gas heating

[sincnoel]

My partner died three months ago and I'm now on my own in our two-bedroom flat. The living room has an efficient open fireplace and logs are cheap, so no problems there. But I want to slash back on gas bills for the central heating. Indeed, I want to keep use of the CH to a minimum this winter. So, I am thinking of buying a good portable bottled-gas heater. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of this and recommend a decent one that provides max hear with min outlay on the bottles?

[barry1010]

Are you sure you can use a calor gas in your flat? They cannot be used if there are more than 4 storeys or if the block is not traditionally built. They are not particularly cheap to use.
Central heating probably provides you with hot water. It need not be expensive to run if you use it on a timer and don't have it set too high, and is much safer than calor gas.

[sincnoel]

Thank you. Yes, the CH does provide hot water but my non-CH shower gets rid of the need for most of that. Baths are nice but not essential. So, further question: how does a gas heater compare with, say, an electric fan heater? Gas costs more than electricity, right?

[sincnoel]

Oh, by the way, my block is three storeys and built in the mid-30s.

[ACB312]

Hello, Pros - quick instant heat where you want it. Cons - you need to have good ventilation or you'll have condensation, exchanging gas bottles, (best to have 2 so you can replace at convenient time), not pretty and takes up space when you already have 'fire space'. Consider changing your boiler to condensing combi type and have it plumbed so as to heat your tap/shower water - appears expensive at first but you'll save in gas usage - I can't say how long to pay back outlay as I don't know what you've got at present. Hope this helps. Andy

[scotman]

Depending on the level of insulation and draughtproofing and whether you have double glazing you may find condensation in the unused bedroom if you cut back CH too much. Without knowing exactly what sort of place you live in it is difficult to give a definitive answer.
Agree that if you go for bottle gas you need to watch the ventilation or you will get bad condensation.

[buildersmate]

Gas from Calor is around 3x more expensive (per unit output of heat) than mains gas. It's because a little man has to pack it into the bottle for you.
Far better to turn the CH off in all the rooms except the one you had intended to heat with Calor.

[lucca]

Definitely not calor gas or an electric fan heater. Cost a packet, apart from the previously mentioned advice re c.g. problems. If you really don't want to use c.h., maybe an oil-filled radiator would be an idea.. Portable, very efficient and inexpensive to run. We have two and they're excellent.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

We have a fire which is run on Propane cylinders and its expensive. I would jump at the chance of mains gas for my heating.

It is better to ensure you have well insulated walls and draft excluders rather than trying to heat a draughty flat.

Contact your gas supplier and local council and ask for help and advice of heating your home more efficiently. Most of the suppliers websites will have information on this.

[sincnoel]

Multithanks to all respondents.

[paddywak]

Have you tried approaching your council, as there are grants available for insulation, new heating systems etc, with a new upper limit of I believe �3,500. We recently had our bungelow fitted with a new combi boiler, new radiators etc loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, we had to pay an excess of �400 on the system but the difference its made is amazing. You might not be elligable for a grant but if you don't ask you wont know and if you are you may be able to get the work you want done for free

[sincnoel]

thank you, paddywak. yes, i know about council grants ... i had my loft fully insulated several years ago. however, i'll re-investigate the possibilities you mention.

[jamesnan]

Just a thought, my daughter needs help when buying a new gas cylinder because they are extremely heavy - so something to think about

[Whoever]

Look at things from another angle and invest in some really good thermal underwear, including some thermal longjohns if you wear slacks. It's surprising how much warmer they will make you feel, especially if you are sitting down for long periods in the evening which is when you really start to feel chilly. If you Google 'thermal underwear suppliers' you'll probably find lots of good value garments via the internet. Also make sure you close the curtains in all rooms as soon as the sun goes down as a lot of heat is wasted in this way. I'd be wary of calor gas. It's cumbersome to use and possibly dangerous in a multi-occupied building. A small electric fan heater which can be switched on for occasional extra heating bursts when needed and moved from room to room might be a more flexible option.

[weeal]

Portable gas filled radiators are supposed to be cheap to run

[sincnoel]

Like Lucca, I'm thinking that a couple of oil-filled rads probably wd do the job nicely. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts.