Gas fires

[VirtualPointyHat]

We have gas fired central heating which is increasingly expensive to run.

In winter we spend most of our time in the lounge which has a fireplace and capped gas outlet, but currently no fire,

How much would it cost to have a fire installed, and would it be more economical to run?

TIA

[specialsubject]

don't know and NO!

gas fires look pretty but they are inefficient.

so why is your central heating so expensive, we ask? Old inefficient boiler? Clogged radiators? TRVs broken? Wrong tariff? Insufficient insulation?

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

There was a study in Canada to investigate whether it was cheaper to heat your home from the gas fire or from central heating.
Conclusion - Central heating works out far cheaper.

There are other things to consider depending on budget and how much you want to invest.

1. If your boiler is old a new boiler can cut your running costs but could cost around £2k to install, perhaps more.
   
2. Newer radiators are more efficient than old - anything installed now will be better than rads dating pre 2000. It is to do with how much water is in them so replacing old rads can cut your heating bill.
   
3. Controlling your heating with a timer, thermostat and TRVs. Do not leave your heating on when you do not need it (when you are in bed or out).
   
4. Insulate your house.

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

Also it is not just the cost of buying and installing a gas fire. Do not forget they should be serviced every year by a gas safe registered qualified engineer (and so should your boiler).
You might be paying arround £60-£75 for each appliance to be serviced - so by adding a gas fire you are adding to your annual maintenance costs.

[minkah]

How much does it cost to replace a radiator? I'd like a new one in my bathroom, it must be at least twenty years old. Do new ones look different?!

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

THere are loads of Rad manufacturers. We usually fit Stelrad but there are other good names too.
Have a look at the stelrad website and it will give you an idea of what rads can look like. There are 100s of different looks!
www.stelrad.com/about
Get a local heating installer to give you a quote to supply and fit.

[minkah]

You can get a radiator which is also a towel rail... Does it really heat the room, if it's draped in (potentially damp) towels?

Thanks for that link MrsT!

A radiator towel rail sounds very practical and cosy. My bathroom is quite small, so dual purpose is good!

[MissMysticFalls]

OP were you the ones to pay to remove the gas fire and get the pipe capped? We're just moving to a house with radiators and a gas fire and want to remove the latter - can I ask how much it cost you?

We used to have a gas fire in our flat but it was v v expensive to run.

[ghostisonthecanvas]

I think if your boiler is over 12 years old it may be the problem. The money you would spend on a gas fire may be better invested in a more efficient central heating system. Saying that, glass fronted gas fires are efficient, the open flame one, not so much. Price of fire and installation will be variable but probably at least £800. I have found that open gas fires seem to overheat a room very quickly too, glass fronted ones seem to be the best option. Look at government schemes for heating and insulation. There is a lot of help out there.

[VirtualPointyHat]

Miss - no it was like it when we moved in

I think the solution is new central heating system but will involve relocating the back boiler so £ £ £

Better get saving I suppose!

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

Two subjects going on here.
Towel rail - they don't give off so much heat (generally)
You need to know the output of the towel rail and you want the biggest TR possible as it will give out less heat than a rad of that size.

Depends on your bathroom but I have seen small north facing ones where the rad had to go under the window so recommended to stick with normal rad because TR would not give off enough heat.

[LadyKooKoo]

We had two gas fires in the house we bought last year. It was 50 to have them removed. One of them has been replaced by a log burner which was 2200 for the whole job. It heats the whole downstairs so downstairs rads are barely on. We also had new central heating (boiler, rads and pipes) which cost 2900. The loft insulation was also replaced free through British Gas (don't have to be a customer and it is not means tested). Our gas was with NPower when we moved in and we transfered to Scottish Power which took about six weeks. Our deal with them is up at the end of August so through price comparison we are transferring to First Utility. Our gas bills currently average out at 80 a month over the course of the year which is a whole lot less than the 450 I paid for six weeks when we moved into the house last March.

[MissMysticFalls]

Thanks for the info on fire removal ladykookoo

[minkah]

Thank you very much MrsT for that very useful info.

Sorry for being tangental, OP, to your thread!

[VirtualPointyHat]

No worries Minkah