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[Technology] Using an immersion heater instead of a gas boiler for heating water?



Change at Barnham

Change at Barnham

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2011
4,913
Bognor Regis
With energy bills going through the roof I’ve noticed that two thirds of our energy bill total is the amount we pay for gas.

Our washing machine and dishwasher use cold feeds and we don’t have the heating on in the summer. Therefore the boiler fires up twice a day for an hour to heat up our water for our showers.

Can anyone advise if they think it would be more efficient to use the immersion heater each time we want a shower instead?
 








Bozza

Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,738
Back in Sussex
Do you really need it on for an hour twice a day?

Mrs B is in control of that stuff here, but I think ours is only on for 15 minutes twice a day. Like you, this will be primarily for showers, with a bit of dish washing.
 








Me and my Monkey

Me and my Monkey

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2015
3,351
swindonseagull said:
At the moment with a combi boiler and gas cooking my gas bill is £12 per month

Maybe if you had a 5 min shower instead of 30 mins ??
Click to expand...

Yes, same here. I love our combi-boiler, but we want to move away from using gas altogether. Ideally an electricity powered combi-boiler if such a thing exists, but I don't know if it does.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,310
immersion heater is like a huge kettle with the element in the water continuously heating. and losing heat, its not most efficient and used where gas isnt available. gas is usually relatively cheaper for heating.

the most efficient heating is only do so on demand, so combi boilers or power showers that heat water immediately on use. just like the cold feed washing machine.
 




phoenix

phoenix

Well-known member
May 18, 2009
2,605
My emmersion goes on for 40 min cheap rate at 5 am (I've wired in a timer 3kw) and stays hot all day even after my shower. I try to shower as late in the day as possible. But i'm a single person occupant. Total cost 40p per day.
Whole family would be quite expensive i would imagine.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,310
swindonseagull said:
At the moment with a combi boiler and gas cooking my gas bill is £12 per month

Maybe if you had a 5 min shower instead of 30 mins ??
Click to expand...

are you missing a "0", living in a cupboard or have a broken meter?
 


M

mwrpoole

Well-known member
Sep 10, 2010
1,506
Sevenoaks
Interesting because my bill for June was £172 for electricity & £16 for gas. We have a combi boiler and heating off obviously, but showers used once or twice a day,
 






B-right-on

B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,176
Shoreham Beaaaach
Change at Barnham said:
With energy bills going through the roof I’ve noticed that two thirds of our energy bill total is the amount we pay for gas.

Our washing machine and dishwasher use cold feeds and we don’t have the heating on in the summer. Therefore the boiler fires up twice a day for an hour to heat up our water for our showers.

Can anyone advise if they think it would be more efficient to use the immersion heater each time we want a shower instead?
Click to expand...

Our boiler died 2 weeks ago so we were using the immersion for a week until the plumber could fix it (had other issues which caused the boiler to die).

Got a smart meter so we saw how much it was using to heat the immersion and it was really expensive. It's like a giant kettle heating away for half an hour, takes half an hour to get the water hot.

No idea on the gas prices but I can't see it being more expensive than the electric charge for the immersion.

Is the only gas appliance your boiler? That sounds a lot. Is it old? We've gone for a top of the range Valliant one that's super efficient on gas usage. Going to be more economical in the long run.
 


BrianB

BrianB

Sleepy Mid Sussex
Nov 14, 2020
368
I've also been thinking about this from a slightly different angle, at the moment I'm paying 2 standing charges for electricity and gas, ( appx £3pw each ),
would it be a decent saving to go electric only ? , given that heating/water is the only gas used in a one bed flat .
 




GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,738
Gloucester
swindonseagull said:
At the moment with a combi boiler and gas cooking my gas bill is £12 per month

Maybe if you had a 5 min shower instead of 30 mins ??
Click to expand...

That's making a lot of judgemental assumptions, isn't it - I've never had a 30 minute shower in my life. Don't enjoy showering, TBH, so it's always in and out as quickly as all the necessary stuff has been done, thank you.
 


GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,738
Gloucester
beorhthelm said:
are you missing a "0", living in a cupboard or have a broken meter?
Click to expand...
My thoughts entirely - either that or he's found a supplier that none of the rest know about. ! now pay £139 pm combined (unfortunately not broken down into the two components). That's with the heating turned off, a quick shower every day or two, and maybe a quarter of my meals microwaved, so not involving the gas cooker.

Thirty minute showers? Is he Americn or something?
 




Tim Over Whelmed

Tim Over Whelmed

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 24, 2007
10,188
Arundel
We have two teenage boys, this is an excellent way of increasing your energy bills, £180 electricity and £80 gas pcm
 




N

nordicgod

Top banana
Jul 21, 2011
888
polegate
My bill for June was £29 gas and £90 electric , our boiler packed up for two days so only cost 27p each day standing charge for the gas and 6p for using gas hob , The electric for just those two days using the immersion for hot water was £11 , as people say it’s a giant kettle.

What we need is one of those water tanks with a single solar panel on that they have on every roof when abroad
 




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