Advice on central heating please

mrsyardbroom

I live in a small terraced cottage that has no central heating.  I really don;t know what type of heating to install.  My rear garden doesn't have good access and it's very often blocked by vehicles. There isn't enough space outside for lpg bottles and there's no mains gas.  I don't qualify for any grants.  I'm thinking that electricity is the way to go.  An electrician has advised against storage heaters saying they're just as expensive to run as modern electric heaters. There's such a huge choice and so many different types of lectrice heaters and radiators that I thought I'd ask for some advice on here.  I'm hoping there might be someone in the same situation as me who can advise on what they've done. 

Ebe_Scrooge

Electric heating is pretty much the most expensive heating there is.  Storage heating is the lesser of 2 evils, so long as you're able to make use of a cheaper-rate overnight tariff.

In terms of the type of heater, it makes little difference.  A 1Kw heater will burn 1Kw of juice whether it's a fan, convector, oil-filled, or coated in magic pixie-dust.  The way they distribute the heat is marginally different, but in terms of running costs they're all the same.  If you really are stuck with electric only then storage heaters are probably your best bet - you'll burn the same amount of kilowatt-hours, but you'll be paying less per unit if you can get an E7 or whatever tariff.  If you're installing a complete system from scratch, oil is probably your best bet in the absence of mains gas.  Is there really no way you can install an accessible oil tank somewhere?

Hasbeen

Do any of the adjacent properties have a mains gas supply? What heating do they have?

Electricity is really the very last resort. Very expensive compared to other fuels.

You have a rear garden with access from the road as vehicles park there?

If no immediate gas supply and you state no space for expensive LPG bottles. Would not even consider 

Then is there enough garden area to take an underground Oil/LPG tank?

mrsyardbroom

No, there's no mains gas.  I have asked in the past as there is a high speed gas main about half a mile away but there is no possibility of bringing gas into the village.  There is very limited access to my rear garden.  Most of the time vehicles are parked in the next door garden and across my access effectively blockig it.  There is no road adjacent to my rear garden.  I can't afford any more solicitor's fees to rectify this. It would cost an arm and a leg to get someone in to try and dig a hole big enogh by hand for even a small lpg tank.  You couldn't get machinery in there.  I don;t think it's an option though as the rock below would have to be blasted out and it's too close to the houses.  It really would be so expensive that it isn't an option.  I'm elderly and I wouldn't recoup the money over the rest of my lifetime. Even if I could get a tank in the garden it wouldn't be possible to fill it because of the access. I have spoken to the council about heating grants but they won't give them for electric heating and they couldn't suggest any other option for my situation.  I have also spoken to a local charity and they said the same.  I'm really wondering if anyone else is in this situation and whether they installed electric heating.  

Ebe_Scrooge

mrsyardbroom said:

Even if I could get a tank in the garden it wouldn't be possible to fill it because of the access.

An oil tanker doesn't need to get all that close to your tank to fill it.  If they are able to park on the road outside the front of your house, they have hoses that are about 100 ft long.  All they need is to be able to get the hose through to your back garden.

Yes, electric heating may turn out to be your only option.  But it really would pay to explore other options if at all possible.  You'll benefit from much lower running costs, and it'll add some value to the house when the time comes to sell.

Hasbeen

mrsyardbroom said:

No, there's no mains gas.  I have asked in the past as there is a high speed gas main about half a mile away but there is no possibility of bringing gas into the village.  There is very limited access to my rear garden.  Most of the time vehicles are parked in the next door garden and across my access effectively blockig it.  There is no road adjacent to my rear garden.  I can't afford any more solicitor's fees to rectify this. It would cost an arm and a leg to get someone in to try and dig a hole big enogh by hand for even a small lpg tank.  You couldn't get machinery in there.  I don;t think it's an option though as the rock below would have to be blasted out and it's too close to the houses.  It really would be so expensive that it isn't an option.  I'm elderly and I wouldn't recoup the money over the rest of my lifetime. Even if I could get a tank in the garden it wouldn't be possible to fill it because of the access. I have spoken to the council about heating grants but they won't give them for electric heating and they couldn't suggest any other option for my situation.  I have also spoken to a local charity and they said the same.  I'm really wondering if anyone else is in this situation and whether they installed electric heating.  

Are you in receipt of any benefits?

What do the neighbours have?

As a very last resort then modern electric night storage heaters might be the only way. See link: Quantum Heater | Dimplex

Also have a look at this? Green Homes Grant: make energy improvements to your home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

LHW99

There's some information on storage heaters here

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/home-heating-systems/article/home-heating-systems/storage-heaters-aokoz3G2Em9L

We have the same problem (gas 3 miles away) and have used storage heaters for 20+ years.

Make sure you get an Economy 7 / 10 tariff, with a standing charge if possible, as the units tend to be cheaper. Make sure the heaters have thermostat control.

If you have any possibility of getting solar panels, that would decrease the cost, particularly if you could hook it up so that some storage heaters can come on during the day off the solar panels.

mrsyardbroom

I don't get any benefits and I don't qualify for the Green Homes Grant.  I really wanted advice on the best electric heaters. There are so many differnt kinds and some are likely to be more efficient than others in that they're programmable and have very sensitive thermostats.  The old fashioned electric fires were expensive to run as you either switched them on or off and you were either hot or cold.  With no thermostats the room would tend to overheat especially if you fell asleep for a couple of hours and it put a lot on your electricity bill. Modern heaters can use ceramic or oil filled technology and are progammable from your phone.  I'll look at the Dimplex but I've seen some bad reviews of their heaters.

I'm not sure oil delivery drivers would comw right through the house to the garden as they have to be able to see the delivery vehicle when they're filling the tank.  They couldn't do that from my back garden.

My neighbours have easy access to the road and therefore have more choice than I do. 

I currently use either an electric heater or a mutifuel stove.  The solid fuel stove is actually more expensive to run than an electric heater.  I either buy the fuel in 10kg bags or have it delivered to the front of the house in 10kg bags that I can carry through to the back.  It's not ideal for an old lady. 

couriervanman

"There is very limited access to my rear garden.  Most of the time vehicles are parked in the next door garden and across my access effectively blocking it"........well tell them to shift

Gerry1

Storage heaters it is then.  And find a new electrician, he doesn't know what he's talking about, at least when it comes to running costs !

You'll need to switch to a competitive Economy 7 tariff.

Probably not worth going for Dimplex Quantum if you're usually at home and don't need its clever programming facilities; any High Heat Retention storage heater will probably do the job.  Whatever you do, don't get bamboozled into buying expensive 'magic dust' panel radiators which are cripplingly expensive because they need daytime electricity: for the main heating there's no alternative to the heavy box of bricks (although modern ones can be quite attractive).

A panel or convector heater might be worth considering for a bedroom but only for brief use when going to bed or getting up; a storage heater might be too warm during the night and the fan noise might be intrusive.

Don't forget the immersion heater(s).  Ideally you need two, one lower down on an overnight E7 circuit switched by the meter and normally left switched on at the wall outlet, and another one higher up fed by a 24h circuit that's always left switched off unless you need half a tank of hot water at expensive daytime rates because you've run out.

If at present you have only one immersion heater on a 24h supply then get an electrician to fit a local timer so that it only heats up during the cheap rate periods.  Make sure its cheap rate times match of the meter and that it has battery backup so that it doesn't drift because of power cuts.  It should also have a boost facility (limited to an hour or two) so that you don't have to wait until midnight for hot water if it's gone cold in the day, e.g. if you've been away.

mrsyardbroom

I really don;t want the hassle all the time.  When I wanted a coal delivery and the coalman couldn't get through the person who had parked their car in the way turned nasty and it took a long discussion and argument just to get some coal.  I don't want this at my time of life. The problem is the cottage next door is let to different people all year round so it would mean a fresh lot of arguments all the time. it would cause me so much worry it's not worth it.  I'd much rather spend a bit more money and have an easy heating system that doesn't require deliveries and arguments.