Storage Heaters

diz79

Sorry for delay it seems you answered my question, I think its either all storage heaters or all oil heating, I think oil would make more sense as mentioned before most of the locals are on that and would be cheaper than gas. 

Mains gas is a definite no,no as we are mile from anywhere.

Thanks for everyone's input if you have anymore input I would appreciate it, I also will respond sooner this time.

Are there any good websites you can point me in the right direction or is it better to look for a local supplier?

Kind regards

Gerry1

diz79 said:

I think oil would make more sense as mentioned before most of the locals are on that and would be cheaper than gas.

Yes, oil is the answer and would be cheaper than LPG (but for the record, not cheaper than mains gas).

Reed_Richards

If you are considering oil, look also at an Air Source Heat Pump.  The upfront cost will be a lot greater but you can get a lot back through the Renewable Heat Incentive.  I expect that the running cost will be similar to oil and you won't need to invest in an oil tank.

Gerry1

Reed_Richards said:

I expect that the running cost will be similar to oil and you won't need to invest in an oil tank.

It's likely to be more expensive because you'll have to use day rate electricity, as well as installing huge radiators to cope with the lower water temperatures.  It'll also be a pain unless you're at home all day, it takes forever to heat up, unlike a boiler.  See @matelodave's posts for the full lowdown.

Reed_Richards

Gerry1 said:

Reed_Richards said:

I expect that the running cost will be similar to oil and you won't need to invest in an oil tank.

It's likely to be more expensive because you'll have to use day rate electricity, as well as installing huge radiators to cope with the lower water temperatures.  It'll also be a pain unless you're at home all day, it takes forever to heat up, unlike a boiler.  See @matelodave's posts for the full lowdown.

This is all wrong!!!  I am making the comparison between installing a new oil boiler and radiators and installing an ASHP and radiators.  The use of day rate electricity is only relevant in comparing the running cost of either of those options with storage heaters..  Yes, you will have to install bigger radiators to cope with the lower water temperatures but you will use double or triple panel finned radiators which don't use up any more wall area than the old single or double panel types (less in my case).  Because you have used radiators sized for your room, your room will heat up at the same rate as it would with an oil boiler.  If you are out during the day you will use a heating controller that switches the heating on so that it reaches the desired temperature at the time when you arrive home (as you would, sensibly, with an oil boiler).  @matelodave has had an ASHP for about a decade and knows his stuff but not so much about improvements in technology so ASHPs are a bit more efficient now than the one he has.  I have had an ASHP since the beginning of December 2020.  It's too early to be certain but it looks as if the running costs will be similar to the (2012) oil boiler that it replaced, hopefully a little less.  If you get an oil boiler now you will have to get something greener in a decade or two so why not start out with radiators sized for the green option?  You'll also have to pay for an oil tank now and pay later to get rid of it when you go green.  You may not want to go green but it looks as if in due course we will all be obliged to limit our CO2 emissions.     

Gerry1

@Reed_Richards I'll let you fight it out with @matelodave !  Glad I have GCH...

matelodave

I'm not gonna fight. If R-R has his tweaked to suit him then who am I to to tell him that he's wrong. My system is different to his and as he says, not only 10 years older but has got underfloor heating rather than rads and will be configured differently.

The thing about Heatpumps is that providing that they are sized correctely, matched to the heating system and, most of all, set up and operated correctly then IMO they should be a good alternative to LPG, leccy and even Oil, they wont be cheaper than mains gas unless there's a massive shift in pricing. 

I'd be more than happy to change to mains gas but as far as I'm aware the nearest connection is around 5km away (or maybe a bit nearer if they tunnelled it under the river Great Ouse at the bottom of my road)

Reed_Richards

I absolutely agree that an Air Source Heat Pump is not going to compete with a mains gas boiler on current running costs.

I won't know for certain how an ASHP competes with a condensing oil boiler for another 8 months yet but it's looking okay so far.  And if you are starting from scratch installing radiators as well as a boiler, or equivalent, then there are other reasons why installing an ASHP might future-proof your house.

Many users of ASHPs have underfloor heating as well and this makes good economic sense because underfloor heating will use a lower water temperature than radiators.  But underfloor heating has a slower response time than radiators, I believe, so people like @Gerry1 often get confused and attribute this issue to the heat pump.  If you have radiators (as I do) and your radiators are correctly sized to match the requirements of the room and the average water temperature that your heater provides then it does not matter what your heat source is.  My new radiators are sized to operate with a flow temperature of 50 C and a return temperature of 45 C.  They replaced old radiators that were probably sized for a flow of 85 C and a return of 75 C but probably were being used with a flow of 75 C and a return of 65 C to accommodate the condensing oil boiler that came with the house.  That means they might actually have been slower to heat the house than the new ones.  My old radiators were mostly just the double panel type without fins and my new ones typically use less wall space than the old ones did.     

diz79

Thanks for all your input guys, I didnt realise in 10 years we would have to go completely green so maybe oil and gas is a possible  know know. So heat pumps or Economical storage heaters is the way forward.

Gerry1

diz79 said:

I didnt realise in 10 years we would have to go completely green so maybe oil and gas is a possible  know know. So heat pumps or Economical storage heaters is the way forward.

The restriction on fossil fuel boilers only applies to new builds.  Heat pumps or storage heaters may be the way forward for those properties, but running costs will be far higher than for oil and gas.  If you're into money saving then heat pumps or storage heaters are both a No No if gas is available.