'd want to install a signalman as well and have the oil automatically topped-up when low.

As for the level on entering & leaving - usually full, on both dates

nut

Whatever is available I guess.

Old_Git

as the parkray is already installed how about a dual system .Install oil and leave the parkray . This would give the tenant an option for heating and a back up if one breaks.