Is an electic only flat a dealbreaker?

DawnCrush

Houbara wrote: »

I see gas meters in use in flats from 2 stories to 13 stories throughout my area , built from the 1960 s into 2019.
Maybe some areas have banned them on safety grounds. Grenfell Tower for instance had gas .
Maybe the very latest flats are more likely to be all electric.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Point

Essentially high rise properties that have a gas supply need to be 'bomb proof' (my term), as Grenfill Tower was (a shame the same cannot be said about it's fire worthiness )

For many councils, where money was often no object at the time, building of their own properties was 'bomb proof' as standard.

However, in the private sector (where housing is built for profit by developers in business to make profit), they will only often barely meet legal minimum standards.

If you don't allow the explosive into the building in the first place, you don't need to make it 'bomb proof'

Also, where the flats are privately owned, it would often require a gas pipe to pass through a property owned by another i.e. one or more below them.
That can also be an issue which does not exist in council owned properties.

As awareness continues to increase associated with gas supplies in such buildings, unless the building is known to meet all the appropriate building standards, and assurance available that gas supply within the whole building is safe, then there is a big risk the gas supply will be terminated
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/minister-tells-councils-to-ensure-gas-safety-in-high-rises/10022566.article

worried_jim

I live in a purpose built (1968) 3 storey flat and have gas.

Jonesya

If I had an electric heated flat I would put some more time and effort into getting a suitable time-of-use electricity tariff and getting some matching controls on the heating to manage my usage in-line with the lower cost periods.

DawnCrush

Jonesya wrote: »

If I had an electric heated flat I would put some more time and effort into getting a suitable time-of-use electricity tariff and getting some matching controls on the heating to manage my usage in-line with the lower cost periods.

Why a time of use tariff, when the property as an ASHP? :huh:

Time of use tariffs currently generally available are limited to E7, which give 7 hours of low rate electricity often during the time many people are asleep.

This is ideal for those with storage heaters, as the heaters store the heat.
But this flat is heated by an ASHP that does even produce the heat itself; it simply pumps what heat is already in the air.

Are you suggesting the OP may only want the heating on when he is asleep?

Or have I missed a different type of time of use tariff that is generally available? More may come to market as smart meters become more common place, but it will usually be that lower cost electricty will still only be available at periods of low demand.

It's all about supply and demand, and trying to even out that demand.

Jonesya

DawnCrush wrote: »

Why a time of use tariff, when the property as an ASHP? :huh:
...
Or have I missed a different type of time of use tariff that is generally available?.

I agree that Economy 7 is unlikely to work but there are time of use tariffs with low-rate periods within the day, typically afternoon and evening but avoiding the evening peak.

A few suppliers have launched smart time-of-use tariffs - Octopus Agile, Bulb's 3-rate tariff and there's still some competitive-ish Economy 10 type tariffs which give low-rate heating in the afternoon and evening.

You'd have to calculate it out, but I as long as you can avoid 4PM-7PM and heat the flat up before and after, could give a saving.

DawnCrush

Jonesya wrote: »

I agree that Economy 7 is unlikely to work but there are time of use tariffs with low-rate periods within the day, typically afternoon and evening but avoiding the evening peak.

A few suppliers have launched smart time-of-use tariffs - Octopus Agile, Bulb's 3-rate tariff and there's still some competitive-ish Economy 10 type tariffs which give low-rate heating in the afternoon and evening.

You'd have to calculate it out, but I as long as you can avoid 4PM-7PM and heat the flat up before and after, could give a saving.

Probably best to avoid such tariffs, as they will restrict you to a single supplier.

Lots of threads on here from those stuck on E10 who cannot switch supplier and tariff.

I've not looked at the Octopus tariff, so cannot really comment on that one, but the Bulb 3 rate tariff seems particularly restrictive.
Not only does a customer need a smart meter, it needs to be a Bulb readable SMETS1 smart meter, which they are no longer installing; SMETS2 meter is not compatible with this tariff for some reason

https://help.bulb.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360017795731-What-is-the-smart-tariff-

I've no idea of the rates. It simply says it is expensive 4pm-7pm, and cheap 11pm-7am, and the remaining time somewhere in the middle (does that mean about the same price as most electricity is anyway?)


Edited to add:...
Just found the prices, this for the Eastern region.
It seems cheap rate is on a par with E7 cheap rate - 7.59p/kwh
Off peak rate is perhaps very slightly cheaper than standard (at laest cheaper than Bulb's standard) - 11.27p/kwh
But when they say expensive, Bulb really mean expensive - 41.44p/kwh :eek:
https://bulb.co.uk/smart/

... ahh, all the regions prices are listed further down. the 40+p/kwh seems to apply in just 3 of the 14 supply regions listed.
30-35p seems more like an average, but in those areas you tend to pay a little more over all the otehr hours.

Indeed, some very complicated maths would need to be done.
Bulb themselves indicate that "Homes with average usage will pay the same as our 1-rate tariff", - the savings coming from changing your usage pattern.
Bulb claim 80% who have this tariff have saved, but that is rather a skewed statistic.
Presumably only those who really thought they would save have opted for this trial tariff so far.

Reading these forums, most mortals seem to struggle to change change their usage to make E7 more beneficial, so I think this will be equally difficult, except for the most determined.