Household energy conundrum

Alfie1983

Hi, I have recently acquired a property which is dated and lacks gas central heating. Instead, the house is heated using old electric storage heaters and an immersion hot water tank. There is a mains gas supply box but it’s disconnected and no meter is installed. I am wondering what the best option would be to heat the property given the current energy crisis we face. Do I get a meter fitted and have gas central heating installed or another solution possibly from electricity? The house was built in the 30s and made of brick. I am not sure as of yet the insulation properties, although I don’t think there is cavity insulation because there is no evidence on the outside of the property. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

If you want the lowest bills get gas central heating.  If you want to go green get a heat pump, but you'll need deep pockets to install and run it, and it will probably make the property harder to sell.

Make sre you've registered with the existing supplier and given the opening meter readings.

CSI_Yorkshire

Cheapest option?

Stick with your storage heaters on E7.

GCH might be cheaper to run but fitting a system isn't cheap.

FreeBear

CSI_Yorkshire said: GCH might be cheaper to run but fitting a system isn't cheap.

At the moment, gas CH is indeed cheaper to run than say electric storage heaters. Heat pumps get pretty close to parity with gas, but cost a lot more to install. One the price of electricity is decoupled from the cost of gas, the price differential may well disappear. Gas will certainly get more expensive as the world starts to run out..

Installing a gas boiler will cost around £2500, a heat pump, £7000 (plumbing, radiators, etc on top. another £5-6K ?) - £7K for a heat pump assumes government subsidies are available. Sticking with the existing storage heaters will be the lowest cost option.

Which ever option you go for, insulate the property as best you can - I'd be reluctant to suggest cavity wall insulation on a 1930s property. Add internal wall insulation instead along with decent double/triple glazed windows. Kill all the cold draughts, put in plenty of loft insulation (300mm if you can), and perhaps look at insulating under the floorboards. This will all help to get your heating demand down and save money in the long term.

Scot_39

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https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/


Gas remains the cheapest source of energy currently.  Svt ave 7.5p vs single rate electric 30p.  E7 highly regional but typically c15p off peak c40p peak etc. Typical lowest night rates.

Some ev tariffs go lower - sub 10p - off peak - some for 5-6 hours.   

Ashp / gshp work by reducing the cost of electric by generating more heat out per kWh in from electric.

Nsh save a bit at night with a cheaper e7 off peak rate, but then pay a premium rate during the day - so the night rate isnt as much of a saving as it might suggest.


Modern hhr nsh are a possible upgrade to improve on old nsh with minimal disruption.  Retain e7 cost advantage and give a programable controllable temperature profile.

But Air to air individual room reverse air con mini pseudo heat pumps costs similar ?? and offer some of ashp efficiency improvements from posts here.  Although need to drill walls  might still be cheaper than installing a centralised air or wet ashp/gas boiler and full wet radiator system.

But conventional ashp can get you the £5k govt help to reduce the cost of simple main unit to say same as gas boiler at say BG rates.

And gas central heating is already being banned in new houses.

And it is only a matter of time before green levies on domestic tariffs (just as they exist at gas electric generation plant) as govt acts to discourage refits in old on march to net zero.

So if go gas - go for large oversized radiators suitable for low flow temperatures - and possibly even under floor in a large poorly insulated home for efficiency now - and for gas to ashp switch in future.

But it's unlikely to be cheap either way.

It may actually be better and quicker pay back to work on insulation to control total energy need first.

Older homes often need it anyway to go ashp.

And if not staying (acquired, no survey comments on insulation etc seems odd , so maybe not bought ?) - sometimes its best to just let new owners make that sort of decision.  No point in installing a new gch boiler, if new owner wants to go ashp green.

QrizB

FreeBear said:

Installing a gas boiler will cost around £2500, a heat pump, £7000 (plumbing, radiators, etc on top. another £5-6K ?) - £7K for a heat pump assumes government subsidies are available.

Just to note that, in a property currently heated with NSH, £2500 for a gas boiler won't do you any good unless you also spend "another £5-6k?" on plumbing, radiators etc.
For the OP, the cost difference between installing a gas boiler vs. a heat pump could be minimal. @matt_drummer had his heat pump installed for £6700 including a replacement water tank, radiators and some plumbing after subsidy.

Spoonie_Turtle

Scot_39 said:

But Air to air individual room reverse air con mini pseudo heat pumps costs similar ?? and offer some of ashp efficiency improvements from posts here.  Although need to drill walls  might still be cheaper than installing a centralised air or wet ashp/gas boiler and full wet radiator system.

Good for future-proofing as summers get hotter.

Alfie1983

Thanks for all the comments. Opted for GSH in the end. 

Gas meter was free and it has cost just under 6K for the whole system. Being an old property I don’t think heat pumps would have been beneficial in the end.

Gerry1

What's GSH?

EssexHebridean

Gerry1 said:

What's GSH?

I’m guessing at it being a simple typo…we all make them from time to time! 

dealyboy

EssexHebridean said:

Gerry1 said:

What's GSH?

I’m guessing at it being a simple typo…we all make them from time to time! 

... GOSH