Electric vs Dual Energy properties

Jemsnation

I'm currently looking to buy my first property. It will be a flat to start with. I'm noticing that more and more newer builds have all electric these days. My question is, won't that make energy bills incredibly high or are they building these properties to be more energy efficient to avoid high bills? I don't know if I should disregard all electric properties due to the possibility of astronomic electricity bills or accept this is the trend and go for one. Has anyone moved from dual to electric and found their energy expenditure on the whole has increased significantly (assuming the move was comparable, heating a similar space etc.)?

molerat

Electric is easier and cheaper to install than gas.  It costs more to run but that is of no interest to the builder, go back to my first point.  Landlords prefer it as it has little to no maintenance costs, costs more to run but cheaper for them.  Government likes it because it is not burning fossil fuel, costs more to run but not paid by them.

Gerry1

Avoid all-electric properties like the plague, just as you would avoid a petrol station charging £6.25 per litre for unleaded.

Developers and landlords like all-electric because the capital costs of panel heaters or underfloor heating are far lower and there's no gas safety inspection to worry about.  They don't care about the buyers and tenants who have to pay the massive bills.

bagand96

Gas is around 3 pence a kWh.
Electricity is around 15 pence a kWh.

matelodave

bagand96 said:

Gas is around 3 pence a kWh.
Electricity is around 15 pence a kWh.

You forgot to say that if a place needs 10,000kwh a year to heat it then if its gas it'll cost around £400 incl standing charge and with leccy about £1500. However if you find a place with a centralised or district heating system, the sky seems to be the limit as there is no control whatsoever on the costs. You have been warned.

phillw

matelodave said:
However if you find a place with a centralised or district heating system, the sky seems to be the limit as there is no control whatsoever on the costs. You have been warned.

Right, my best friends dad bought a place with district heating against my recommendation.
I read the legal pack. They would be fined if they installed _any_ alternative type of heating.

lohr500

Anecdotal information without any hard facts, but many of the residents who recently moved into apartments in a new mill conversion in our village are now up in arms over high electricity bills. And this includes those who switched onto lower cost tariffs as soon as they moved in. The apartments are all electric. Given a choice, if I was looking to buy or rent a property, I would stay clear of anything that was electric only. The only exception I might consider was a properly configured low energy new build, with an Air Source Heat Pump. I remain to be convinced that ASHP is a good retro fit for older properties, even with radiator upgrades and extra insulation.