Utility services are fundamental to the efficient running of your home. Depending on the utilities available the cost of the services could have a significant impact on the running cost of your home.
Gas
If a gas service is available from the main network
then it is worth ensuring that you take full advantage
of this because this fuel is an economic way for cooking
or heating your home. Search Gas Suppliers
Analyse the costs
A simple way to analyse different fuels is to examine
the cost per unit of heat. Its not necessarily all down
to this because the final cost does depend on how you
convert and control this energy for your particular
use. Below are some of the cost comparisons.
- 1 kWh of gas energy costs approx. 1.39 pence
- 1 kWh of electricity can range from 2.48 to 7.33 pence depending on what time of the day you consume the electricity.
Look a the total life cycle costs
If you are designing a home from scratch then you need
to consider the cost of installing gas heating in conjunction
with the running costs over the life of the system.
Also good insulation will help to bring down your running
costs.
Capital cost and running costs
A gas hot and central heating system for a three bedroom
house could cost around £3500 to install and the
running cost could be about £500 pa. Whereas with
an electrical storage heating system may cost only £2000
to install but the running cost could be over £1000
pa for electricity.
So from these simple examples you can quickly see that
you need to do your sums and evaluate what is best for
your needs.
Shop around
Very few people sign up to buying car insurance or home
insurance each year without getting a quote from an
alternative supplier. Utilities should be no different,
a recent newspaper article claims that loyal customers
can end up paying up to 25% more for utilities than
customers who shop around.
It is is simpler than you think to compare utility companies and we suggest the company detailed on the right to
help you find the right supplier
LPG and Oil
If you have no direct gas connection but still like the idea of a boiler and radiators then there are other alternatives. LPG gas can be supplied to a pressurized tank in your garden and the supplier will keep your tank topped up on a regular basis so you don’t run out of fuel. The down side of this is the running cost will be higher than natural gas but it may still be cheaper and more controllable than electricity. Oil could also be provided to a suitable boiler to consume the grade of oil available. An oil tank should be installed with capacity for at least 2 weeks of heat and positioned within easy distance for refuelling by an oil tanker. Oil costs can fluctuate so you need to look carefully into the costs and test the effect of a price change of up to + 20% in the event of a sudden oil supply crisis. Search for heating oil providers
Solid fuels
Solid fuel boilers and heaters can be a very economic
way of heating. Especially if you have a good supply
of wood, the down side is that you need to keep stoking
the boiler and remove the ash after combustion has taken
place. Search for local coal merchants
Renewable energy
There are other forms of energy such as photoelectric cells which produce electricity and solar energy which heats water through hot water panels. Systems like these can make a healthy saving to your energy costs. The pay back period may be over many years but at least you have the satisfaction that you are doing your bit to help the environment.
Water
One vital utility is a water supply and it is a must for every home. Again it pays to look into the best way to pay for it. All water companies will provide water on a metered basis and in many instances this is the cheapest way to pay for it as you only paying for what you use. However historically water charges were based on the rateable value of a property so generally the meter option is more viable on larger properties. If you home has a low rateable value and a high occupancy then it may pay to avoid the water meter option.
Generally on new properties you will not get the option for an un-metered water supply. However it is not all bad news as the sewage charge is also levied based on your water consumption, working on the theory that ‘what goes in comes out’. So if you can save on water consumption you will automatically save on sewage charges.
Local Water Companies details
Foul drainage
If you are not connected to mains drainage then you
will need to have a septic tank with a separation system
which allows some waste water to be filtered off with
the remaining percentage being emptied by a service
provider. When buying a property you need to check this
out as the costs are likely to be higher than for a
mains drainage connection.
Surface water
Surface water, that is rainwater, is generally connected
to a separate drainage system other than foul drainage.
This keeps it separate so that it can discharge back
into the rivers without further treatment. In some areas
where the ground is fairly porous then the local Authorities
will allow the construction of a soak-away. This is
basically a large hole with materials inside which help
the water soak back into the ground and avoid long pipe
runs.
Communication services
A relatively new utility service gaining massive demand is communication systems. Many homes demand more than just a telephone line. As more and more people work from home they need high speed data and video stream links so they can continue to work on their personal computers and have them operate at the same network speed as if they were in their office.
Mobile phone coverage
Mobile phone coverage may also be important. Before buying or building a property check the signal strength and ensure you get adequate reception.
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