which is cheaper gas or electricity?

red_devil

As above does anyone know in general?

r2015

Price per kWh of gas is cheaper than price per kWh of electricity.

antrobus

r2015 wrote: »

Price per kWh of gas is cheaper than price per kWh of electricity.

By some margin.

Electricity is normally three times or more the price of gas.

http://www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/tariffs-per-unit-kwh

daveyjp

Its not an either/or answer. Electricity can be free.

victor2

red_devil wrote: »

As above does anyone know in general?

In general, electricity is about 3 times the kWh price of gas.
But it does depend on how you are intending to use it.
For example, some years ago, in a bored moment and because I had the opportunity , I compared the cost of boiling 1.25 litres of water from cold in an electric kettle and a kettle on a gas stove.
The electric kettle used 0.1kWh and the gas stove used 0.3kWh. Cost at the time was 0.96p for electric and 0.98p for gas. So, just under a penny each with electricity being fractionally cheaper - and it boiled the water in about 1/2 of the time too!

stator

Assuming 100% efficiency then Gas is a lot cheaper than Electricity. But nothing gas powered is 100% efficient, so it depends entirely on what you're doing!

macman

Agreed, but the greater efficiency of electricity does not offset it's much higher unit cost.
OP, why do you think that, given access to mains gas, most houses use gas CH and DHW?

red_devil

I was wondering about an electric fire or a gas fire.

stator

As your main source of heating, or just as a top up heat source?

red_devil

Yes main heating.

macman

Your question has already been answered. Assuming you already have a mains gas supply, gas is a third of the cost. The installation will be more, but that will soon be recovered. It makes no difference whether it's a top up or main source, it will just take longer to recover if the former.
The only form of electric heating broadly comparable in cost with gas is to use NSH's running on E7.