What should I do about the heating in my house?

[bbtb]

Hi all

Im really struggling with this and its on my mind permanently! I dont know if we should just stick with our current economy 7 storage heating or look at getting oil or LPG gas or even more modern electric systems if they are beneficial?(NO MAINS GAS HERE) Solars not an option

Running Cost
We have been here since January and have paid £100 a month for electricity (so heating and normal electricity) Obviously through the warmer months we wont have the storage heaters on so this will be reduced so I think were looking at about £80 a month max so about £1000 a year
Which? estimates oil costs for a similar size house to be £1100 for oil and £1300 for LPG
So I dont think financially we will get any financial benefit

Initial cost
After looking around getting central heating put in would be about £3,000 which I have so isnt a major issue but obviously would rather spend it on something else I guess I would only want to spend it if it added value on the house?

Convenience
No MAJOR issues with the storage heaters so far.. its a bit of a pain that if you forget to put the heater on and get in and the evening and its cold or you leave the heater on and it warms up and its boiling. I would like the option of having more control over the heating with the thermostat but I dont know if convience alone is worth the £3k spend!

Added value
Everyone whos asked about my new house has pulled a face :facepalm:when I said we have storage heaters so I guess the general feeling from the public is pretty negative.. If having another heating system in the house added say £5000 to the value I would defiantly be happy to spend the £3000.. but would it add value?

External factors
Worry's about the future cost of oil and gas really will it make it more expensive in the future? Do people view oil in a similar negative light as storage heaters?


Thoughts on this guys..? Any advice will be appriciated

 

[Tibbot]

By far the cheapest to set up is a LPG central heating system. In theory this could be as little as installing a simple combi heat pack. You pay a standing charge for your bulk tank. Oil is still cheaper to run but to buy the equipment from scratch is considerably more. The same for renewables. Peak electricity is always the dearest to run.

Ps. Mickyg, who posts here, has advised of good deals that can be had from independent LPG suppliers.

 

[bbtb]

I guess the initial cost is not really the problem its if the money invested will it add the value?

I think i would rather a large one of cost and lower running costs

 

[Tibbot]

All heating is expensive to run because we live in a cold country and our energy prices are high. Your only option is to minimise the heat loss through your building. Like they do in even colder counties.

 

[Diyisfun]

I am in the process of buying a house & those properties that had storage heating was a no..no..didnt even look at them, yet as you say its only a few £k to have central heating installed. But a lot of disruption.
Having had storage heaters way back & getting all the heat when you dont want it (in the morning), there is no way I would ever want it.
A full centreal heating system will not only add value it is the conveneince of heat when you want it.
The property I am buying is LPG, & the current owners say there standing order £80 p/mth including gas hob cooking. (Although there is a log burner & I dont know what that cost is).

 

[stem]

You don't say much about your property, but most of the folks I know pay about £100 per month for all their energy and they are on a mains gas supply. (traditional 3 bed with cavity walls & double glazing)

Storage heaters get a bad reputation, usually from people who don't know how to use them properly, or live in an uninsulated house. I had a house with storage heaters for 8 years and I liked them particularly as they were 100% reliable. You do have to keep your eyes on the weather forecast the eveing before, but generally it's accurate to a degree or two these days.

Storage heater are silent, need no annual servicing, and if one does fail, you can usually get spare parts. Meanwhile, the rest of the house is still heated by the others. Also you don't need a new boiler at £1500 every ten years or so, not to mention a new pump and a couple of motorised valves and they don't have valves that leak on your carpet.

 

[dcawkwell]

Air source heat pump will be your cheapest option to run.

 

[Nige F]

Hi all

Added value[/u]
Everyone whos asked about my new house has pulled a face :facepalm:when I said we have storage heaters so I guess the general feeling from the public is pretty negative.. If having another heating system in the house added say £5000 to the value I would defiantly be happy to spend the £3000.. but would it add value?

Thoughts on this guys..? Any advice will be appriciated

Leave it as is until you decide to move out - then you will be selling a house with a brand new heating system - THAT is added value

 

[mickyg]

A new LPG tank will cost around £250 to have installed, then aprx £15 a quarter rental. So its a minor cost on top of having the heating installed, which might cost anything from 2-5k depending on a number of variables. Its probably the cheapest initial outlay, and would add value to your property as it is gas central heating which many people look for.
However I am reluctantly coming around to the fact that an ASHP is probably the better long term solution although outlay is higher and many systems are being badly specced and installed by renewable bandwagon chancers so be very wary how you choose a company in this sector. Im not sure how it would effect your house appeal, but it should be good as its considered a renewable energy source.

 

[ALEC1]

electric heaters with compensation controls make electric heating far more comfortable to live with than what you have, and reduce energy consumption by matching demand to load...

you have to look a bit to find them...but I hear good things about them

 

[mickyg]

electric heaters with compensation controls make electric heating far more comfortable to live with than what you have, and reduce energy consumption by matching demand to load...

you have to look a bit to find them...but I hear good things about them

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

 

[ALEC1]

this is the type of thing:

http://www.economy-radiators.com/electric-radiator-advice.html

 

[dcawkwell]

this is the type of thing:

http://www.economy-radiators.com/electric-radiator-advice.html[/QUOTE]

No matter what the electric radiator is. 1kW of electric in is 1kW of heat out or there abouts and electric is expensive.

If it is electric heating only an air source or ground source heat pump beat the 1:1 ratio of heat in to heat out.

With an air source you can expect 1kW in to give approx 3 kW of heat out.

 

[ALEC1]

Agreed, but the modulation lowers the heat output which avoids over heating...thats where the svings come from....

 

[mickyg]

Agreed, but the modulation lowers the heat output which avoids over heating...thats where the svings come from....

its minimal and hardly worth mentioning, especially on electric.