Electrically powered central heating?

Bug One said:
If electricity cost the same as gas, I'm sure a lot more people would consider switching over to electric heating.
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Gas price to home customers is capped by the govt because its a vote winner i.e. its a political decision not a market one. Gas price to industry which is uncapped basically subsidises the other. Electricity could be capped likewise if they felt it necessary.
 
tonys said:
Why not? The solar panels are only an extra supply so as to not use from the grid therefore reducing your bill. What about people who have got solar panels and gone and got an electric car?
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Yer, like me.

I could charge my electric car during the summer in the day entirely off the panels while I was working from home. However heating a house is mostly done during the winter when there's very little sunlight. My old house had 4kw solar panels but could only just about maintain a 500w air heater in winter during the day.
 
Every system has its good and bad points you just have to be aware of them. Due to our climate you should have been made aware that the solar panels would not supply the required kW for heating and that you would either have to increase the amount of panels or battery storage whilst still having to get a supply from the grid during winter. It also depends on your usage aswell.
 
tonys said:
Every system has its good and bad points you just have to be aware of them. Due to our climate you should have been made aware that the solar panels would not supply the required kW for heating and that you would either have to increase the amount of panels or battery storage whilst still having to get a supply from the grid during winter. It also depends on your usage aswell.
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I didn't think heat pumps worked in winter very well either?
 
Even with loft and cavity insulation our house doesn't hold heat very well. No chance I'm changing to electric heating anytime soon. Even gas in winter heads towards £80 a month just for heating.
Sealed up the house so much we now need a dehumidifier in winter as well to stop the windows becoming saturated.
 
robj20 said:
Even with loft and cavity insulation our house doesn't hold heat very well. No chance I'm changing to electric heating anytime soon. Even gas in winter heads towards £80 a month just for heating.
Sealed up the house so much we now need a dehumidifier in winter as well to stop the windows becoming saturated.
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Interesting, where are you losing your heat from? Windows? Is your property detached, semi or terraced?
 
kindai said:
Theyre crap unless you are in an airtight box.
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In essence this, will good built modern housing, as in well built, then it is viable, but retrofitting to leaking homes of yesterday is an arsing about way to lose money.
Typical of this government, likely done to help m8s in a fix, or things they've shares in, and no actual thought.
If we'd 5 extra nuke reactors providing cheap electric, then it might be different, my energy provider in Norn Iron has just this afternoon sent an email which from 1st dec will take their unit cost of electric to 23p.
Madness.
 
robj20 said:
Even with loft and cavity insulation our house doesn't hold heat very well. No chance I'm changing to electric heating anytime soon. Even gas in winter heads towards £80 a month just for heating.
Sealed up the house so much we now need a dehumidifier in winter as well to stop the windows becoming saturated.
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Our windows get condensation on, but that's physics you can't stop that as it's colder outside than the inside.
 
tonys said:
It happens with double glazing unless you have the temperature above the "dew point"
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Exactly, generally have the heating set to 17c at night. But that doesn't mean the inside pane of glass will be 17c. Think the dew point is around 15c from memory.
 
Dew point is a function of relative humidity and temperature so it depends how humid you keep your house. I just threw some numbers into a calculator and got anything from 12° to 18°C (the latter being I'd you keep your house at 65% RH and 25° so not a comfortable living condition).

Just surprised as my house is humid and pretty warm, and I don't get condensation on any of the windows except rooms with plumbing!
 
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We've got double glazing, but still get condensation. Normally only when it's really cold. It's 7 degrees outside now, but the windows are clear. Makes sense about dew points. I've got a humidity sensor and assuming it's accurate it's normally between 40-70% RH. Also we have an environmental chamber at work where you can set humidity and temperature separately, you'd be surprised how little difference there is (in feeling) being 50 and 95% humidity at room temperature. At 40 degrees/95% it becomes a rainforest and instantly fogs glasses:cry:.
 
I'm about to replace a 30 year old central heating system current plan is Mixergy tank (smart tank with multiple energy inputs) for heating water in the early hours at 5p/kwh and install an ASHP assuming I can get a grant to help with the cost. House is too small and not ideally placed for solar. I'm applying via Octopus at the mo to see what they offer or will try to apply for a grant from next April for the ASHP system.
 
To eliminate condensation in doule glazing. How about drilling two small holes, say top and bottom, on one side - blow warm air between the panes from e.g. a hair dryer, and then plug the holes with small rubber bungs.
 
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