Scottish power blocking my switch to British Gas

Gerry1

Cardew said:

Gerry1 said:

It would be well worth considering a gas tumble dryer when it's time to replace your existing one.  Capital cost is higher but it's far, far cheaper to run. Just look at the kWh prices, well under 3p for gas but probably 12 - 15p for daytime electricity. Also, you don't have to wait for Economy 7 cheap rate because the electricity usage is minimal.

However the cost/inconvenience of running a gas pipe to where the dryer is situated can be a problem in many homes.

We'd all have electric boilers !

Neil_Jones

Cardew said:

Gerry1 said:

It would be well worth considering a gas tumble dryer when it's time to replace your existing one.  Capital cost is higher but it's far, far cheaper to run. Just look at the kWh prices, well under 3p for gas but probably 12 - 15p for daytime electricity. Also, you don't have to wait for Economy 7 cheap rate because the electricity usage is minimal.

However the cost/inconvenience of running a gas pipe to where the dryer is situated can be a problem in many homes.

Depends on the home and the arrangement of the appliances.  I dare say in most houses that have gas the existing  electrical dryer won't be too far away from the existing connections for the boiler, since all that sort of stuff normally ends up in the kitchen (I presume you can do whatever the gas equivalent is of a spur?) - except of course if you live in Germany where its apparently the norm to stick a washing machine in the bathroom.

MWT

This keeps coming up and we have to keep the total cost in mind, this is from Which?:

Yes, gas driers are much cheaper, but the total cost of running an electric drier each year is hardly high enough to justify the decision to purchase the one and only gas drier available to UK consumers...

Cardew

MWT said:

This keeps coming up and we have to keep the total cost in mind, this is from Which?:

Yes, gas driers are much cheaper, but the total cost of running an electric drier each year is hardly high enough to justify the decision to purchase the one and only gas drier available to UK consumers...

Heat pump dryers can be now obtained for £260 and upwards. Although they take longer to dry a load because of lower heat, they apparently are 'kinder' to the clothes.

Some might think this new technology is unreliable, but I purchased mine exactly 8 years ago(29/06/2012) with a 10 year warranty and it has been faultless. Albeit it cost more than £260

brewerdave

Neil_Jones said:

Cardew said:

Gerry1 said:

It would be well worth considering a gas tumble dryer when it's time to replace your existing one.  Capital cost is higher but it's far, far cheaper to run. Just look at the kWh prices, well under 3p for gas but probably 12 - 15p for daytime electricity. Also, you don't have to wait for Economy 7 cheap rate because the electricity usage is minimal.

However the cost/inconvenience of running a gas pipe to where the dryer is situated can be a problem in many homes.

Depends on the home and the arrangement of the appliances.  I dare say in most houses that have gas the existing  electrical dryer won't be too far away from the existing connections for the boiler, since all that sort of stuff normally ends up in the kitchen (I presume you can do whatever the gas equivalent is of a spur?)

The other issue is the sizing of the pipe supplying the boiler. I believe it is now recommended to have 22mm pipe to a boiler to overcome pressure drops but many homes still have 15mm supply pipework which may not be capable of supplying a gas dryer and the boiler simultaneously?

veejay43

I am looking for my earlier posts about Scottish power to update on how things went switching etc, but can't seem to find them, or should i start a new thread? thanks

MWT

veejay43 said:

I am looking for my earlier posts about Scottish power to update on how things went switching etc, but can't seem to find them, or should i start a new thread? thanks

Here perhaps? ...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/77167706/#Comment_77167706

Gerry1

I don't understand the basis for those 'Which?' figures.  Given that electricity costs roughly 4 - 5 times as much as gas per kWh, I'd expect a similar variance in annual costs.

The Euro energy efficiency label says my gas dryer uses 261kWh (based on 160 cycles per year) which would cost me the princely sum of  £6.19.  An electric dryer using 261kWh of electricity would cost me £31.62.  The comparison isn't 100% exact (the label doesn't split the consumption into gas and electricity, and the efficiency of an electric dryer may be different) but it should be close enough.

Cardew

Gerry1 said:

I don't understand the basis for those 'Which?' figures.  Given that electricity costs roughly 4 - 5 times as much as gas per kWh, I'd expect a similar variance in annual costs.

The Euro energy efficiency label says my gas dryer uses 261kWh (based on 160 cycles per year) which would cost me the princely sum of  £6.19.  An electric dryer using 261kWh of electricity would cost me £31.62.  The comparison isn't 100% exact (the label doesn't split the consumption into gas and electricity, and the efficiency of an electric dryer may be different) but it should be close enough.

Air to Air heat pumps can achieve remarkably high COP* figures even using outside ambient temperature air.

* COP Co-efficient of Performance gives the increase in heat output. e.g 1kWh input  giving 5kWh output gives a COP=5.

So taking in air at indoor temperatures the washing machine heat pump will have a very high COP and the heat output in kWH will be many times the input in kWh.

Gerry1

Cardew said:

Gerry1 said:

I don't understand the basis for those 'Which?' figures.  Given that electricity costs roughly 4 - 5 times as much as gas per kWh, I'd expect a similar variance in annual costs.

The Euro energy efficiency label says my gas dryer uses 261kWh (based on 160 cycles per year) which would cost me the princely sum of  £6.19.  An electric dryer using 261kWh of electricity would cost me £31.62.  The comparison isn't 100% exact (the label doesn't split the consumption into gas and electricity, and the efficiency of an electric dryer may be different) but it should be close enough.

Air to Air heat pumps can achieve remarkably high COP* figures even using outside ambient temperature air.

* COP Co-efficient of Performance gives the increase in heat output. e.g 1kWh input  giving 5kWh output gives a COP=5.

So taking in air at indoor temperatures the washing machine heat pump will have a very high COP and the heat output in kWH will be many times the input in kWh.

So who makes a heat pump dryer with an annual consumption of 261kW/5 = 52.2kWh?