Relative costs of mains Gas/LPG/Oil

[Jimmy Gibson]

Dear all,

Someone is bound to know this so here goes.

I'm replacing my Cheratl heating system and boiler soon. I am currntly running CH from a solid fuel boiler (Parkray Cumbria 111). I would like to replace it with a Combi of some kind but I am undecided as to what to run it from. Mains gas is probably uneconomical to install as I'm quite a way from the gas main, so I'm left with the choice of LPG or Oil.

I've heard from diffrent people that LPG is more expensive than mains gas. Some say a third more others say 3-4 times more. Others have said that oil is cheaper than mains gas, can't beleive this myself as everyone would have oil! So I'm a bit confused.

Can anyone tell me, or point me to, the relative costs of Mains Gas, LPG and Oil? I'm not after specifics just a relative cost of heating say a typical 3 bedroom semi or whatever on each fuel so I can decide which is going to be best for me to go for.

Thanks

Jimmy

[G&M]

Oil is MUCH cheaper than LPG nowadays. We did the sums and are in the process of changing at the moment.

But mains gas is cheaper still if you can get it installed.

[Stephen Fasham]

Not true. You are right about LPG vs oil but mains gas is not cheaper.

Oil is definitely the cheapest central heating fuel, the disadvantages vs gas are all about convenience - i.e. no oil tank, no smell of burning oil etc. I believe Oil burning boilers require slightly more maintenance than gas appliances due to the heavier fuel.

Stephen

[Victoria Clare]

Jimmy Gibson wrote in news:408D2FE6.6070808 @unn.ac.uk:

I can't remember how much mains gas costs, but if you have the option, go for it. We have LPG here, and it's expensive - something like 60 quid a month for a detached 5-bedroom house - and we've also find that it's hard to get people to work on it because it's very slightly non-standard.

Our neighbours went to LPG from solid fuel recently, and they ended up doing a gas fitting qualification and DIY'd the whole thing, because no-one was interested in being paid to do the work.

There is no mains gas here.

We've considered switching to oil, but that means no gas fires (or gas hob if you like those).

I also find that although oil doesn't produce a lot of smoke, my lungs do notice it if I'm near an oil-fired house with the boiler going - though they aren't as bad as the fumes from solid fuel boilers, which really get me wheezing (I have mild asthma).

Victoria

[Dave Liquorice]

But you can have a woodburner with boiler for backup when the power goes off. B-)

As for a gas hob. Yes you can, running of a stand alone propane cylinder. A big one will last ages and costs peanuts to be "refilled".

I guess it depends where in vents, ours is at the top of a 20' flue no fumes at ground level. I wouldn't so keen on having a balanced flue venting at head height.

[Victoria Clare]

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Well OK, but you then have to find somewhere to put a big ugly orange bottle, and carry the damn thing up and down steps to refill it.

And yes, a real fire is nice, but I just don't want to spend my life clearing out cinders, chopping wood to stock the woodshed, and lugging it in to stoke the thing.

Fuel should not be something you have to set time aside to organise, in my view!

Our power supply is not *that* unreliable, and powercuts (usually announced well in advance) are a good excuse for a nice meal out ;-)

Each to their own.

Victoria

[G&M]

Heating oil has risen almost 15% in the past three weeks. Unless you're getting mains gas from some rip off scheme it is cheaper. Of course mains gas may rise soon but at the current time it is cheaper and over time generally is.

[Kerry Hoskin]

Avoid LPG, VERY expensive. We don't have mains gas here and I had Oil installed back in November, not sure how it compares to the cost of mains gas but my last lot of Oil cost me 19p per litre, 900 litres cost me around £180. I expect to only use around two tanks worth of oil a year, its no hassle set an account up with a supplier and they'll come and top your tank up when ever you want, they do mine ever 4 months.

[Rick Dipper]

Soil heat recovery systems are even cheeper .............

400% efficient, for each 1 unit you put in, you get 4 out - wow !!

Rick

[nick smith]

Maybe, but how much real estate do you need and what are the economics of a system, including instal costs to provide a 4 bedroomed detached house with heat and hot water year round when oil and gas are available at a cost of 1 or 2 p per kwH ?

I am not saying its bad, just wondering if its economically viable at the moment in the UK ?

Nick

[Ian Stirling]

But, electricity isn't much less than 4 times the price of gas. Slightly less wow.

[Ian Stirling]

1l, call it 600g = 26MJ or so. (most hydrocarbons are around 44MJ/Kg). That's around 8 KWh, or around 2.2p/unit. Slightly dearer than mains gas, according to my last bill. But several times cheaper than electric.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is consistent with figures I glanced atwhen comparing cots obn various Agas.

Cheapest at the moment is gas, then oil, after that off peak and LPG similar, and on peak way higher than anything.

[Jimmy Gibson]

Are these figures for LPG?

[Neil Jones]

You can get fridges which run on gas - could this be scaled up to a heat a house?

[Ian Stirling]

No, oil.

44MJ/Kg is a reasonable estimate for any hydrocarbon.

[Owain]

"Neil Jones" wrote | > > Soil heat recovery systems are even cheeper ............. | > > 400% efficient, for each 1 unit you put in, you get 4 out - wow !! | > But, electricity isn't much less than 4 times the price of gas. | > Slightly less wow.

Of course, for people who can't get that nice cheap mains gas ...

| You can get fridges which run on gas - could this be scaled up to a heat | a house?

At this time of year, perhaps cooling a house would be more appropriate. Gas-fired air conditioning?

Owain

[G&M]

moment in the UK

Unfortunately installation appears to start at about £8k and work upwards so they never get to a payback situation for many users. Problem is you need a double stage compressor system if you want hot water and radiators, whereas the cheaper units sometimes quoted only supply underfloor and pre-heat to the water tank before an immersion heater.

What I really don't understand is why all these units run on electrictity. If they used oil or gas the running costs would be under half and they would then be economically viable.

[Pete C]

Hi,

If you don't have mains gas and could get 600% efficiency and aircon too it starts to look a lot more convincing, plus there's no need for oil or LPG delivery and storage.

Even if electicity generation is only 50% efficient it will create 3x less CO2 than conventional heating, so it's pretty good from a green perspective.

cheers, Pete.

[IMM]

The capital cost of a ground source heat pump is horrendous. The payback period is looooooooong.