Leaving Gas and Switching to All-Electric - Impartial Advice?

Netexporter

A wet ASHP might be overkill in this situation. An A2A system might suit better, with no pipes to freeze, and relatively cheap (although no grant available).

FlorayG

Gerry1 said:

FlorayG said:

The ceramic core ones stay hot for much longer after switching off

Doesn't do you much good.  They'll take longer to warm up.  The release of heat will simply be delayed, but you'll get exactly the same amount out as you put in, just slightly later.  No such thing as a free lunch, except for heat pumps where you're 'stealing' heat from the outside air or ground.

Yes, but surely there is an advantage in that the 'free' heat given off maintains the current room temperature for a bit longer, thus saving a bit over what it cost to heat them in the first place? Because at that point you are not heating a cold room you are maintaining an already warm one, so they won't switch on again for a longer time than one without a ceramic core? Happy to be corrected if my physics is wrong

Netexporter

Resistive heating is 100% efficient, no more, no less. What you put in comes out. Unless you can put that energy in at off-peak rates it will be expensive.

doodling

Hi,

FlorayG said:

Gerry1 said:

FlorayG said:

The ceramic core ones stay hot for much longer after switching off

Doesn't do you much good.  They'll take longer to warm up.  The release of heat will simply be delayed, but you'll get exactly the same amount out as you put in, just slightly later.  No such thing as a free lunch, except for heat pumps where you're 'stealing' heat from the outside air or ground.

Yes, but surely there is an advantage in that the 'free' heat given off maintains the current room temperature for a bit longer, thus saving a bit over what it cost to heat them in the first place? Because at that point you are not heating a cold room you are maintaining an already warm one, so they won't switch on again for a longer time than one without a ceramic core? Happy to be corrected if my physics is wrong

Your physics are wrong.

The heat is not free, it is merely heat you didn't get when you first turned them on.

You have a choice between heaters which take a long time to warm up and cool down or heaters which warm up and cool down very quickly.  Both types emit the same heat for the same electricity input. 

Gerry1

Your physics are wrong.  You had to put in more energy to bring the radiator up to temperature in the first place.  You don't get any free heat.
It's like thinking you magically get 20p free when you return a glass bottle, you had to pay a deposit when you bought it.  Think of the ceramic radiator like a swimming pool, slow to heat up, slow to cool down, but shedloads of energy to heat up.

Thrifty_In_All

Thanks again for all who commented. After further research, checking reviews etc, I have decided to go for Harmoni Lugo+ Wi-Fi Electric Radiators, which seem to get fairly good reviews, design seems fairly simple, and have taken on board the points about 'no such thing as a free lunch' in terms of ceramic radiators etc. The gas meter is being removed shortly; the standing charges I was paying will cover some of the extra electricity costs. Plus boiler maintenance costs also saved etc.

EssexHebridean

One thing you ought to bear in mind is that removing a central heating system in favour of panel heaters may well affect the ease of selling your property, and also the price you can demand for it. Many buyers will be well aware that they immediately have to face the upheaval  of putting a heating system back in, while those not phased by that aspect will want a reduction in price to take account of having to rip out the panel heaters and replace with a heat pump or boiler. A lot of buyers will also be aware that there may be a cost attached to getting a gas supply reinstated if that was something they then wanted to do, although as time passes that will be less of an issue. 

quartzz

I have to say, I had a (cr*p) Triton electric shower - about standard 10kw, I found I was using about 30p-40p per shower, all of that was from the electric shower unit. over the course of a moderately clean year, that would be over £100. I bought a £12 tap-shower rubber hose adapter. now, I will be using some heating oil to get the water hot as opposed to the shower unit heating element (I'm not sure how much) but I have now gone from 35p per shower, to about 5p. and the water flow I get from the taps is infinitely (no not literally) better than the Triton flow rate