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On 22/04/11 18:52, Kai Hendry wrote: > > So with these dilemmas in mind, can anyone offer tips how I can plot > when perhaps switching over to electric becomes worthwhile? You'll need to do the maths sorry. The cheapest electric heating to run (not install) is probably a heat pump. Water source heat pumps are generally considered better (marginal in field trials) than air source but more expensive to fit, and the benefits over air aren't that marked unless you have some conveniently located (deep) lake (do you? Maybe a Farm might be a good place to fit one). The cheapest of these to install fits over a modern door way, pumps heat from outside, and acts as an air heater inside the door. Can be fitted by as a DIY project. You might want to go up market and get one that heats the water in your existing central heating. Electric heat pumps are typically two to three times more efficient that simply turning electricity into heat, but they still aren't competitive with mains gas. They might already be competitive with bottled gas or oil, and are certainly more convenient. Energy savings trust think electric heat pump is 40 quid a year more than oil for a 3 bed semi when running at 220% (which was average in their study - some performed at 300% which makes them cheaper than oil already, in all cases they emit less carbon than conventional heating - oil, gas or electric). Obvious the recent changes in oil prices may have changed that figure in favour of heat pumps already, assuming electricity price increases are less than oil price increases (which I think they have been). http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Air-source-heat-pumps Do read their comparison and take advice from a heating installer. Almost certainly installation costs will dominate any savings in operation (for any option but especially heat pumps because they are relatively uncommon still), so probably not worth doing until the oil boiler (or gas boiler) is dying unless the energy saving trust or someone will give you some money towards it (think carbon offsetting). Since the market is warped by things like carbon offsetting it is hard to give a definitive answer but the tables in the link given should help answer the question even if you opt for conventional electric heating. Simon -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq