Post by: lochgilphead on July 10, 2016, 12:04:17 PM
Although there is talk of natural gas getting there in the coming years we would be on LPG for the foreseeable future. I know you can have LPG for gas stoves etc but is it economical for central heating etc?
I have visions of one of those small servo type tanks rather than bottles but can anyone advise on costs / practicality etc. Thanks Mac :cheers:
Post by: GeoffA on July 10, 2016, 12:16:27 PM
:cheers:
Post by: kylarama on July 10, 2016, 12:21:31 PM
A 45kg bottle would last 12 months for the stove/oven and from memory a 45kg bottle was around $150 delivered plus rental.
Neighbors / friends who ran central heating and hot water could consume up to 1 bottle a month in winter. Not cheap!
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Post by: austastar on July 10, 2016, 12:44:17 PM
My son bought a place with central heating running on bottled gas.
Totally unaffordable!
We found out later that the previous owner got the kit at a give away price, did his own install (dodgy as) along with a heap of other 'pretty ups' to make the place look very attractive, to sell to some one who knew nothing about buying a house.
Cheers
Post by: corndog on July 10, 2016, 01:04:34 PM
Post by: rags on July 10, 2016, 01:08:39 PM
As others have said LPG can be expensive for heating but it is dependant on the type of heating. Also don't be fooled by natural gas being cheaper as the service costs charged can wind up the cost.
For heating you may want to consider Hydronic heating rather than a ducted central heating system, ( I assume that is what you meant by central heating).
This form of heating is pleasant and can be in every room of the house. For a retro fit to an exist house you require sub floor access so a slab house is not possible, however with a new build slab you can incorporate both radiators and underfloor heating.
Have a look at this company as this is who I would buy gear through when I did hydronic heating jobs.
http://www.huntheat.com.au (http://www.huntheat.com.au)
You can use the water heating unit for your domestic hot water use as well on some models.
Your idea of a larger bottle with refilling onsite can be beneficial if the gas supplier offers a discounted price. As a gas fitter (not on the tools these days) I use to do a lot of large installations,residential and commercial, for 2 suppliers and am aware that they did offer discounts on large users. This worked on expected gas usage which you can work out via the appliance mj/hr rating. On our house we recently moved from in the Blue Mts we relied on gas and it worked for us. Here in Qld I have fitted an LPG Rinnai HWS and will fit gas cooking, however heating is by way of tracky dacs!
There is a lot to consider especially if you can consider supplementary forms of energy to assist like solar boosted water or wet back heaters.
Good luck with the move
Post by: kylarama on July 10, 2016, 01:11:30 PM
There are ways of getting cheaper gas but may be a bit dodgyYes that was very common out my way. Plenty of utes and 1 tonners with "long range" LPG tanks...
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Post by: corndog on July 10, 2016, 01:14:40 PM
Yes that was very common out my way. Plenty of utes and 1 tonners with "long range" LPG tanks...Cats out of the bag now.
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Post by: loanrangie on July 10, 2016, 02:35:59 PM
Post by: Alan Loy on July 11, 2016, 04:55:26 AM
Heating a combination of wood (new ones are quite efficient) and reverse cycle air con should do the job.
Post by: J.R on July 11, 2016, 05:31:03 AM
It was costing $135 a month for one of those 5 foot gas bottles. Not sure on their KG.
Standing in the shower, soaped up, hot water goes out.
Go out side, adopt the knees and elbows position (soapy jiblets now on display) trying to light the pilot light without burning off my eye brows.
Decided, then and there, we are going to arse hole the gas hot water and went electric.
The gas cook top is on its last legs too. Seriously considering going elestic there too.
Post by: Fathom on July 11, 2016, 07:10:33 AM
We did change the HWS over a few years ago to instant rather than a tank system.. So no more pilot lights.
Although we have had to do the early morning shower run to switch bottles over a couple of times.
Having said that, you can get regulators that switch bottles automatically.
There's only two of us in the house and we find one bottle lasts a few months.
So we find the gas very economical.
We heat with a wood heater and reverse cycle if needed.
Most units state their gas usage so it wouldn't be too hard to look at what appliances you want to use, how much gas it/they use, how long on average you would run them, how much gas costs in your area and get a pretty good indication of ongoing expenses.
Post by: lochgilphead on July 11, 2016, 10:15:40 PM