Gas v Electric Combi Boiler

Jeanie_Harman

When comparing costs no consideration seems to be given to the saving in gas standing charge if the only gas used is for the boiler. I am moving to a small two bedroom bungalow and will change the bath to a shower. It needs a new boiler to replace the old gas boiler and hot water tank system so I am comparing gas v electric combi boiler. The only use for gas in the property will be for the boiler. I realise that electric is currently far more expensive per unit than gas but then if I have an electric boiler I shall no longer have the overhead of the gas standing charge. At my current rates that is £109.45 per annum which equates to 483.52kWh of electricity. I believe this is a significant component in the calculations and should not be ignored.

matt_drummer

I think you will regret the electric boiler if you go for it.

Gas or heat pump.

Heat pump means no gas but efficiency of 300% + compared to 100% for the electric boiler.

Ayr_Rage

Gas combi boiler every time.

daveyjp

In the context of running an electric boiler for heating and hot water 500kWh isn't that much. 

born_again

Jeanie_Harman said:

When comparing costs no consideration seems to be given to the saving in gas standing charge if the only gas used is for the boiler. I am moving to a small two bedroom bungalow and will change the bath to a shower. It needs a new boiler to replace the old gas boiler and hot water tank system so I am comparing gas v electric combi boiler. The only use for gas in the property will be for the boiler. I realise that electric is currently far more expensive per unit than gas but then if I have an electric boiler I shall no longer have the overhead of the gas standing charge. At my current rates that is £109.45 per annum which equates to 483.52kWh of electricity. I believe this is a significant component in the calculations and should not be ignored.

Price up a heat pump, given the £7.5K grant available. Long run will be far more cost effective.

EssexHebridean

We frequently describe electric wet heating systems on here as being pretty much the single most expensive way of heating a property outside of simply burning £5 notes one after the other. 

Reed_Richards

You only save on the standing charge if you have your gas meter disconnected.  Check with your supplier if they will charge you to do this.  

Alnat1

Get a quick heat pump quote on the new property from Octopus, you might be surprised how little it could cost. The price is pretty much fixed and includes a new tank and any radiator upgrades that might be needed.

Gerry1

Bungalows cost more to heat because the heat losses are much greater.  The modest saving from having no gas standing charge will be massively overshadowed by the very high costs of daytime electricity.

You're also likely to find that you've made the property far less attractive, so any future sale may well result in a lower selling price and/or the process taking much longer.

FreeBear

Alnat1 said:

Get a quick heat pump quote on the new property from Octopus, you might be surprised how little it could cost. The price is pretty much fixed and includes a new tank and any radiator upgrades that might be needed.

I have heard of some people getting quotes around £500 from Octopus. I myself, had one last January at £2700 which wasn't much more than I paid for a gas combi. But after taking in to account the extra I spent on new radiators & pipework, the Octopus quote would have been much cheaper. The reason for not going for a HP was the requirement to undertake EPC recommended thermal upgrades to qualify for the £7500 grant - That bit got dropped in April last year..

Petriix

The standing charge is indeed an important (but relatively small) part of the calculation. We're pretty frugal with our heating, using ~ 7,500kWh per year in gas (including cooking on the gas hob). That currently costs £450 at 6p per kWh.

A slightly more efficient electric combi boiler might use more like 6,000kWh but, at 25p per kWh, that would cost £1,500. So, you'd be spending an extra £1,050 on energy to save £110 on standing charges.

Most people use significantly more energy to heat their homes so the costs would be higher still. It is possible to shift usage into a cheaper window on E7 or similar so some of the extra cost could be mitigated, but a heat pump would be a third of the cost to run.