Flat heating/hotwater improvements....choices....

[Harry Bloomfield]

This isn't helping dishman with his choice, is it?

Not directly, but threads always drift..

 

[ericmark]

This isn't helping dishman with his choice, is it?

Agreed, but the problem is the accommodation is rented. So what an energy rating says, is important, and we also have a lot of variables, the tariff, the lifestyle of the tenant, and a conflict between cost of install, and benefit to landlord and tenant.

I find it hard enough with my own home, where the EPC rating means nothing. I found myself locked into a tariff with British Gas which did not suit me, and it was not worth paying the £75 to change early.

 

[denso13]

is an attractive option but, I am wondering if there is likely to be a push towards more electric in the next 10 years so little point doing an overhaul.

Go for a combi, any changes won't be retrospective. There is lots of life left in the gas option for now.

 

[dishman]

Go for a combi, any changes won't be retrospective. There is lots of life left in the gas option for now.

Yeh, I think, based on some rough numbers, that it makes more sense.

If I replace the cylinder with a unvented direct, I am essentially committing to an all electric set-up. This would mean the perfectly good manual storage heaters would need to be updated to HHR at some point (even just for EPC purposes). The new storage heaters would unlikely (in real use) be any more cost effective than the old ones. They would just have a few more bells and whistles to make them more user friendly.

So:

Cylinder replacement £1200 (approx)
3 HHR Storage heaters £2500

Modern storage heaters require a permanent live and i don't think I have those in close proximity so there would be extra costs there too.

So if we rounded it up to perhaps £4000 for the electric route.

Which in reality would just give me a modern version of what I have with only a minimal increase in efficiency (in terms of bills), slightly better hot water pressure and a slightly better EPC.

My ballpark guess for a new combi is and all additional work is about £5000.

Much better EPC.
Lower energy cost to whoever lives there.
More user friendly
Increase in flat value that offsets the cost? (spurious one perhaps)

Downside is ongoing cost of servicing.

But I think the upsides and cost difference swing it in the combi direction when looking at the cost difference alone.
Unless I am way off the mark in my ballpark guess.

 

[endecotp]

there is the possibility that the flat could accommodate a heat pump.

Can you say some more about that?

 

[dishman]

Can you say some more about that?

It is without any evidence.

But, the location/design of the block means (low rise) this flat has a blank section of external wall that could easily accommodate a heatpump. It would be out of view of other flats and potentially comply with noise/distance.

But, there is the likely hood that it would not get permitted by the freeholder.

In addition, I would probably need to vastly improve internal insulation levels. in the tiny internal roof void (top floor flat). Which would be a major upheaval.

So potential is there, but unlikely to work practically.

 

[endecotp]

I would probably need to vastly improve internal insulation levels.

That would be good for the EPC rating and future running costs, whatever else you do.

 

[dishman]

That would be good for the EPC rating and future running costs, whatever else you do.

It would be, but that is where we get into the expenditure problem.

I would probably be required to do that for the heat pump to actually be viable to use. So it would add much more cost to the situation just to potentially get it to work.

I can install GCH and it will work fine, maybe cost more to run without that extra level of insulation, but it would work fine and still be much cheaper to run than the current set-up.

I can then improve the insulation at a later more appropriate time.

But, like I said, that idea is probably moot anyway as I don't think it would be allowed by the freeholder.

There is also the issue of installing a new method of heating in a rented property vs a well established well understood simple system.

Getting tenants to use storage heaters correctly is hard enough.

 

[ericmark]

I think the combi is the way to go, mainly as flexible, and will suit many lifestyles.