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I have heard that electric central heating is much more expensive than gas. Have just looked at a flat which is all electric. Will that be the case?

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I have heard that electric central heating is much more expensive than gas. Have just looked at a flat which is all electric. Will that be the case?

 

A lot of apartment buildings have a central heating system for the block. In general apartments are more insulated as well. So the simple answer is - depends entirely.

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I would be interested to know too. According to The Green Age one unit of gas = about 4p whereas the same in electricity = about 15p. However, factor in the standing charge for gas, cost of the system, maintenance, repairs or boiler cover, heat loss and things are not quite so straightforward. Fixing CH pipes/radiators can be messy and disruptive.

 

Electric radiators can be switched on independently so you can heat one room at a time, to the heat required so might improve economy.

Edited by Jomie

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Not sure if Economy 7 is still a thing, but all electric flats tend to have electric storage heaters. This is where electricity is used to heat the ceramic blocks in the heaters during non peak hours when electricity is generally a lot cheaper. The idea is that during the day, the stored heat can be released slowly.

 

Also, all electric flats need to have hot water tanks for the hot water unlike gas which has the option of combi boilers.

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Not sure if Economy 7 is still a thing, but all electric flats tend to have electric storage heaters. This is where electricity is used to heat the ceramic blocks in the heaters during non peak hours when electricity is generally a lot cheaper. The idea is that during the day, the stored heat can be released slowly.

 

Also, all electric flats need to have hot water tanks for the hot water unlike gas which has the option of combi boilers.

 

Yes this is the case in the flat which I live in, which is all electric. Storage heaters, theoretically are cheaper, but not as convenient as CH.

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Not sure if Economy 7 is still a thing,

 

Few and far between, the regulator stepped in and forced energy companies to stop offering too many tariffs, capping the number they were allowed to offer.

 

Most then dropped Eco 7 as it wasn't very popular.

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Guest

Depends, only been in one flat that had storage heaters. The rest were normal electric heaters. As previously said also depends on the flat. One I lived in only required me to have any heating on a few days a year! While others have been quite cold.

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Golden Oldie - do you like the flat? If you do like it then perhaps it would be useful to go back and talk to the neighbours to see what they think of their heating bills. You have been looking for a flat for some time and it would be a shame to dismiss it just on the grounds of the electric heating. As has been said, a lot depends upon the property itself. If it is well insulated you might find it quite economical, particularly in the warmer months.

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Modern flats are well insulated, so electric heating costs are not as bad as they used to be. However, water heating costs can still be an issue

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Is there such a thing as "cheap" heating these days.

 

Angel1.

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Is there such a thing as "cheap" heating these days.

Well, some types are cheaper than others; and many have high initial installation costs but low running/maintenance costs.

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