Oil or electric

[Midnightangler]

Hi all
This is my first post on here, very much doubt it will be the last.

We are renovating a 200 year old cottage and need advise on the best heating system. As we unable to have gas we were going to install an oil boiler. However, as access to the property is difficult we have been told that we will have to pay a higher price for oil as the company would have to use a smaller truck, yesterday's price 56p compared to 45p
So we are now wondering if electric heating is viable option and if so what the most efficient option is.

Thanks in advance

 

[Owain]

night storage heaters or their modern equivalent (Dimplex Duoheat or Quantum or the Creda etc alternatives)

or you can use a thermal store heated by night rate electricity with wet radiators.

At about 10 kWh/litre of oil you would be paying 5.6p/kWh (less boiler inefficiency) for oil heating. With electricity you would be paying about 6p/kWh night rate and 18p/kWh day rate. LPG is a similar price to oil but you can sometimes bury a gas tank under the lawn (not under a drive).

More esoteric possibilities such as air or ground source heat pumps, or solar thermal, usually have a higher first cost but there might be grants or loans available.

 

[MatthewC]

I would also advise a woodburner or two (much more efficient than an open fire). I've got one of each, and the woodburner heating the kitchen using timber I cut and dried myself really is one of life's pleasures.

 

[Tony.]

Oil boilers will need servicing etc
Space for a tank
Theft of oil a consideration?

Electric heating 100% efficient at point of use
No servicing
Easy to back up with a small generator
And a few woodburners as previous post


What about a ducted air con system
With a cop of 3 plus if it were possible to install it could be worth considering?

Whats the building type and construction plus levels of insulation?

 

[jackpoint]

We are using the economy radiator company electric rads in our current abode and they really are terribly good. Set a temperature and that is exactly where they stay. Worth a look imho.

 

[worms]

Hi all
yesterday's price 56p compared to 45p

:shock: I had oil delivered on Thursday at 39p/l + vat (so just under 41ppl). Have you asked a range of suppliers to quote and traded prices off against each other?

 

[Midnightangler]

Thanks for these replies, just to add we will be installing two wood burners and should we manage our woodland we'll have a free supply of wood for many years. We have only had the one quote this from a company our neibour uses that have a small truck that can access us. Using this price 56p as a guide to help us decide options however, should we go down the oil route will be negotiating with others for a better price. Not sure though how many other company's have smaller vehicles so may not have too much choice.

 

[livias]

It depends very much on your cashflow but ground source heat pump makes economic sense if you are planning a full refurb. You have to pay upfront (ours was 15-18K with the more expensive borehole option) then the government pays you back that cost over seven years. Running cost is about 1/3 of normal electric cost. It works best with underfloor heating which is why it is best to do it with a full refurb

 

[Tony.]

Air source heat pump aka an air con unit will be considerably cheaper.

I have a building with both technologies and the ashp heating 800 litres of water to distrubute to ufh quite easily.
The gshp can heat more but cost considerably more to install.
To get grants installers need to be acceedited for rhi etc.
A professional air con installer will be much cheaper, i am currently having installers fit 3 indoor units( ducted units sitting in a ceiling void) linked to a single inverter external unit to heat and cool a room in a large buildng

Whats the epc of the building?

 

[worms]

Whats the epc of the building?

That's the crunch question, though, isn't it? Heating efficiency and old properties are seldom an easy match.

 

[88v8]

The cost of oil is unpredictable and unregulated, whereas the cost of electricity is subject to endless Govt interference. Oil boilers need annual servicing, electric doesn't.

We have 1970s storage heaters/Economy 7, plus two woodburners.
The house is all-electric and our annual bill is about £1k.
It's not as comfy as the GFCH we had in our previous house. One has to wear a wooly, but I decided that if previous owners could manage, why couldn't we?

I did contemplate LPG, but in the end decided I couldn't be bothered with the faff of a full installation, even though it would be much easier than when I last did one in the 1980s - no trouble buying period cast-iron rads nowadays. However, I'd certainly choose LPG over oil.

But as regards economics, if I spent, say, £6k on a full LPG installation - probably that's too low - well I can invest that at 6% to that's £360 pa I've lost before I even start, and I don't think the costs of LPG - another unregulated fuel - would be much lower than electric.

I look doubtfully on high-tech solutions. Expensive to install, add nothing to the value of the house (as compared to a conventional heating system) and all well and fine until they go wrong.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

Air source heat pump aka an air con unit will be considerably cheaper.

I have a building with both technologies and the ashp heating 800 litres of water to distrubute to ufh quite easily.
The gshp can heat more but cost considerably more to install.
To get grants installers need to be acceedited for rhi etc.
A professional air con installer will be much cheaper, i am currently having installers fit 3 indoor units( ducted units sitting in a ceiling void) linked to a single inverter external unit to heat and cool a room in a large buildng

Interesting that you have both heat pump types and can directly compare them. I've read that air-source ones become less efficient at low temperatures, or even stop working, though perhaps that depends on the type of refrigerant used?

Is this the case in your experience?

 

[Midnightangler]

The EPC is an E1, no insulation so lots to do to improve this. I'm surprised that opinion so far is for electric. Started looking at electric heaters and finding it hard to get independent advise as to best make and models..any recommendations ?