Unsure which heating system to purchase

Newheight13

Hello,

We have purchased a property that has old storage heaters. I’m unsure whether to install an electric or gas boiler - I know electric is 3x more expensive but feel like this will be the future. It’s a 2 bedroom flat so heat pump not an option. 

Thanks

FreeBear

Newheight13 said: It’s a 2 bedroom flat so heat pump not an option.

Don't be too sure about the heat pump option - There are small air-con units that can be fitted internally and just require a vent or two to the outside. One of these would provide warm air during the winter, and cold air during the summer.

Which ever option you go for in terms of heating, insulate to the best of your ability & budget. The lower the heat loss, the easier & cheaper it will be to heat the place.

QrizB

I agree that you shouldn't rule out a heat pump.

Installing a new wet heating system (gas, electric or heat pump) is likely to cost more than replacing the storage heaters with new ones.

Gas is likely to be the cheapest to run, if gas is available in the property.

Storage heaters will be cheaper to run than an electric boiler.

There's a link in my signature (edit: now pasted below) to a post where I compare the fuel costs of gas vs storage vs direct electric heating; currently, for a typical property, direct electric heating costs £1500 a year more than storage heaters. A wet electric system is usually slightly more expensive to run than panel heaters.

Edit to add link:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78557202/#Comment_78557202

DougMLancs

These are the types of unit mentioned above https://www.innovaenergie.com/en/products/air-conditioning-without-outdoor-unit/2.0-verticale/

QrizB

DougMLancs said:

These are the types of unit mentioned above https://www.innovaenergie.com/en/products/air-conditioning-without-outdoor-unit/2.0-verticale/

What doesn't get mentioned in the glossy product literature is that these units are noisy, since all the machinery is now inside the house with you rather than outside on the other side of a cavity wall.

This one, for example, is rated at 58dB:

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-smart12hp/electriq-iqoolsmart12hp-air-conditioner

This split system from the same retailer is only 50dB:

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool9plus/electriq-iqool9plus-air-conditioner-air-conditioner

8dB is a significant difference.

Portable aircon units are well known for being noisy, but this cheap portable unit is only 56dB!

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/p12c/electriq-p12c

Ectophile

What's wrong with replacing the old storage heaters with new high heat retention ones?

QrizB

Ectophile said:

What's wrong with replacing the old storage heaters with new high heat retention ones?

Good question. We need the OP back to answer it.

Newheight13

Thank you all. It has no gas mains, I’ve been quoted £600 to get that into our property. I was looking at replacing the storage heaters, but one key thing I didn’t mention here is that its for a BTL flat in Wales and the EPC rating needs to be at least a C rating by 2025. It’s 2 bedroom - would you all steer clear of a metric combi?

QrizB

Newheight13 said:

I was looking at replacing the storage heaters, but one key thing I didn’t mention here is that its for a BTL flat in Wales and the EPC rating needs to be at least a C rating by 2025.

I don't know the ins and outs of EPCs, but Lot 20 storage heaters might be good enough to get a C? They should give a better result than an electric boiler.

Newheight13 said:

It’s 2 bedroom - would you all steer clear of a metric combi?

Electric combos are popular with landlords as they don't need an annual service or gas safety certificate. But they're not popular with tenants.

If I was a prospective tenant and I had a choice of two similar flats at the same monthly rental, one with an electric combi and another with gas or storage heaters, I wouldn't choose the electric combi one.

Newheight13 said:

Thank you all. It has no gas mains, I’ve been quoted £600 to get that into our property.

 I don't know the rental market in Wales, but around here a flat with gas could be worth an extra £50 per month on the rent. You might find it'll pay for itself in a couple of years.

FreeBear

QrizB said:  I don't know the rental market in Wales, but around here a flat with gas could be worth an extra £50 per month on the rent. You might find it'll pay for itself in a couple of years.

Add on the cost of installing a new wet CH system, and you are not going to have any change out of £5K. But if the work is done with an eye to the future, it should be relatively cheap to switch to a heat pump when the time comes - Current requirements for new gas CH systems is to design it to run at low flow temperatures. So larger bore pipes and bigger radiators all round - Just what you need for a heat pump.

Sorting_Hat

Install an LPG system