Smokeless fuel Vs. Central heating. (New property)

ejwoj

Hello,

I'm about to move into a new property with an open fireplace in a smoke control area.

At my current property I have always used the gas fire rather than the central heating as I've found it much more cost effective (and I find the central heating seems to give me a headache).

I have never used smokeless fuel before, so does anyone know if it will work out cheaper than using the central heating?
What are the downsides of smokeless fuel? Any particular types/brands I should avoid?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

QrizB

Does your property already have central heating fitted? If so it's almost certain to cost less to run than an open fire will.

The Notts Energy price comparison table suggests that smokeless fuel costs roughly twice as much per kWh of useful heat than a made-in-last-20-years gas boiler will, currently 8.82p/kWh vs 4.26p/kWh (the table is updated periodically).

I'm also doubtful that an open fire will achieve the 75% efficiency that Notts Energy assume; that's more likely to be the value for a solid fuel boiler. This site (which may have a vested interest) reckons open fires are only 10% efficient.

Reed_Richards

ejwoj said:

....I find the central heating seems to give me a headache....

In winter the air in a house that is centrally heated to 21 C will be a lot drier than the air on a summers day when it is 21 C outside.  This could cause you or your airways to become dehydrated, which might give you a headache.  A humidifier might be worth a try.  I should also mention the possibility of fumes from a faulty boiler - but they should not get into the house.  

FreeBear

QrizB said: This site (which may have a vested interest) reckons open fires are only 10% efficient.

Other sites suggest 15% or even as high as 20% efficiency for an open fire. What ever the true figure is, a stove is much more efficient and safer. Having replaced an open fire with a stove, it has made a huge improvement, and I'm using less fuel in the process and not getting hot embers spat out. That said, gas central heating is much cheaper to run and heats the whole house to a relatively even temperature.

Gerry1

QrizB said:

This site (which may have a vested interest) reckons open fires are only 10% efficient.

That site doesn't seem particularly reliable.  It contains gems such as "The main differences between gas and electric fireplaces include that gas fireplaces use gas as the source of fuel while electric fireplaces use electricity."  Well, who'd have guessed?

The '10% efficient' claim is allegedly from the EPA, an American website.  Agreed, open fires aren't particularly efficient, but US and UK practice and devices are not necessarily comparable; a search didn't bring up any such statement from the EPA.

Above all, the very high cost of electric heating at UK daytime rates barely gets a mention anywhere, e.g. just a throwaway paragraph at the end of this page.

"It can often be cheaper to run a gas fireplace compared to an electric fireplace, but with installation and maintenance costs typically higher for gas fireplaces the whole life costs between the two can often be similar."

So all those unreferenced claims must be considered to be a bit suspect !

daveyjp

Smokeless coal is £300 - £500 a tonne, generally 50 bags.

Downsides are you need somewhere to store the fuel, the daily cleaning of the fire grate and cleaning the dust generated.

If you know your winter gas bill you will be able to work how many bags you can buy for the same amount and whether that is enough for your use.  I would imagine a full bag doesn't last long if you expect heat for say 12 hours in winter.

If you have an open fireplace consider fitting a gas powered multi stove.

Reed_Richards

daveyjp said:

If you have an open fireplace consider fitting a gas powered multi stove.

Is there such a thing?  A multi-fuel stove will burn a range of solid fuels; I don't see where "gas powered" comes into the mix.    

QrizB

My gran had one; her old solid-fuel stove was adapted to have a gas burner in it instead. This was almost 40 years ago mind you, rules may have changed since then!

She had one of these when it was a cooking appliance rather than a lifestyle accessory. Hers was a little bit tidier than this one but always had a kettle on it, ready for a pot of tea:

savers_united

The best combination is gas heating & wood / solid fuel on the stove.

CH is quick, clean and easy. 

SF / Wood is harder work and can be messy.

However combined they give best of both, CH to warm the whole house for a few hours (10am - 2pm) and then in the evening as the house cools we tend to load the stove giving us a nice homely flickering flame that if loaded with anthracite can last from around 4pm until 4am with a top up around 10pm, this gives the house round the clock heat,

The above timings can be tweaked and we do vary it to suit when we are home, so not done everyday. We use the stove between Nov - Mar, going through around 20 x 25kg bags of anthracite and a Cube of Wood.

Cost is approx £260 and Gas use 10000-12000kwh annually. Ours is a 1920s 4 bed detached house with decent levels of insulation. 

Not sure how it would compare to just using Gas and having the heating on for longer, for us its as much the flame from the fire than just looking at a white rad so if it is slightly more expensive I am prepared to pay that to have a fire flickering. 

A._Badger

I think the last post just about says it all. Gas will almost certainly work out cheaper and will warm the whole house. But some of us find central heating soulless and the best remedy for that is either a stove or an open fire. Stoves have many advantages but they are also very expensive to buy and install. Even if solid fuel was cheaper to use than gas (though despite the latest price increases I doubt that is the case) you would be unlikely to amortise the cost of buying a stove and having it fitted, for many years. 

In your situation, I would use the gas for daytime warmth and in the evening enjoy the pleasure of an open fire.