Just over two weeks to go until our brand new show!
Build your dream home with confidence
BOOK YOUR TWO FREE TICKETS HEREBuild your dream home with confidence
BOOK YOUR TWO FREE TICKETS HEREEstimate your project costs instantly with Build It's interactive self-build cost calculator
Calculate NowGet an accurate, detailed cost breakdown of your project
Submit plansHi,
I have just bought a house that needs a heating and hot water system installing.
There is no gas in the property but there is gas in the street. Approx cost to bring the gas as far as house is £800 incl vat.
The property also needs major rewiring, with or without heating system.
The house is stone single storey cottage with mostly lath and plaster, and I intend to install insulated plasterboard to external walls and possibly ceilings as well to ensure the loft has a good depth of insulation. The current single glazed windows will be replaced by double glazing.
An initial review of modern electric radiators leads me to think that their ability to be controlled individually to a high degree of accuracy in terms of timings, temperature, and for separate rooms, is attractive.
It strikes me that the cost of installing gas CH may work out the same as wiring and electric radiators, due to higher cost of electric radiators.
I know the cost of electricity is more than mains gas, but I have always found thermostats and TRVs less than accurate.
My question is - should I go for gas central heating or electric radiators with WiFi? - I would welcome your input.
Phil
Dear Phil
However sophisticated the control system, electric radiators are still electric resistance heating so will cost about three times as much to run as gas. Carbon emissions per kWh of heat delivered will also be higher – for the foreseeable future. Modern gas boilers all have timers and thermostats and you can have TRVs in each heated room to ensure that you are not heating space unnecessarily. If you have gas available I would definitely get it connected – it will repay you within a few years for space heating and less for hot water.
As to insulation, if insulating walls internally it is essential on such a building to use a vapour-open insulant (cork/hemp & lime, wood wool eg pavatex) – and insulated plasterboard is not vapour open. Impervious internal wall insulation prevents walls drying out internally and also lowers the wall temperature – further compromising the ability of the wall to dry out if it ever gets wet (and they do). Without knowing more about the context (location, exposure, condition of the outer skin) it is not possible to advise further but experts (self included) can do so with more information.