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Original poster

Gas Central Heating - Is it really worth getting installed?

77 replies

MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 11:58

We have moved into a house which needs LOTS of work.

New windows, bathroom, kitchen, flooring.. the works.

We have electric storage heaters at present and I have just had the first bill. For the 6 weeks we have owned the house (although we didn't move into the house for 2 weeks so it is actually usage for 4 weeks) - £120

Now, when we were staying with my parents I paid their electric/gas bills and they came to £130, which was always a little over-payment but not loads. They have gas central heating and almost identical house.

I know that we will use more electricity in the winter, but don't yet know how much but even if we were to go up to £150 it would still not be much more than my parents are paying.

Installing GCH is going to cost about £3 - 4k.

if we 'save' £20 a month for a year, that is £240. The investment doesn't make sense, does it?

I am assuming that gas prices have risen so much, and that is why my parents pay so much. Is this going to be about gambling on the rise in energy prices?

We are also considering installing a wood burning oven in the living room / dining room, where we spend most of our time.

OP posts:
bloatedhippo · 17/09/2012 12:05

Have you looked at running the central heating off the wood burning oven?

Energy prices are absolutely insane just now but it might be worthwhile getting in touch with the Energy Savings Trust to see if you are eligible for help/ insulation etc.

FrankWippery · 17/09/2012 12:06

Got to go pick shorty up, but will be back later with my thoughts.

Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:07

Bloated
They haven't got back to me yet. They are supposed to be sending someone round to have a look at cavity wall and loft insulation.

OP posts:
Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:08

Don't want to run central heating off woodburner really. I would like the woodburner for the pretty effect and cosy warm of an evening. Cba getting up early to put the fire on.

OP posts:
bloatedhippo · 17/09/2012 12:10

Keep phoning them. There should be a list on the link of insulation suppliers locally.

Piffpaffpoff · 17/09/2012 12:11

Not an expert, but I think electric storage heaters are notorious for being expensive. We're in a 4 bed house which is about 8yo and we're about 90 a month average for gas and electric but we do try not to have the heating on much! I would go for central heating tbh, it will be cheaper month on month and taking a long term view, it will probably add value to your house.

Have you looked into if there are any free insulation offers on at the moment? A couple of winters ago we got our loft insulation redone for free and could have had free cavity wall insulation if we didn't have it already. It was a council run thing (Fife). We reckon it's saved us a bit of money, because our bills have stayed about the same even thoughthe prices have gone up.

Beamur · 17/09/2012 12:11

Storage heaters always used to be considered really expensive to run, but I suppose gas prices have gone up a lot.
My PIL have a heating system that runs off wood pellets - with a stove in one of their downstairs rooms that also runs off them too. They are not on mains gas.

MrsCampbellBlack · 17/09/2012 12:12

The problem with night storage heaters I found was that it gets very cold as the day progresses but they may well have changed since then.

I've lived in houses without central heating and never would again to be honest. We have an aga in the kitchen and fire in sitting room but in the winter we still needed the heating on post-school or was just too cold.

bloatedhippo · 17/09/2012 12:12

The other alternative is a wood pellet stove - looks like a wood burner, has a flame, heats the water/ radiators, very efficient and you light it with a remote control unit.
We installed one for our tenants.
I'm not sure if there is still grant assistance with it but there used to be.

MrsCampbellBlack · 17/09/2012 12:13

Oh hang on - I've got confused between night storage heaters and electric storage heaters - am guessing they're different things. So best to ignore me Wink

Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:14

Piffpaff
we were actually surprised at how low the costs were this month. The 'public' rooms have storage heaters, which charge at night. The bedrooms have heaters with timers which only come on for an hour in the morning and an hour or so at night.

Might think differently in the winter, though.

I am not scrimping on having the heating on, in fact some days I need to turn it down. The living/dining room is south facing so when it is sunny we hardly need the heating on.

OP posts:
bloatedhippo · 17/09/2012 12:14

more info on them here

yes, there is a grant.

Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:16

MrsCB
Am glad to hear about your Aga. That confirms my impression of you ;)

Not sure of the difference between storage heaters and night storage heaters - ours heat up at night and we can set them to heat up more or less depending on the weather. They give off the heat gradually throughout the day.

So far we haven't had cold evenings, but winter will tell whether that is going to be an issue.

OP posts:
fourwalls · 17/09/2012 12:17

I would say the investment is priceless in terms of making your property more attractive when you want to sell it.

If it only had electric heating, a house would have to be the biggest bargain in the world for me to buy it.
I know the chaos involved in installing GCH and wouldn't want to go through it myself but I don't consider electric heating to be anywhere near as good as gas - electricity seems to me to be more expensive, not as instant a response when you switch it on and you can't dry your clothes/towels on the radiators.
Also houses with elec heating tend to have elec cookers and I think it's always good to have a gas cooking option - just in case there's a power cut!
And if you like them, gas fires are very good at heating a room fast.

When I see a house with electric heating I just walk away so I think you would defintely get real value by installing GCH.

Hullygully · 17/09/2012 12:17

Where abouts is the house? If you have very cold winters you'll want central heating and the woodburner. We have both. If we have the woodburner going all day, we don't always need the heating on during the day.

We may use our heating slightly more than most tho.

Hullygully · 17/09/2012 12:17

yy to fourwalls.

MrsCampbellBlack · 17/09/2012 12:18

The aga will go as soon as our house is renovated (big project like yours) - you wouldn't want to know what my heating bills are - would give you nightmares Smile

Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:19

Bloated
thanks, that is a great website. They do say that getting pellets for the stove can be an issue in Scotland (where we are) but the company looks interesting.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 17/09/2012 12:19

Depends what answer you want Wink. If you are looking to justify gas heating (which is a lot more controllable than storage heaters, which are a complete PITA and IME take 3 days to adjust to a change in temperature and always seem to be off if you need them and on when you don't) then it would be worth asking an estate agent how much it would/wouldn't add to the value of the house as well as looking at the payback time for you as a family.

Woodburning stoves are great, but wood is not cheap either any more. My parents have theirs plumbed in so that it heats the water as well (as a side benefit rather than as the sole means of heating water) but getting that done to modern plumbing regs would be seriously expensive (as they discovered when the hot water tank burst and had to be replaced) so the payback would be even longer. Our stove heats the sitting room and makes a good contribution to heating the rest of the house - we definitely used less oil last winter as a result of lighting the stove more.

If you are thinking of it, definitely do it while you are pulling the house to bits anyway - retro fitting central heating is (even more) expensive and doesn't look great either.

Beamur · 17/09/2012 12:21

A friend of mine has an Aga and turns it off over the summer to reduce the bills. They cook on a camping stove and a hotplate instead!

Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:22

yes, I realise that, but would be really have to drop our price by £4k to make up for the non-gas CH? I don't know.

And if oil / gas prices continue to rise, then I am not sure it is a good investment.

OP posts:
Original poster
MmeLindor · 17/09/2012 12:24

Hully
we are on the East Coast of Scotland. I would say we don't really get that cold winters - we were used to -20°C winters in Germany and it is quite mild here in comparison.

I have just had to take my cardy off cause it is too warm

OP posts:
MrsCampbellBlack · 17/09/2012 12:25

God Beamur that's hard core! Ours runs our hot water too and I couldn't live without that.

Beamur · 17/09/2012 12:25

The investment issue depends on how long you intend to stay too.
My Mum moved from a house with storage heaters to one with central heating and her bills halved. But it sounds like the sums you've done don't make that sort of savings.
On the plus side, storage heaters are quieter than central heating, you don't have pipes all over the house and they are very cheap to maintain.

bloatedhippo · 17/09/2012 12:26

The pellets are very easy to get now either in bulk or in smaller handy bags from Central Farmers Ltd who deliver
. I love this system as it is very clean and hassle free, the pellets work out as the cheapest form of fuel and there is no mess or lighting the fire yet a wood fire effect.

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