Should we leave the heating off?

[GoneAwolAgain]

Trying to figure out the best way to keep my elderly relative warm this winter! I wonder if someone can help me with the maths? Not my strong point!!

He lives solo in a 3 bed house (absolutely does not want to move!) and it's reasonably well-insulated. He tends to live between two rooms - living room and bedroom - and is quite happy to just keep one room nice and warm and then wrap up well in the bedroom with electric blanket etc.

I've been exploring all options of how best to do this and am wondering what would be cheaper?

1. Keep gas central heating on to heat one room only (radiators switched off elsewhere) or keep it all switched off and buy an oil filled radiator?

Here's what my research has uncovered so far but I want to make sure it's accurate before I share it with him!

Gas central heating - boiler probs about 10 years old and I don't know what the KWh is.

Current gas KWh charge is 7.36p
but I know that'll likely go up to around 21p in October.

Current elec is 29.58p kWh and that'll go up to 51.89p in October

Oil filled radiator (1370-1630 kWh) so would cost approx 77p per hour to run (under October's prices)..,the advantage being that once the room heated up, it could be switched off and would probs stay warm for quite a while.

Would this be the best option or just stick with gas central heating in one room, which would need to be on longer to have an effect? Obviously disadvantaged by not knowing how much the central heating costs to run.

Any help would be really appreciated!!

This was discussed on radio 4 yesterday the PM News programme at 5.30pm q&a if you have radio iplayer. It said it was better to use the central heating rather than plug in radiators. I have oil filles radiators with a timer switch if you do prefer to use them.

Get a smart meter and you can get a better idea of costs - there's that...

I think having unheated rooms long term could lead to damp or other problems?

My DM heats the downstairs and not the upstairs. She also makes a lot of use of her electric blanket.

No issues with damp, it's just cold when we visit and use the upstairs.

Could you move bed into the lounge too so one room is warm and toasty?

Try googling the make and model of the boiler, you may be able to find its technical specifications.

Failing that, do two gas readings 24 hours apart and compare that with how long the boiler’s been on.

How does he heat his water?

Nowadays, they are recommending a 24kW boiler for a 3 bed house. Your father’s may be less than this. Your “Oil filled radiator (1370-1630 kWh)” doesn’t make sense (it would be rated in kW not kWh, and 1370kW would be astronomical), but assuming that it’s actually 1.37 - 1.63kW (depending on setting), then that would suggest the oilfilled radiator would be cheaper, even with the difference in gas and electricity prices.

But - saving all this angst - I found this useful comparison chart. It doesn’t matter what the prices were when the chart was compiled, the ratios between them will remain the same as long as the relative costs of gas and electricity stay the same. Pleased to have found it because it tells me my flued wall mounted gas heater is even cheaper than an oil filled radiator.

What has become of us ?

Dear God, the OP should not have had to post this.

They are not allowed to disconnect elderly so just use it reasonably.

Gov are going to have to do something about this. If they don’t there will be riots.

The more I think about it the more it pisses me off. These companies are only able to make profits and pump this fuel because we live in a stable civilised society. They don’t have to increase prices. They are doing it because they can. I really think govs need to step in now and say no. If they don’t like it they can be compulsory purchased. It happens to individuals for the greater good of society with infrastructure projects so I don’t see why big companies should be exempt when we are in a war situation. They are going to have to get it under control. It’s really not an option at this stage.

Just keep calm and carry on. Don’t pay if it comes to it.

Don’t pay if it comes to it. But be aware if you have a Smart meter it can be switched into pre-payment mode, and pre-payment customers pay more for their electricty and gas

Don’t forget to factor in the standing charge for the gas supply, which will have to be paid even if usage is zero. That will be a significant factor in your cost analysis.