We are thinking of switching to solid fuel from gas,due to the cost & scarcity of gas all comments appreciated

Question

We currently have a gas back boiler, which cannot be replaced, which means a whole new system if we stay with gas, whereas our current system will work perfectly well with an enclosed solid fuel fire/backboiler. Another consideration is the spiraling cost of gas and the possibility of being held to ransom by other countries when our own gas runs out.

Answer 1

Dust (ash) everywhere, fetching coal in and taking ashes out, smokeless coal is about 10.50 a bag and in winter reckon on 2 to 3 bags a week.
I would prefer to have gas but our village isn't on a supply!

Answer 2

Buy a wood burner that also burns solid fuel they are very efficient
And stay warm for a very long time. One with a back boiler could be benificial. We used to have one that did both the central heating & the hot water it was very good but very time consumining both in the amount of timber that was needed to keep the radiators hot and the frequent chimney cleaning that is required. The best solution we have found for keeping our fuel bill down (and I am at home all day) is by insulating our walls and loft with plenty of insulation, a multi fuel burner/both wood & solid fuel & a Worchester heatslave oil boiler for the central heating & hot water.
Although oil has increased in cost over the last few years we still find that this sort of boiler is still cheap to run. We do not use ours on a timer unless we are going to be out and need it on for when we come home. We just switch it on as and when needed. We light our wood burner at night and with the room doors left open inside the house when we are in bed, on all but for the coldest nights our house is still reasonably warm in the morning. We also shop around for our oil and do not always use the same supplier although on the last 3 purchases we have found a small independent supplier 4p a litre cheaper than a well know name.

Answer 3

Both the gas and the oil come mostly from other countries so ransom is the same in both. Gas companies have few competitors so there is nowhere to go for a better price - they are monopolies. A lot of the oil dealers are small and eager to pick up customers (although that is changing as the big ones buy them out).

The reason it really doesn't make much difference is that the oil and gas suppliers always know each others prices and always try to make them comparable for comparable amounts of energy. That ensures that if one is higher the other will soon rise up to be just as bad - so differences are only temporary.

Answer 4

A possibility to consider is electric though it certainly is not cheap but compares favorably with gas and oil provided the house is well insulated. Of course if you do not have 200 amp service, the cost will be significant for rewiring. The cost will be significant even if you do have 200 amp service due to having to wire each room for 220.

Many people have installed wood burning stoves, a very inexpensive alternative but somewhat dirty. They however can cause significant burns if one should touch the stove. My grandparents had a wood buring kitchen stove and also coal fired furnace.

Answer 5

Used Coal Fires, and an Aga Cooker/heating system.

Trouble with solid fuel is it is heavy and bulky, and you have the ash to get rid off.

Advantage is that you can burn all your household waste, except can/tins, destroy all your paper records for security, and old wood and timber that crops up.

The heat from a proper fire is like nothing else, it really heats you from the inside out.

Other trouble is they go out. If we had regular jobs etc, we would scrap the Gas fire, and have a real fire again.

Also used an Aga Cooker/heater, trouble is you need to get it up to full temp to do cooking, which you dont want to do when it is 30DegC outside.

If you have the time, and are fit, go for it, I would.

Answer 6

Solid fuel is difficult to control (ie you can't just switch it on and off) and also makes a mess. Why not consider solar power. You can have a couple of panels on your roof which will give you all the hot water you need.