Electric, oil or gas?

[Jever]

Hi all,

I'm currently refurbishing a property for rental which doesn't have mains gas. It previously had electric powered storage heaters, which I have removed, along with the electric powered copper immersion heater and want to replace them with a new hot water and heating system.

Given that there is no mains gas, I could either stick with electric or have an oil or gas fired system with the appropriate storage tank.

Looking for a simple option, I originally thought an electric powered system would probably be best, so I considered installing some of these:

https://www.heatershop.co.uk/electr...OlKmRXFwFfzce09STUV3S1zZs0nv1Y3UaAuF3EALw_wcB

along with an electric powered direct water heating system.

However, my initial research suggests that the electricity bills will be far greater that the cost of an oil-fueled system.

Could anybody here suggest a reasonably priced oil-based system that would work for a bungalow with an area of approximately 90 sq.m.?

Thanks in advance

Jever

 

[oilhead]

Oil boilers in a rented property work well until the tenant forgets to order more oil. If you do have an oil fired system installed, make sure the installer fits a tiger loop and auto bleeding filters on the supply line.

 

[ericmark]

Just moved house, to fill the oil tank cost over £500 which in grand scheme of things with new to me house is nothing, but for rental one has to have some method to charge for oil or gas which in the main is only metered as tank is refilled.

A gas boiler can be combi type removing need for domestic water storage, typically a gas boiler can modulate output 8 to 28 kW so one does not need a water store, where an oil boiler even if it can modulate is more like 18 to 24 kW so be it in the boiler or independent a water store is required.

Electric again one can have instant water heaters, but really you will need water storage, so gas does have an advantage.

Although electric heating costs more, it is more controllable, as in the main with electric one does not have central heating, but a series of independent heaters, so bathroom for example only heated when in use, however this means a culture of closing doors and internal walls, floors and ceilings need some heat barrier so living room and bedroom can have independent controls.

In theory with oil or gas you can also fit programmable TRV heads so each room is independent, however I tried this in last house, and it did not really work, a water filled radiator stores heat, switch it on and there is a delay before it gets warm, and switch off and delay before it gets cold, so to warm a room without over shooting the temperate set takes around 2 hours, so although my TRV heads were able to connect to phone and use geofencing, in real terms it would not heat room quick enough to use it.

So for a couple who work during the day and only use house as a dormitory, then electric may work out better, but for a couple with small children where house is kept warm 24/7 electric would be too expensive.

 

[oilhead]

Some of my customers with oil fired heated rental properties will ensure an amount of oil is in the tank at takeover, others will leave a full tank and deduct the cost of a refill at the cessation of a tenancy from the deposit. As with other energy costs, it is down to the tenant to finance it during the tenancy.

 

[muggles]

Electric, as you've identified, will be horribly expensive to run. Oil is cheapest to run, but installation costs will be considerably higher than for LPG, so that's something to consider. Siting requirements are more stringent for LPG bulk tanks than oil tanks, so you need to consider whether you have a compliant space for either, otherwise LPG bottles might be your only option. If you're looking to spend as little as possible (as most landlords seem to be) then LPG is going to be the way to go. An oil fired combi boiler and oil tank are going to set you back around £4000 in materials alone; a decent LPG boiler can be purchased for a quarter of that and the tank is usually supplied and fitted for free