Is it worth installing central heating

ForestBluebells

I currently have storage heaters on economy 7, I find I can’t turn my heating on unless it’s freezing otherwise it’s too hot at certain points of the day (still don’t have my heating on) and when I do want it later at night it’s run out of heat anyway. 

I’d really like central heating so I can just have the heating on when it is actually cold and not all day. Is it a viable solution to install this? There’s no gas in the village so I’m assuming it’s electric central heating or oil. 

I imagine oil would be expensive to install compared to electric? Maybe it would add value though? It’s a 1 bedroom ground floor maisonette if that makes a difference.  I don’t intend to die in this home but will probably be here a few more years as it’s so cheap and means I can save heavily.

otherwise are modern storage heaters a lot better than old ones? Mine must be from the 70s and don’t have a boost button or anything and I always forget to check the weather to know when I should turn them on/how much heat I need to set the input to. 

Hasbeen

Perhaps more help if Mods can move this to the ENERGY board?

Jeepers_Creepers

ForestBluebells said:

I currently have storage heaters on economy 7, I find I can’t turn my heating on unless it’s freezing otherwise it’s too hot at certain points of the day (still don’t have my heating on) and when I do want it later at night it’s run out of heat anyway. 

I’d really like central heating so I can just have the heating on when it is actually cold and not all day. Is it a viable solution to install this? There’s no gas in the village so I’m assuming it’s electric central heating or oil. 

I imagine oil would be expensive to install compared to electric? Maybe it would add value though? It’s a 1 bedroom ground floor maisonette if that makes a difference.  I don’t intend to die in this home but will probably be here a few more years as it’s so cheap and means I can save heavily.

otherwise are modern storage heaters a lot better than old ones? Mine must be from the 70s and don’t have a boost button or anything and I always forget to check the weather to know when I should turn them on/how much heat I need to set the input to. 

The lack of control you currently have, especially these storage rads running out of heat before it's needed, will largely be down to the old and poor design, and possibly sticking controls (they have a very crude flap to cut off the heat, and this is controlled by a mechanical thermostat). Modern storage heaters are bound to be far superior, but I have no idea just how much so.

Will new storage heaters be cheaper to install than a complete new oil-fired system? Yes, by a long chalk. And if your existing wiring is in good order (so no new cables needing to be run), there will be little disruption too. A 'wet' oil-fired system will need a lot of work - rad pipes to all rooms, oil supply pipe, a flue from the boiler heading outside, floor space for the boiler itself, a safe space for the oil tank outside, wiring for the controls, etc.

Ballpark cost? Boiler - £1.3k. Oil tank £1.5k. Rads - £80 each. Pipes and installation? Dunno - £2-3k? That sum would cover a few years of electricity costs...

Oil is very cheap at the moment, but might not always be. It's certainly cheaper than electricity, and far more controllable, but don't lose sight of the initial outlay. 

You won't be able to compare them properly until you get some quotes, so I'd suggest that's your first move. 

Once installed, the oil should be significantly cheaper to run and gives you heat when you actually want it. However, due to the high initial cost, I'd consider a change to oil to be a longer-term investment - I doubt you'd see any actual break-even for a decade.  

Will oil-fired be more attractive to future buyers? Almost certainly yes, but how much that will actually affect the property's value, I dunno. 

Ask EAs to give an idea of what two identical properties - other than leccy vs oil - would be valued at. If they suggest that oil will attract more buyers so perhaps give a £5k premium, then that will help your decision.

ForestBluebells

That’s a good point I had not considered, I will ask an estate agent to confirm if it would truly add value and if so how much. 

I’ll also investigate how much replacement storage heaters would be. It would be good to have an additional one installed in the bathroom as there’s only a fan heater in there currently so it’s very cold in winter

Jeepers_Creepers

You may need a different type of heater in the bathroom - something like an electric towel rail with a built-in panel heater might be best - you just turn it on when needed. I doubt a normal storage heater would work as they're likely affected by steam. But I don't know for sure.

Also, how much is your property worth? If an EA says it'll likely be worth £5k+ more with oil, then seriously worth considering I'd have thought.  

Oil boilers can be had in combi-versions too, so they heat up just the hot water you actually use - again a significant saving.

BUT, make sure you have the room for the boiler AND the storage tank outside! (It is quite possible to have the boiler 'outside' too, in an purpose-made insulated 'shed' against your house if that helps).  

Apodemus

Jeepers_Creepers said:

BUT, make sure you have the room for the boiler AND the storage tank outside! (It is quite possible to have the boiler 'outside' too, in an purpose-made insulated 'shed' against your house if that helps).  

No need for an outside boiler to be in a shed, you can get models that have their own weatherproof structure that are designed to be out in the elements. Also, I wouldn't restrict the search only to oil CH versus storage heaters. Calor gas, wood pellet boilers or air-source heat pumps are all viable alternatives that may or may not work in your situation.

ForestBluebells

Jeepers_Creepers said:

You may need a different type of heater in the bathroom - something like an electric towel rail with a built-in panel heater might be best - you just turn it on when needed. I doubt a normal storage heater would work as they're likely affected by steam. But I don't know for sure.

Also, how much is your property worth? If an EA says it'll likely be worth £5k+ more with oil, then seriously worth considering I'd have thought.  

Oil boilers can be had in combi-versions too, so they heat up just the hot water you actually use - again a significant saving.

BUT, make sure you have the room for the boiler AND the storage tank outside! (It is quite possible to have the boiler 'outside' too, in an purpose-made insulated 'shed' against your house if that helps).  

My property is only worth around £200,000, it’s a 1 bedroom maisonette 

electric towel rail sounds even better, I’ll definitely look at this. 

I have a garden at front, back and side with side garden being perfect for oil storage as it’s wasted space. 

ForestBluebells

Apodemus said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

BUT, make sure you have the room for the boiler AND the storage tank outside! (It is quite possible to have the boiler 'outside' too, in an purpose-made insulated 'shed' against your house if that helps).  

No need for an outside boiler to be in a shed, you can get models that have their own weatherproof structure that are designed to be out in the elements. Also, I wouldn't restrict the search only to oil CH versus storage heaters. Calor gas, wood pellet boilers or air-source heat pumps are all viable alternatives that may or may not work in your situation.  

Actually that might mean i
could use the government £5k grant to install an alternative central heating solution. Ill have to check as I just assumed it would not be worth looking at alternatives

southcoastrgi

Have a look at these as it might not be something you have thought of (other companies are available)

https://www.infraredcompany.com/pages/homes-living-areas