Electric central heating system costs

[BackinLondon2019]

I'm viewing this week a Georgian flat in Bath (ground floor, two bedrooms... total surface is about 100 sq m) and in the description it mentions that heating/hot water is provided by 'electric central heating system'. It's going to be super expensive to keep this place warm in winter isn't it? Does anyone have an idea of aprox monthly costs? Windows are single glazed and the ensuite and family bathroom have underfloor heating.

I love the place but I really don't want to find myself with a £300 monthly electricity bill every month!

Thank you in advance.

I've got a two bedroomed house heated by electric central heating. It costs me £140 per month

It depends on the type of heating and insulation etc...but yes you will probably have relatively high bills

Thank you. It's a typical Georgian flat so super high ceilings as well and very big windows.

Hmm.... I can probably expect around £200 in electricity bills a month? That is really a lot 🙁

I don't think you would be far off that. 100 sq m is about the size of an average 3 bed semi added to big rooms high ceilings and potentially draughty windows. I wouldn't be surprised at 2-300 pounds a month for electric.

have a look at the EPC, they are only a guide but it will tell you what could allegedly be done to improve matters.

single glazed windows, old flat.... brrrr!!

All houses will be heated this way in the near future as gas heaters in new builds are banned by 2025. The only good thing is the market for electric heating will vastly expand and maybe there will be better deals?

Thank you all. That's a shame... love the property but £300 a month on electric is crazy!!

If it's an air source heat pump (runs on electricity) then it may not be as bad as you suspect, though ASPs work best in well-insulated rooms and single glazing and huge sash cord windows would be a complete no-no. Ask to see the owners heating bills for the last year?

If you're trying to heat a large volume of cold air, supplemented by draughts from antiquated glazing, it's going to be expensive. Back in the 1960s and 70s the average indoor room was heated to 15-16 degrees by a coal fire or similar. Are you prepared to go back in time and live all winter in 16 degrees C?

I'd also ask the owners about the bill or ask the Estate Agent to find out.

All houses will be heated this way in the near future as gas heaters in new builds are banned by 2025.

It will take decades if ever to phase out gas boilers.

It's true that new builds will soon all be heated using ASHPs or electric boilers, but they will have been built to very high modern standards of insulation. OP, you might want to investigate the cost of having a gas central heating system installed. Even if that required the entire flat to be replumbed and radiators fitted it should pay for itself over 10-15 years.

Is the flat a mid-floor flat? Is the house in a terrace? A first floor flat with a heated property above and below and on each side will benefit from the warmth generated by the other properties. Ask for those bills.

Thank you all for your comments. It's a ground floor terraced flat. I'll be renting so wouldn't be wise to invest on installing gas.

I will definitely ask for past bills. I like tropical temperatures in my home during the winter so 16° is certainly not what I want, however amazing the property might be!

If it is storage heating I would steer clear! I have this and my bills are through the roof! My May bill was almost £200. I dread to think what it is going to be during winter. This is for a mid terraced very small 2 bed house.
I asked previous tenants and the letting agent if the bills were going to be big due to being all electric, but both said they were fine and under £100 per month. This hasn't been the case at all.
If I could afford to move I would. I would never rent an all electric house again.

Sorry, hadn't clocked that you were renting. Heating period houses is a huge issue. We prefer that buildings look wonderful, with their original draughty sash windows rattling away, than make good economical homes.

I forgot to add that the EPC should give you some idea of the current costs of heating the property. Landlords are obliged to get their properties up to a D, IIRC. If you would normally be going out to work but will now be working from home much more post-CV19, bear in mind that you'll need the heating on longer throughout the coldest months.

Thank you. Toombomm- I will definitely ask to see bills and not trust the EA.... that would really annoy me.

Shed builder- great advice, thank you. I work from home full time, even pre-Covid so heating needs to be on all day during the winter months (unless I decamp to a cafe!). Its going to be a no.... shame

There are things you could do: heat just one room during the day and do what is permissible to keep that as warm as possible (secondary double glazing, for example) but that doesn't help the fact that you're heating an awful lot of cool air in that beautiful high-ceilinged room.

Thank you Shed builder, you're completely right.