Is Electric Central Heating more economical than gas now?

I used gas to heat a gas stove kettle with a cup of water in it to a certain temp, and did the same thing for an electric kettle. Turns out that gas now costs 30% more than electric using this crude test. Is it now more economical to get electric central heating installed rather than gas?

Thanks for your interest.

Reply to
blackhead
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You're not really comparing like with like. A gas heated kettle will generally waste a lot of heat due to losses around the sides, something that doesn't happen with an electric kettle. A CH boiler is a very different (kettle of fish). It's efficiency is much higher than a kettle heated over an open flame.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

No! As you say, it was a crude test - very crude!

What price per kWH do you pay for gas and on-peak electricity? In terms of converting input energy into useful space heating, electricity may be 10% more efficient than gas - but costs several times as much. [I currently pay

3.4 times the gas price for each unit of electricity].

The only way in which electrical heating can get anywhere near competing with gas is to use off-peak electricity - which means you get it when it's available rather than when you need it, with a resulting total lack of flexibility. You may just get away with a high capacity water-based heat bank - but conventional storage heaters are the work of the devil!

Reply to
Roger Mills

I tried that about 7 years ago with similar results.

Gas boilers are more efficient than kettles on a hob, so the answer is no.

Reply to
<me9

Not a good comparison. And electric kettle has the heat source inside so less loss. To compare the two in this way you'd need to boil the kettle on an electric hob.

A good condensing gas boiler will be very nearly as efficient as an electric one so all you need to do is compare the prices of each fuel per kilowatt/hour.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

No.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

No, just don't go with British Gas or you will pay 100% more than everyone with other companies. Certainly for gas anyway, they are the most expensive company about but stupid people still go with them. Electric storage heaters are a waste of time and once the heat has gone that's it. So no turning them up a few times per day. Change to a cheaper gas supplier, get your home insulated and get a new boiler fitted. You can get some work done under certain government schemes if you are on some benefits or can't be bothered working. Those who are not afraid of working or can't think of a good enough excuse will have to foot the bill. The test you mention couldn't be measured in the home accurately anyway.

Reply to
Rob

Well if you wait a decade till gas is three times as expensive as nuclear electricity...

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Which will, of course, be too cheap to meter :-)

Reply to
Ron Lowe

Pay attention in the back: that was 3 or 4 decades ago. It's now so cheap they pay us to use it ;-)

Reply to
John Stumbles

A lot of con-fusion ?

Reply to
Rod

This 'sparks' another train of thought....

....if electricity is over 3 times more expensive than gas, how about a gas powered generator for the electricity? [Yes, I know that's how we get a lot of our electricity anyway.] If you could get a home generator which was 50% efficient in converting gas to electricity then you would be ahead of the game.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David WE Roberts

Interesting idea, though I doubt you'd manage as good as 50%. ISTR that large power station steam turbine generator sets are less than 40% efficient and they're pretty close to the thermodynamic maximum efficiency.

OTOH diverting the waste heat into your heating system could lead to a very good overall efficiency.

Finding a CORGI installer certified to install gas fired engines might be a bit of a problem though. The CORGI site only came up with 2 within 50 miles of my home.

Reply to
Mike Clarke

They are here. They are called Combied Heat and Power units (CHP - cogen in USA).

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Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Laws of thermodynamics would make that impossible with current technology.

That's why electricity is dearer than gas.

Reply to
<me9

Combined Heat & Power using Stirling engines can get 50% efficiency and more. See the link I gave.

I can be cheaper using a Stirling engine to generate electricity than diesel IC engines, however the electrical energy used has to be 100% used to make it viable. No having it tick over in case a light is switched on. The national grid make it easy to use the grid as a buffer. So having a Stirling put its surplus electricity into the grid and be paid for it using a reversible meter can be cost effective. Also using any surplus heat to heat DHW and the building.

CHP is dispersed power generators. One in each home.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

What would he then use for the comparison with gas? Bubble it through the electric kettle and set light to it?

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

I doubt that.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Yup. CHP sets will do getting on for overall 70% plus electricty/heat.

Problem comes when you want leccy, but not heat.

Most useful in colder climes.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

*woosh*
Reply to
Ron Lowe

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