So when it comes to deciding how to heat your home, where do you stand? Is it running cost that drives your final decision for picking the form of fuel you’d like to use when keeping your house warm? Or do you veer more towards the green end of the scale, concerned about doing your bit to save the environment and protect this wonderful world of ours?
Chances are that both factors will make their presence felt when you’re running through the list of reasons to go with this form of heating fuel or the other, and you’re also likely to consider convenience too – how easy it is to keep things running smoothly and fully maintained once everything is in and installed.
Put simply, there’s plenty to think about when deciding which type of fuel to use to heat your home. So allow us to give you a few extra pointers that might help to point you in the right direction.
Firstly, if cost is your major motivator, then mains gas is a good choice. It tends to be very competitively priced (be sure to get some quotes to compare when choosing your supplier) and it’s easy to control. Because you can switch it on or off instantly, you can keep a close eye on how much you’re burning off. It’s very efficient too, meaning you get a good return in terms of usage and what you spend. The equipment needed (boiler, gas fire) isn’t the most expensive either of all options either and because it’s piped directly into your home you don’t need to set aside space for fuel storage. No need for piles of logs in a shed, or a coal hole! Plus for the modern home there are some truly stunning designs available.
However, if you’re not on the mains gas network it becomes a virtual impossibility to connect. If you’re wanting to use gas out in the countryside, a gas tank would likely be your only option and that opens up a whole new list of convenience issues. And if you are driven by green issues, gas is not the cleanest of fuels as it does produce carbon dioxide when burned. Less than coal and oil admittedly, but it’s still there.
Electric heating is an excellent option when It comes to keeping your home warm. Why? Well, it’s so easy to install for starters – and at little or no expense to the aesthetics of your home either. Electric fires are virtually non-invasive and can, depending on the model you choose, take up no more room than a flatscreen TV or a picture on your wall! Modern designs for electric fires are both exciting and artful, enabling you to make the fire a real centrepiece to your living room. Cost-wise, electric fires represent a great and economical investment too, as both running costs and the cost of installation are comparatively low. Buy it, mount it and plug it in. It really can be that simple.
However, if using natural fuel is your major driver, then wood burners or wood fires might be the way to go. In terms of practicality, you’d need to give careful consideration to where you intend to store your wood prior to burning (you’ll need a fair amount of logs and somewhere dry to store them for starters). If you’re able to collect the wood yourself from a local source (and if you have waste wood that you can get your hands on) then wood burning becomes more of a green option as you lower the carbon rating. The least amount of distance the wood has to travel to you the better. Plus there are always the aesthetic gains that are to be had when burning wood in your home – a good wood-burning stove or fire looks just terrific when crackling away in the colder months.
There are some truly beautiful and very modern options available
Whatever fuel you decide to go with when heating your home we’ve got a whole range of ways for you heat your home in ways that are cost-efficient, energy-efficient and beautiful to look at. Whatever your heating needs happen to be, we’d be more than happy to talk you through the options and help you make the decision of how you’d like to heat your home.
Give us a call on 01332 242299, email [email protected] or pop into our studio to take a look at what we have on offer and to find out how best to fuel your home heating system.
