Oh dear! Here we go again.

They're just profiteering as usual, and this is when people start theiving gas and electricity on a massive scale, the same thing happened with tobacco when the govt went berserk with the taxes, eventually no one buys cigarettes in the UK as they are readily available without the tax and so because the govt is making nothing, they hike the prices up even more, and then more, which just gives the smugglers more scope to sell their contraband while the govt make less and less. There will be gangs of rogues digging up gas pipes and hooking a free supply into every home in Britain soon, maybe it's already started, hence the astronomical price rises this year alone, 15% a few months ago and now 35%, but as usual, and as with the tobacco, only the law abiding and more often than not, the pensioners will lose out by being forced to pay these extortionate prices.

Er, that's Transco (or whoever they've been rebranded as this week). The only thing that makes the supply non-free is the meter.

The difference between petrol/derv and gas prices is that the former are heavily taxed so that when oil prices triple the pump price doesn't.

I'm expecting a lot of people to get quite serious about gas saving now. Gas fires (to heat one room no the whole house) may even make a come back.

Quite. People keep talking about having to save energy - well, maybe this is were it starts. Instead of complaining about how much more money they will have to spend (to keep the same level of efficiency/warmth), will they actually start to cut back now? It would be a bugger if it was a cold winter.

How about changing the "Smell Gas? phone xxxxxxx" to "Smell Gas? Quick, bottle it before anyone else gets in on the act"

They are hopelessly inefficient. The best way is to put zone valves on the CH and a timer-stat in the rooms. This is a proper control system, TRVs are not!

We are not talking about the same products. The ones I mean are about 75% efficient and heat one room very effectively using much less gas than a

If they only manage 75% they use more gas than my CH system to heat one room. CH is more efficient if you have proper controls.

If you take the scenario maintaining a living room at say 21°C and the rest of the house say 18°C then using a gas fire in the living room as a 'top up' must be more efficient than maintaining the whole house, or even a zone, at 21°C.

I suppose it may be possible to create a zone of one room but that sounds a 'stretch'.

I am really interested in this topic being in the fuel poverty class and 'geriatric I need to find the most efficient way to minimize heating cost of my home.

I have five rooms on zone valves, so yes its quite easy.

Geriatric? You don't want a fire then. Too dangerous. Why do you think the government installs free CH for the vulnerable elderly?

PS don't bother demanding Centrica's profits back either.. if you took them all and shared them out it is less than £100 per customer and most of the profit is from industry anyway so householders would only get a few quid. Its better they support the vulnerable more.

There are losses associated with: the pipework. letting by of the closed valves to name a couple of things.

Depending on a lot of variables it may or may not use less gas to heat one room directly or indirectly.

You supplied the figures that show CH with proper controls is cheaper.

(I already knew.)

As you appear to be semi illiterate perhaps this will help: Geriatric=of or related to aged

Being aged it doesn't equate to stupidity or loss of capability. I wish that could apply to many others not aged.

I have no idea other than to heat the whole house. Heating the whole house isn't the issue but doing so economically is. Incidentally what is meant by 'vulnerable' in the context quoted?

As you appear to be a PITA sod off.

Well mine seems to manage ok using TRVs. Of course if you wish to cut off the heating entirely from some rooms for parts of the day you need something more sophisticated - but you'd then need to make sure doors are kept closed. But unless you're confined to an armchair do you really want the living area at 21C all day? I have mine at 18C during the day and only ramp it up to 21 for the evenings.

The operative is _proper_ controls. Onces are that are correctly installed, correctly setup and in good working order. That's down to about

Somewhat less than that I expect, most only have a room stat and TRVs, not a proper control system. However they are still probably cheaper to heat one room than a gas fire. CH starts out more efficient and what heat is "wasted" heats the rest of the house so preventing damp that the gas fire doesn't do.