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Rejecting new home as no gas heating

26 replies

Muddle2000 · 19/10/2023 08:34

I have found a new little house
But it has electric heaters (4) in fact which is putting me off Could I put in gas Terraced bungalow

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 19/10/2023 08:36

What do the neighbours have ?

Beamur · 19/10/2023 08:37

Does the house have a gas supply? Gas hob for example?

heldinadream · 19/10/2023 08:38

Is there a gas supply to the house and area? If so yes, you can have a gas central heating system installed. Cost a few thousand.
If no gas then not really, installing an actual gas supply is a much bigger issue.
Do the neighbouring houses have gas?

Muddle2000 · 19/10/2023 09:40

I don't think the other 2 have gas

OP posts:
Itsjustmeee · 19/10/2023 10:24

My parents didn’t have gas for years
but when decided to back in 2017 it cost 800 quid to connect the gas from the mains to the house
and around 4k to install a boiler and radiators in a 3 bed Victorian terrace

BG wanted 8k to install the same stuff

GasPanic · 19/10/2023 10:26

It depends.

"Normal" electric heating is about 4x more expensive than gas/heat pump. BUT ... it is less likely to go wrong, there is no annual service required and no qas standing charge. It is easy to turn on and off radiators in individual rooms to reduce the power consumption.

if you are in a small terraced house then you will only have two outer walls. If it is a new build (you say "new" but not clear whether that means new to you, or new build) then it will probably be well insulated. 4 heaters is not a lot.

Maybe check out the EPC on the government site to see what the annual estimated consumption is. If it is highly rated, C or above it probably doesn't cost that much to heat it, but it will guesstimate on the EPC. If it is low rating then I would think twice.

There are also other tricks you can use, like use E7 to reduce the bill, it really depends on how flexible you can be with the heat.

Maybe ask the previous homeowner or ndn what the bill is like.

I wouldn't write it off, but I would want to investigate. Electric heating can be v expensive but under the right conditions it is not the evil many people make it out to be.

TheBirdintheCave · 19/10/2023 10:28

It would be a no for me. I do a lot of Asian cooking and using an electric or induction hob makes me want to throw myself off a roof 😂

gotomomo · 19/10/2023 10:32

Depends if there is gas to the house, or even the street. Also heat pump might be an alternative. I would investigate further

DogInATent · 19/10/2023 10:39

Right now I would not put in gas heating. There are grants available for heat pump systems and that would be both more efficient and future-proof with the direction of travel in UK energy policy.

On a practical level, you can't put gas in where there's no connection. And having a new connection installed can be expensive (or impossible if the area doesn't have gas).

rwalker · 19/10/2023 10:44

We used to have solid fuel heating when I lived at home last solid fuel boiler they got was amazing
you filled the hopper and it did the rest for you just had to keep on top of ash panel
looked like a slightly bigger freestanding gas boiler

GasPanic · 19/10/2023 10:51

DogInATent · 19/10/2023 10:39

Right now I would not put in gas heating. There are grants available for heat pump systems and that would be both more efficient and future-proof with the direction of travel in UK energy policy.

On a practical level, you can't put gas in where there's no connection. And having a new connection installed can be expensive (or impossible if the area doesn't have gas).

Edited

How is a heat pump system going to look in a tiny house ? It will need piping rigging for the flow. And where would the hot water cylinder go ? In addition the unit would have to go on the rear, where there is limited space.

Even with the new 7500 grant (and my guess is that installers will just up their cost to get back to where they were before and take the free extra money) you could be looking at a system that is expensive. Plus if the house doesn't use much electric per year, even at 1/4 the price of the electric it could take years to pay off the cost of the heat pump installation.

Really the way forward is to find out what a typical heating bill is per annum for the place.

DinnaeFashYersel · 19/10/2023 10:52

I would buy a house without GCH

Too many cold memories from renting days.

DinnaeFashYersel · 19/10/2023 10:52

DinnaeFashYersel · 19/10/2023 10:52

I would buy a house without GCH

Too many cold memories from renting days.

Wouldn't.

anniegun · 19/10/2023 10:58

Is it suitable for a heat pump? That could be a great move. Without seeing the house its impossible to say. A small well insulated house can work with electrical heating. Its not so great if its a poorly insulated draughty hovel

Beamur · 19/10/2023 11:32

You need to find out where the nearest gas pipe is.
The fact that the other houses don't have gas either might suggest that a supply to this house isn't available.
Being a terrace you probably don't have the luxury of lots of space for solid fuel or gas canisters, so electricity might be your only option.
As others have said, this might not be terrible but does rather depend on how well insulated the house is too.

Muddle2000 · 19/10/2023 11:36

Well I checked EPC reg and all good apart from the heating rads and water heating thing that all need updating Otherwise good
Would eventually need to do Very small space only 41 sq m!

OP posts:
Itsjustmeee · 19/10/2023 12:18

We put in new electric storage heaters in a flat we rent out

the tenants are really pleased with them
they can set the temperature / timing like you can on GCH and boost it
they only have the hallway and the living room ones on and the prefer to use a oil heater in the bedroom as they find the storage heaters can get to hot and stuffy from the heaters

They said last winter it was roughly costing them around 35 -40 a week inc using the electric shower twice a day

previously on the old storage heaters it was more and no where near as warm

flat is a large 2 bed ex council massionette all electric

rwalker · 20/10/2023 09:56

Could you commit the ultimate sin and fit a wood burner

KievLoverTwo · 20/10/2023 10:06

Muddle2000 · 19/10/2023 11:36

Well I checked EPC reg and all good apart from the heating rads and water heating thing that all need updating Otherwise good
Would eventually need to do Very small space only 41 sq m!

What is the EPC rating and number?

And the khw annual estimate for heating and hot water?

INeedAnotherName · 20/10/2023 10:13

My house didn't have a gas supply when we moved in but the neighbours did. It was expensive (at the time) to get a supply as they had to dig up our drive to lay a gas pipe and fit a meter. But I'm very glad we did, worth every penny. Just ask the neighbours both sides if they have gas.

TheGooseDrankWine · 20/10/2023 10:20

The village my family live in has no gas.

People have central heating fuelled by oil (you need space for a tank) and use big Calor bottles if they want a gas hob.

Muddle2000 · 20/10/2023 13:19

Thanks to all of you great people

OP posts:
USaYwHatNow · 22/10/2023 09:04

@INeedAnotherName hooe you don't mind me asking, but we're in the same position, would you mind telling me how much it cost you to do the work? We know the house has a mains gas pipe up to the boundary, and would also be looking to have gas access dug up but through the garden, not the driveway, and have gas meter fitted. TIA

Itsjustmeee · 22/10/2023 12:16

USaYwHatNow · 22/10/2023 09:04

@INeedAnotherName hooe you don't mind me asking, but we're in the same position, would you mind telling me how much it cost you to do the work? We know the house has a mains gas pipe up to the boundary, and would also be looking to have gas access dug up but through the garden, not the driveway, and have gas meter fitted. TIA

My parents had something similar done in 2018
connecting the gas to the house and installing a meter box cost around 750 -800
but this was at the front of the house and no driveway / garden

INeedAnotherName · 22/10/2023 12:54

@USaYwHatNow - it was 25yrs ago, but I do remember it was priced per foot of drive and whether there was a water/sewer pipe running underneath too, fortunately my neighbour has the joint sewer pipe so ours was very straightforward. I have never regretted getting it.