Gas Vs Solid Fuel

With Gas supplies running low as the hard weather hits, has the time come to ask ourselves if we should go back in time and start using wood and smokeless coal. Our grandparents used it and some of our parents used it and even today a lot have people have turned their back on expensive gas and gone back to using solid fuel.

Before the council came along and fitted gas central heating into our homes we all used solid fuel, it is becoming more and more popular in the light of gas prices. As we look to the future and possibly have to buy gas from other sources the price will get higher and higher. Although smokeless coal can also be expensive to run a central heating system on most people also burn wood that they have not had to pay for i.e. friends and relatives usually drop off anything wooden for you to burn that they no longer want, giving you free fuel. Lots of people have access to tree surgeons who just want to get rid of wood or builders yards with off cuts.

With money tighter than it ever has been we have to get best value for money. With gas there is no free fuel. But don’t be misled that solid fuel is always cheaper, if you have to run a solid fuel central heating system and you have to buy wood and smokeless coal then it could be as expensive to run as gas but with the advantage that it is on all the time and your gas central heating probably only comes on a couple of times a day.

Even if you decide to get a room heater only and not a central heating model it will still warm the body of the house up if it is kept in therefore reducing the need to put on your gas central heating, again saving money.

If you decide to buy a solid fuel system make sure you buy from a reputable dealer who can give you sound advice and if you have any problems they can help you to sort them out. Also make sure the stove you choose is a manufacturer that has been around for a while and they are not just around while the market is booming because in a years time when you want spare parts for it you will need to be able to obtain them. A lot of stoves that are coming in from the East are having trouble getting spares parts for.

Shopping around for gas prices and not getting tied down to one supplier is another answer to ensure you are paying the cheapest possible price for your gas.

Both gas fires and solid fuel fires should be serviced on a regular basis. With solid fuel it is just a case of making sure the door seal is still ok, this you can do yourself you do not need to get a qualified Gas engineer. The chimney will also have to be swept once a year to make sure it is not getting blocked with soot and tar. It will also have to be tested for carbon monoxide to make sure it is not leaking.

In conclusion if you are only using your gas central heating for a few hours a day and don’t need it on any other time then you are probably better off staying with the gas for now, but if you are at home all day and would like to keep the house warm for longer periods of time or constantly warm then the way forward is definitely going to be solid fuel.

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