Any advice on an LPG heating system?

[Timmy_T]

We've just looked at a house that has an LPG combi boiler with a bulk LPG tank. We've no experience of LPG (and neither has any of our friends!), so I'm after some general feedback as to the pro's and cons of it.

Does the system need any special maintainence, are the boilers more expensive to buy/install/service, do you need to employ an LPG specialist, or can any Corgi engineer work on them?

I understand that until recently there has been a lot of hassle with suppliers locking in customers on long term agreements but read that this is due to change shortly. Any comments on this?

Thanks for your time, TT

 

[bobthebender]

LPG is a dirty gas and more expensive to run + slightly more expensive to buy (£30 for a conversion kit)
You need an LPG corgi engineer.
Apart from that they are OK

 

[gas4you]

LPG boilers are slightly more efficient than natural gas, but as said it will be more costly to run. Boilers such as the Vaillants I fit do not need a conversion kit or a special model for LPG as the installer will just adjust for LPG during commissioning, therefore the boiler cost and spares are identical.

With LPG you can also have a cooker and fires off the tank as well. LPG is more dangerous than NG as it is heavier than air and will collect at floor level if there is a leak, hence special training and qualifications needed for this and other installation and safety issues.

 

[Agile]

Although I dont have the current figures I have always understood that the cost of using LPG was at least 50% more than natural gas and there are suplier lock in problems. Many of the tanks belong to the gas supplier and no one else can supply gas so there is a virtual monopoly.

I have always thought that LPG burns more cleanly and with a more stable flame so my opinion is that a boiler running on LPG is just as good as a boiler on natural gas although I dont see very many so perhaps this is based on too few examples.

I would recommend that if you are considering buying a property with no natural gas that you investigate the supply costs over the last two years. An average three bed semi uses about £700 per annum on nat gas.

Tony

 

[gas4you]

I have several customers who are on LPG heating etc and are very happy with it. If you need LPG then usually your only other option is oil so there is really no need to compare it with natural gas

 

[Stivino]

I've got propane. I'm supplied by Calor, as far as I know they're the dearest. Right now they charge me 27.75p/litre. The quarterly charge is about £15. My tank holds 2,000 litrea. So, that's about £550 a fill. I don't use it that much, I have a coal fire that gives me all my hot water and a good heat in my living room.
I can check back a couple of years and post my average annual usage, if you like.

 

[Agile]

Its pretty irrelevant what you pay for LPG as we will not know the proportion contributed by your coal heating.

If you have the figures per annum than you could post the cost of coal and gas for each of the last two or better three years as that might be interesting.

But give the type and size of the house and comment on double glazing and loft insulation and part of the country.

Tony

 

[Stivino]

Agile, I wasn't just going to post my bill you know. If I had posted anything I would of course quantified what I had said.
However it was nice to have been so patronised, thanks.