mix of economy7 and gas - good?

matelodave

I suggest you start reading your meters daily and recording how much energy you are using - when you can see what you are using you'll then know when and what is using it and hopefully be able to reduce your consumption. In the end the only way to save money is to use less or use it more wisely by not wasting it.

CashStrapped

You seem to be very confused about the best/chepest way to heat your house. Rather than using the cheapest method avaliable (which you already have) you seem to be trying a huge host of ideas, which will just cost you time, money and effort and to make it worse...will be more expensive!

It sounds like you already have a central heating system attached to a modern gas boiler! This is the cheapest method avaliable to heat your home. Use it!

What you need to do, rather than messing with all these "ideas", is become more efficient in using your current setup!

Regarding your Econcomy 7. This tariff is only worthwhile if you use a large majority of your electricity at night. You need to use at least 40-50% of your electricity between midnight and 7am for Economy 7 to be worth while.

Regarding your current setup:

1) Heat the hot water tank ready for when it is required for use. So, inthe morning, ready for showers etc. Then once in the evening, for evening showers. Have showers instead of baths. Or just have small baths. DO NOT use use electric shower to fill a bath, that is probably the most expensive way to do it.

2) Heat your house to the lowest comfortable temperature using the thermostat. Ensure the thermostat is positioned in a place which can give a good average temperature. Set it to somthing around 18degrees. If it is in a room like a kitchen, which gets warm quickly, it can shut off your heating system before the other rooms are at the right temperature. You could replace your exiting thermostat with a prtable digital one, which you can move from room to room. Remeber a thermostat does not control the temperatre of the boiler, it just turns it on and off when the temperatre is correct. Turn down the TRV valves on the radiators in rooms you do not use. Turn them up again when you use them.

3) Some of your actions are concerning. An open fireplace is probably the least efficient form of heating for a room. 90% of the heat will go up the chimney. In addition, since the chimeny was sealed, you need to find out what condition the chimney flue is in. It may need to be relined or fully servicing before using otherwise it could be dangerous. Furthermore, in most innercitys, open fires are no longer allowed.

What you need to do first as the above post states is find out exactly what your daily electric and gas use is in KWH. The you can start to use the current setup to become more efficient.

Furthermore, are you renting this property as you mentioned a previous tenant? I would not go about opening fireplaces, adding storage heaters etc. without making the landlord aware if this is the case.

mwian

Thanks for all the replies. I am clearly trying to "reinvent the wheel" in a manner of speaking, and thanks for curbing the potential of me making a costly effort which appears to not be able to work.

The problem I have with putting a tenner (or a bit more) in the meter is, if I put, say £11 on the meter, I may be left with some money, but historically, if I had any credit, that credit is gone the next morning. I have to confess, I don't recall trying to pay more than a tenner to see if there is a cap on the limit. I may have to give that a try.

I don't have a hot water tank (yet) it was in the plan to get one. Then connect it to make hot water during economy 7 time and use that hot water when I need it during day time rate. If I am to use the gas, then I don't need a hot water tank.

I will have to start measuring electric use. This winter, I will need to use a condenser dryer fro the cloths and a dehumidifier as this house seems to keep the damp in the winter. I can use the dryer, washing machine, electric shower and dehumidifier overnight if I need to. I suppose the only thing I use by day is the cooker, so it's cooker electric consumption by day vs rest at economy 7 rate in the night.

I will have to look into a remote temperature sensor. I had not realised they exist. Thanks for that.

My fire place was closed by a previous tenant. The chimney is open. I have had a fire in there already. When I got the house, I got it without a fire place. There wasn't any conversation about it. I didn't think it would be a problem using it, but if I need permission, I would rather avoid asking the question. I like to avoid distractions and questions which might otherwise best be avoided. The open fire place might be least effective, but I can get free wood if I walk to a skip and collect it out, then cut t up. It's free heat for as long as I put the effort in. I expect I could better use my time in other ways. My present situation does not lend it's self to that at present.

At a previous property, I had a meter from the electric company. It told me how much electric I was using at any point in time. I could upload the data to my laptop. I don't have that gadget any more...pity. Sounds like that's the thing I need now.

I have looked into prices....single rate is 14.09 p/kw. Economy 7 is 20.42 and 7.72.... so 7p per kw up and down on the rate....to break even, I have to use 50% of total use overnight... the idea of using economy 7 was to use the night storage heaters then....which if I am not going to do, it does raise the obvious questions.

I also looked into a rate which does not have a standing charge. 17.29 p/kw for electric at single rate (Gas is 5.41 and no standing charge). I tried a few estimate figures and it looks to me like avoiding a standing charge might be better.

Thanks again for all the answers and information. I am appreciative.

Andy_WSM

mwian wrote: »

(Gas is 5.41 and no standing charge). I tried a few estimate figures and it looks to me like avoiding a standing charge might be better.

If you are going to use more than 10kW of gas a day (You almost certainly will!) then you would be better off looking elsewhere for a tariff with a daily standing charge. I pay 2.1p a kw less than you, but with a 22p daily charge. Daligas is my gas supplier. May not be cheapest for you though.

Also get to grips with where your £10 is going when you top up. If you only owe less than £100, then the situation of most of your tenner disappearing can't go on forever! Ring your supplier and find out - they might even reduce the debt repayment amount of you ask them.

Richie-from-the-Boro

- portable gas fire, cooking, showering, a bath, paraffin, drying clothes inside are all big contributors to damp and mould
- 5 litres of water from 5 litres of paraffin and 5 litres of water to 1 kg of gas, clothes drying is about 6 litres a day
- closed widows with all the above is about 10 litres a day
- erberspatcher's work I have one in the workshop but even with a full external exhaust you still get condensation
- ditto the 5kW Inverter Heater, 5kW, will warm a whole house to 25°C in a flash but pump out moisture
- if you have an open chimney how are you getting condensation ?, you might as well leave the doors open all year
- E7 is cheap, but only if you can store enough, the alternative is 3 times the price core rate
- stick with gas, sort out the debts, do something [even visqueen at the windows and draught-dogs at the door] about insulation

Best of luck my friend !

CashStrapped

Wait.......You do not have a hot water tank? But you have a gas central heating and water available.

So you have a combi boiler?

If you have a combi boiler, you already have the most efficient (or at least the cheapest) setup you can get.

You sound like you have a million ideas going round but you really need to just focus on one thing. What is your usage and how can you reduce it. Nothing else.

"I don't have a hot water tank (yet) it was in the plan to get one. Then connect it to make hot water during economy 7 time and use that hot water when I need it during day time rate. If I am to use the gas, then I don't need a hot water tank."

Why? It sounds like you have a combi boiler! As you say at the end, just use the gas.

Just to clarify.... Do you own this house? Or are you renting?

"I didn't think it would be a problem using it, but if I need permission, I would rather avoid asking the question. I like to avoid distractions and questions which might otherwise best be avoided."

So if something is not allowed, you just put your fingers in your ears and do not ask questions? Ignorance is bliss? I did not say you needed permission, you are just not allowed! In most cities you are no longer allowed to just burn fuel in an open fire. You can a fine of up to £1000 if you break the rules. Read https://www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules .You can usually only burn fuel in wood burning or multifuel stoves. You need to check for your local area, you can usually do it online.

Back to your energy use, before you do anything, you need to find out what you are using in KWH. Take a reading on the gas and electric in the morning and in the evening everyday for a week to get an initial idea.

System

Like others have said, gas is the cheapest for heating a house and hot water. Take reads on what you are using try and ask for a reduction in the money you pay back for you debt.

If you were going to do all the things above it would cost a fortune, instead pay the debt off so you get the full amount for gas and electric.

And try to find the best tariff.