Alternatives to mains gas

[crom]

I've been told that a 49KG gas cannister can last a small family (2 adults and 2 kids) about a year and a half. This seems remarkable so I thougt I'd check it out with the peeps on this board.

Following up an earlier post I'm looking into alternatives to running heating off the electric supply because of cost etc. It'll be prohibitive to install a new gas supply and we can't use one of these things to generate heat from the ground (can't remember what they're called). A neighbour has one and it has frozen parts of his garden and killed loads of plants!!!

Does anyone know ballpark figures for running and installing oil tank and oil central heating?

Cheers, Crom

[Ian Stirling]

Let's do the numbers. Hydrocarbons do about 44MJ/Kg. So, call it 2100MJ. Or 583Kwh, or I make that 44W.

_maybe_ for 4 people, cooking in a very minimal manner.

[Cicero]

==================== I'd be very surprised if that's true.

I've just been looking at costs for a propane torch and found this:

but this is more specific to your needs:

[Nigel Molesworth]

If they use it for cooking.

I've just had a new oil boiler fitted, but if I was starting again I would go for a buried gas cylinder and a gas boiler, it would work out about the same to install. Running costs are pretty much identical.

[Steve Firth]

As long as you keep the valve closed it can last a lot longer than that.

What do you intend to run from this gas canister? Your post seems to imply central heating, and I would expect the cannister to last a week to three weeks depending on outside temperature and your personal comfort level.

If you mean for running a gas hob, then your estimate seems about right.

[Andrew Sinclair]

In message , crom@?.?.invalid writes

Cooking perhaps, we use two 19kg propane cylinders each year for our hob (oven is electric).

Heating as well - no way...

[Nigel Molesworth]

About what we use, with same.

[Blueyonder]

Strange no-one has commented on the fact that the ground-heat collection facility next door has introduced a level of perma-frost into the garden! Why would that be?

Is it buried too close to the surface? Turned up too high? Under inappropriate ground-covering (e.g. plants where the sun-light cannot actually get to the ground)? I'd be very interested to know how this can happen, because it does not sound like it has been installed correctly to me.

-- JJ

[Peter Lynch]

These are used a lot in spain - where there isn't much in the way of piped gas. A 12kg bottle of butane used for cooking lasts 2-3 months and costs about 11 euro to refill (it's gone up recently). Do a google for "repsol" and "butane"

Pete

[crom]

Thanks for all the response so far. To come back to you with some clarification, yes I would be aiming to use it for UF heating (about

50 metre square) and hot water as well as hob (oven will be electric).

I am looking into alternatives to using this:

looks expensive to run. Putting in mains gas is going to be prohibitive and oil may not be feasible (again because of the long run from tank to house) but I am looking into it.

Any thoughts...

Thanks, Crom

[Nigel Molesworth]

Yes, an underground gas (or oil) tank. As suggested.