Which heating is cheapest for your home?
A low fuel price alone does not tell you what it costs to heat the house. The efficiency of the system, fixed charges, service and installation must also be included. Here you can compare several heating types with the same heat demand.
Worked example
- Delivered heat: 10,000 kWh/year
- Period: 1 years
- Solution 1: Solution District heating · Price per unit 0.15 USD · Energy per unit 1 kWh · Efficiency or seasonal coefficient 100 · Fixed payments 450.00 USD
- Solution 2: Solution Oil · Price per unit 2.30 USD · Energy per unit 10 kWh · Efficiency or seasonal coefficient 90
Cheapest over 1 years: 2. Oil
26 USD
| Solution | Per year | Total 1 years |
|---|---|---|
| 1. District heating | 465 USD | 465 USD |
| 2. Oil | 26 USD | 26 USD |
Constant prices without discounting. Local options and requirements are not assessed.
Compare the heat the house receives
Oil, gas, wood pellets, district heating and electricity are measured differently. The calculator therefore converts to delivered heat and shows the assumptions used for each solution. That way, the same task is compared.
District heating can have local fixed charges. A heat pump uses electricity depending on its seasonal efficiency. A boiler has losses and other running costs. These differences must be visible in the fields and the result.
Guide to choosing a heating solution
Look at both running costs and investment
It can be cheap to continue with a working system, even if a new solution has lower annual running costs. Choose a comparison period, and include necessary replacements within it.
Example with fixed costs
If the delivered heat costs 1 per kWh with a demand of 10,000 kWh, the variable cost is 10,000. With 3,000 in fixed charges, the annual cost is 13,000. Installation is not yet included in this example.
The possible solutions depend on the address. Look into local conditions and the requirements that apply to the home before choosing a solution. Use the result to prepare a specific comparison of quotes. That gives a better basis than choosing by one energy price or a general savings promise.