First-time Buyers; your opinions please!

[Bettycheese]

I've previously posted for advice re the range of central heating options available for a renovation property we're purchasing, and got many helpful responses.

My Fiancé and I have narrowed it down to gas or electric (not the old fashioned storage heaters, but modern systems where you can heat specific zones etc).

May I please ask any first-time buyers to give us some very honest opinions about which option would be most / least attractive to you, and if either would stop you viewing or considering a property at all?

The house is a 3 bed 60's semi, and in our area (South-East) would probably go on the market for circa £330k.

Thank you!

Why on earth would you go for electric if you can have gas?

Electric heating would be enough of a reason for me to not view a property except like in blocks of flats without gas or in remote villages without gas.

I haven't heard of this modern electric heating system and I suspect that may be a stumbling block. Other people may well not have heard of it either. So people will think of storage heaters and be put off big time. I would worry that electric heating would cost more and wouldn't view a house unless the price was cheap enough compared to others that I could pay to put normal central heating in.

I would probably not view a place with electric heating. I would immediately think ineffective and expensive.

If I was spending 300k on a house I'd expect a standard gas central heating system

Have just googled electric central heating vs gas central heating and there's multiple sites saying how electric is about 3x more expensive to run. So yes, I wouldn't bother viewing.

To the point where I wouldn't view a house with electric heating. I've had it before in a flat and didn't get on with it.

At 16p/kWh per unit of usable heat, electric heating is three and half times more expensive than an efficient combi boiler using gas. ... Most homes off the gas grid use heating oil or electric storage heaters for central heating, with woodburners also common for room heating.

Second all above. IMHO people want radiators with a traditional boiler, or underfloor heating that isn't expensive to run.

We are currently looking at houses as FTBs. Any property with electric heating gets dismissed very swiftly. I wont even view it.

When i was a ftb, i would be very very unlikely to view if it did not have Gas, unless it could be installed and the price reflected that.

If it was a system than genuinely was on a par with gas you would need to make this so so clear on the description and maybe I would look into it.. But some people would be be bothered to do this.

Thank you all for your responses.

The reason for asking the question is that we can’t agree so decided to post an unbiased request for opinions.

My Fiancé is very keen on electric as he believes that the systems are much improved from the days of storage heaters, and we would use a lot less energy overall, therefore the fact that the unit price is 4x higher would (possibly) be mitigated. The cost of installing electric would also be much cheaper so easier on our renovation budget – possibly c 1k versus c 5k for gas.

I firmly agree with the responses above and believe that in order to make the house as attractive as possible when we come to re-sell (one of our main objectives), we should go with gas CH with the most energy efficient combi-boiler possible, as well as concentrating our efforts on making the house as energy efficient as possible by way of windows, insulation etc.

It's a thorny issue......

Not a ftb now (was last year) but if I was looking to buy a done up place, I'd only look at gas.

I have no idea whether your fiance is right or not, but i would assume that electric would be more expensive, not bother researching, and skip over your house entirely. I suspect that most buyers would do the same.

Last house had no gas and our heating was done through electric air source heat pump and was very efficient.
Sen got money back on regular basis from the government

Gas definitely, I think most people would be put off by electric.

Any kind of heating device has a maximum kilowatt output. A lot of electric heating devices are sold in such a way as to suggest they achieve greater outputs than is technically possible. I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

Thank you.

Any kind of heating device has a maximum kilowatt output. A lot of electric heating devices are sold in such a way as to suggest they achieve greater outputs than is technically possible. I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
This, it's an energy in/energy out math thing. You can't make something put out more heat using less energy thus making it cheaper to run, It takes what it takes in energy and sales men will tell you anything to make a sale.
My mother nearly fell for this, she's all electric, she was going to buy new electric radiators from Germany. Dh had to explain to her how they work, and with the cost of each how long to recoup her money (never)

In the defence of electric, where I live nearly every one uses electric heating and when we baught our house the first thing we did was convert it to electricity. It is very effective (our winters are way harsher than in the UK) and reliable. BUT electricity is also way cheaper than gas here.
IF it really is as cheap ans you DP says the is an easy way around the perseved cost of elecrtic heating: on your listing, beside the type of heating publish the cost or running it. But it is quite a risk to take if you are about to sell and it ends up not working as cheap as projected.

I'm pleased to report that my Partner has come round to my way of thinking re gas central heating being the right way to go. Hoorah!