The alternatives to using LPG

jdcampbell

With no mains gas available where I live my home is heated using LPG. Flogas have recently hiked the price up to more than 36.5 pence per litre which means that my heating and cooking bill for a year will now reach something like £1650 per year. Over the cold winter period we'll end up spending about £100 per week to heat the house.

This is for a fairly large, but modern energy efficient 5 bedroom house. Is there any way to find out what the comparative cost of alternative heating methods would be?

The LPG supply industry is full of sharp practices, obscure charges, unfair contracts and lack of pricing transparency. It's difficult to get true comparisons because you can't easily shop around for LPG. This is because your supplier owns the tank and if you change supplier the contract says you have to change the tank as mine is buried 3ft underground in the inaccessible back garden that presents a problem.

Also LPG suppliers will offer low prices but then increase them later once they've got you locked in to a contract.

For all these reasons I'd like to move away from LPG altogether, hence the original question about alternative fuels.

Anyone offer some useful advice?

david29dpo

I have had LPG for the last 13 years. I have a hired tank from listers, a local company all that time. Keep well away from the big suppliers, I have found them to be the most expensive. If you are out of the contract with Flowgas, you are free to go with anyone who will fit a tank free and remove the old one. However, listers did put the price up 3p a litre once and after complaining and telling them i was thinking of going else where, removed the extra 3p!

Cardew

From Energy Saving Trust

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housingbuildings/calculators/hardtotreat/heating/

With the ever changing prices of the various fuels it is difficult to know what the future holds; a big cost advantage today for one fuel could vanish overnight.

If you are replacing your heating system the capital costs of replacement will be a big factor. For instance a Ground Source Heat pump on Economy 7 to a thermal store is very cheap to run. However that system is best with underfloor heating and to convert a house would cost a fortune.

Obviously natural gas has been the cheapest for many years, but I assume that is not available? or LPG would not have been used.