Is it really cheaper for me to have central heating on all day than a gas fire?

[hollyoaks777]

Is it really cheaper for me to have central heating on than a gas fire? My fire is an open coal effect gas fire I can't find mine as it's 14year old. I just moved house last year and brought my Marble fireplace and gas fire with me. I also want to know if I get a new Boiler would my bills be cheaper. I don't know how old my boiler is as it's a council property and it was there when I moved in.

But plumber checked with his supplier and says he has been selling spare parts for it for 10 years. It's a SIME
code: 8104011
Model: Ecomfort plus 30 HE
GC No 47-283-14

I have an extra bedroom in my property and I am downstairs now but the radiator is at frost setting in back bedroom my gas bill is now £61 a month whereas I was only £39 at my old property and I used the central heating a lot more in my old property than this one. I have asked about my relations My sister is only £60 a month and is in a 4 bedroom house of her own up and downstairs 2 adults and 2 kids and she is only £60 a month, my cousin is in a 3 bedroom house up and downstairs and is only £46 a month for 2 adults and a kid. I am in a 2 bedroom 4 in a block house groundfloor with 2 bedrooms of which I don't use the radiator in the back bedroom and I am £61 a month and I am on my own I can't afford to heat the house the way I want to. And I am in debt to the supplier.

And concil have told me I am not getting a new boiler as it has spare parts for it. and it's burning at 29.52Kw and is only a 30Kw boiler. So they told me not to use my gas fire turn all radiators down to 2 apart from Living Room keep it at full. Would a new boiler make any difference

 

[Chalked]

It's all to fo with efficiency.
York gas boiler may be 85% efficient, so 15p of every £ is wasted.
Your fire is likely to be 60%, do 40p goes up your chimney.

 

[hollyoaks777]

It's all to fo with efficiency.
York gas boiler may be 85% efficient, so 15p of every £ is wasted.
Your fire is likely to be 60%, do 40p goes up your chimney.

That's quite a lot to me. For someone like me who hasn't got a clue about heating systems is that efficent enough? The plumer I got in myself did say new radiators might help as mine are around 25 years old would they? I am sure it was alloy radiators he said would help.

 

[Riley]

It's all relative. You might spend a fair whack on getting a newer more efficient boiler some ERP models are well into the 90%s efficiency wise however you may also improve the situation with controls like a thermostat and a programmer or maybe properly insulating the property if it's not already? Sounds like you currently have a band B boiler possibly. These can no longer be fitted as they aren't efficient enough. Hope this helps

 

[hollyoaks777]

Thank you. I am just my radiators at 2 and see how mu much that helps. The plumber checked it out with the company that sells spare parts for it they said it was A rated. I am not so sure Though as My bills are too high.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Why are you concerning your self with the cost of boiler parts & the price of new boilers ?? it's a council owned property, anything go's wrong with it's down to the council to put it right, I'm sure they would love you to spend out a couple of thousand pounds installing new equipment, but you wont get this money back, What is the insulation like in the house ? the council get this done for free, Open flame effect gas fires are not the most efficient , think about getting a outset gas fire that is behind glass , some of these are over 80% efficient .

 

[hollyoaks777]

Why are you concerning your self with the cost of boiler parts & the price of new boilers ?? it's a council owned property, anything go's wrong with it's down to the council to put it right, I'm sure they would love you to spend out a couple of thousand pounds installing new equipment, but you wont get this money back, What is the insulation like in the house ? the council get this done for free, Open flame effect gas fires are not the most efficient , think about getting a outset gas fire that is behind glass , some of these are over 80% efficient .

It's because they said I am not gettimg one off them. But if it made a big difference I would get my MP involved. The cavity wall insulation is like white loft insulation without the glass is the best I can descirbe it. I didn't think my bills would be much different. Headache! Yes council got it done free. That's not as good as my old house either. it was like silicone. It came throgh my extractor fan and stopped it working, that's how I know that. I am just enqiring to see if a new boiler would bring my bills down a good bit. Then I would be straight on the phone to my MP. According to Chalk if I am correct I am losing £9 a month

 

[jtsplumbing]

Could be other factors causing a large heat loss, Doors / Windows etc. A lot of older property's in this area are having major upgrades , Heating, insulation, and in most cases the whole of the outside is covered in insulation, I know people that have had this done & now hardly have the heating on, I don't know what difference your MP will make ! they will just say its down to cut backs, Unless you have some sort of illness or are disabled you wont stand much chance of any help, even they don't stand much chance, in most cases peoples benefits are being cut , You'll Proberly have to put on a extra jumper and use a hot water bottle, No good going to sit in the Library most of them have been shut !!!

 

[hollyoaks777]

Could be other factors causing a large heat loss, Doors / Windows etc. A lot of older property's in this area are having major upgrades , Heating, insulation, and in most cases the whole of the outside is covered in insulation, I know people that have had this done & now hardly have the heating on, I don't know what difference your MP will make ! they will just say its down to cut backs, Unless you have some sort of illness or are disabled you wont stand much chance of any help, even they don't stand much chance, in most cases peoples benefits are being cut , You'll Proberly have to put on a extra jumper and use a hot water bottle, No good going to sit in the Library most of them have been shut !!!

Did the people you know get that done with the council? I have multiple illnesses. That's why I need the heat but I can't afford it. What is that type of insulation your talking about? Is it insulation board with plasterboard attatched to it? If it wasn't the council how much did it cost them? Doors and windows just got renewed not long ago jts.

 

[jtsplumbing]

What they have done here costs thousands it was a major housing upgrade in this & I understand other parts of the country, to be honest you need to try Social services , CAB etc. but to be quite honest I don't think you will have much luck with any of them, you will just be fobbed of with its due to budget cuts, Believe that government is stopping the Heating allowance after this year, Government has no money left after Giving Billons to the EU and aid to almost every other country on the planet once your over a certain age in this country you are just a burden Think it was something that Scrooge quoted in a Christmas carol about the old and sick and reducing the population if they cant support themselves (Just let them die)

 

[hollyoaks777]

What they have done here costs thousands it was a major housing upgrade in this & I understand other parts of the country, to be honest you need to try Social services , CAB etc. but to be quite honest I don't think you will have much luck with any of them, you will just be fobbed of with its due to budget cuts, Believe that government is stopping the Heating allowance after this year, Government has no money left after Giving Billons to the EU and aid to almost every other country on the planet once your over a certain age in this country you are just a burden Think it was something that Scrooge quoted in a Christmas carol about the old and sick and reducing the population if they cant support themselves (Just let them die)

I didn't know that. But we had our chance and blew it!!! What is CAB? That man would do away with the NHS tommorow if he could. He's doing it the fly way so it will collapse with the cuts. So back to my question is it worth trying to get a new boiler or will it not make any difference to my bills?

 

[Riley]

A new boiler might help but the actual saving money side of things is far more involved. I would be surprised if a new boiler didn't help your costs on a monthly basis but it could just be masking another problem for example double glazing, insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, heating controls such as timers TRVs. A lot of people just gauge the efficiency of their boiler by how hot the house Is but ignore how much energy is just going straight out the window

 

[jtsplumbing]

Ask the council when they intend to upgrade the property, surprised the boiler has lasted 10 years simie boilers not the best, if you have the sort of luck that most people have , you would pay out for a boiler next week , then get a letter form council saying they are replacing all the old boilers over 10 years, (CAB = Citizens advise bureau ) better to keep your money in the bank earning a little interest and paying that little extra on the gas bill, Get gas supplier to check if meter is faulty ! are you on a Key Meter or quarterly meter ? Don't for get we are into the winter Mths now, so bills will be higher, Have a word with your gas supplier to see if your on the best tariff (Rate) Did you have a combi boiler at your last house ? If you work out what your paying in extra gas (Approx £20) its going to take you somewhere around 8 to 10 years to spend on extra gas what it will cost to replace the boiler and you will still have to pay for gas !! KEEP YOUR MONEY IN THE BANK !!!!

 

[hollyoaks777]

A new boiler might help but the actual saving money side of things is far more involved. I would be surprised if a new boiler didn't help your costs on a monthly basis but it could just be masking another problem for example double glazing, insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, heating controls such as timers TRVs. A lot of people just gauge the efficiency of their boiler by how hot the house Is but ignore how much energy is just going straight out the window

Have you amy idea how much a new boiler would save me a month. I have cavity wall insulation and new double glazing windows and pvc doors,

 

[Riley]

As I think someone mentioned earlier. At a guess we would say your current boiler is 85% efficient. Some of the new boilers can be as high as 95 or 96% efficient so I guess you could look at it with your current boiler 15p in the pound goes out the window. you have to note however that this is only very very rough as there are multiple other things that can affect this. I think you are wanting one of us to say you need a new boiler but if the one you have is working even if it is less efficient I certainly wouldn't say in my professional opinion that one should be provided. I am no expert in council housing however so do not know if they have any obligation to provide you with a certain efficiency boiler my suspicion would be that they don't

 

[jtsplumbing]

Ok you are spending £61 per Mth on gas boiler is about 85% efficient

New boiler is on average 95% efficient this will save about 10% on gas about £6.00 per Mth

Divide this saving by the cost of a knew boiler ! approx. in round numbers depending what has to be done & make of boiler etc.
£1500 to £2000
You would be saving around £72.00 per year, divide this by the cost of new boiler and it will take you between 20 & 30 years to get the cost of the boiler back on what you save on gas & you will still be paying about £55.00 per Mth for gas

YOU ARE WASTEING YOUR MONEY PAYING OUT FOR A NEW BOILER ONLY SAVEING £6.00 Mth £1.50 per week

AS B4 CHECK THAT YOUR ON THE RIGHT TARRIF OR CHANGE SUPPLIER

 

[doitmyself]

Your Sime boiler is A rated, which is the best you can get. Unless it has never been serviced, it should still be just as efficient. So it would be a waste of money changing the boiler.

There must be some other reason why your bills are high.

Do you have a timer and room thermostat (or programmable thermostat)? If so, what are the settings?

Setting the TRV to 2 in unused rooms may help - provided you keep the doors closed. But heat will still pass through the walls and floors from the heated rooms into the unused rooms.

 

[hollyoaks777]

Your Sime boiler is A rated, which is the best you can get. Unless it has never been serviced, it should still be just as efficient. So it would be a waste of money changing the boiler.

There must be some other reason why your bills are high.

Do you have a timer and room thermostat (or programmable thermostat)? If so, what are the settings?

Setting the TRV to 2 in unused rooms may help - provided you keep the doors closed. But heat will still pass through the walls and floors from the heated rooms into the unused rooms.

sorry I fell asleep I thimk I will keep it it has Danfoss wireless heatimg cntrol amd I turn it on and Turn it on and off as it comes on ay 20 degrees and until you pressed up it stayed off. Now when I turn it on it comes on at 20 and also strts the heating on.

 

[Roger Welton]

Best way to cut bills is to have it on less, 6 hours a day instead of 12 will halve (roughly) your bill.

If you have the house heated 24-7 then £2 a day doesnt sound too bad to me!

 

[hollyoaks777]

Best way to cut bills is to have it on less, 6 hours a day instead of 12 will halve (roughly) your bill.

If you have the house heated 24-7 then £2 a day doesnt sound too bad to me!

Yes that would be great but unfortunately that's only for 3 hours maximum a day. That question is hypothetical. As I do want it on all day. But I can't afford it and I am in debt to my supplier for maximum of 3 hours a day. Because I set up a direct debit for the same as my old house. Thinking it would be about the same or a bit more. But not this much more.

 

[SimonG]

You can take boiler efficiencies with a pinch of salt.

Hear it all the time with oil boilers. Custs complaining that the swapped a 78% efficient boiler for a new one running at supposed 95% or higher. Straight away they think I'm going to use 17% less oil, it's gonads. Figures in reality are completely different.

If your gas bill is too high then use it less. Insulate, keep one room warm, use the central heating rather than the fire etc.

 

[Rickster123]

Pop an extra jumper on..

 

[hollyoaks777]

Pop an extra jumper on..

Funny you say that I am just buying thermal underwear mate

 

[village idiot]

Funny you say that I am just buying thermal underwear mate

This is a family forum hollyoaks, please keep your private life private

 

[SimonG]

Anyway, it was 20 degrees this afternoon and that's in the great cold north.