The electricity bill goes up. The gas, more of the same. Winter is coming, and it’s time to plan the battle against the cold at home. For some, firewood comes back from the past as a solution, but it is not something that fits in all cases.
Gas and electricity steal the spotlight. Many wonder today what is cheaper in a home this season. For those who have access to the natural gas network, heating up with this option “is the one that pays off, the one that has been the most economical so far,” says Ignacio de la Hera, director of marketing for HomeServe.
The best rate is the regulated one, the TUR, with which an average household spends 723 euros a year in total, compared to 1,526 euros in the most attractive offer on the free market, according to the OCU. “Although it seems that gas is expensive, the TUR will continue to be the best option. Especially in the short term, with bumped rises, ”says Joaquín Segura, spokesman for the Selectra comparator.
Gas also wins if you have absolutely nothing installed and you have to muddle through. Gas stoves without installation, with an average cost of 284 euros, are the ones that will cost the least in the winter as a whole, says Kike Aganzo, from the Idealo comparator. Then you have to add the cost of the cylinder, now at 19.55 euros and which lasts about a month. Of course, for some safety and odors back down, opting more for an electric stove.
Ultimately, it’s not so much a gas or electricity debate. The chosen system is what makes the difference, “not so much the energy, because by way of example if we have a heat pump the electricity will be cheaper and if we have electric radiators it will be more expensive”, explains Enrique García, spokesman for the OCU.
Going to a comparison, to heat a 90 m² house, the heat pump is the most efficient, with a cost of 455 euros per year, followed by the pellet stove (545), the condensing natural gas boiler (683) , diesel (816), electric accumulators (1,046) and electric radiators (1,255), the organization figures.
But these prices do not take into account the initial investment for the installation of the equipment… It can make the reduced budgets blow up. Installing gas heating with radiators from scratch takes about 3,800 euros as a base, which climbs to 5,500 with electricity or 6,500 with biomass, they comment from HomeServe. Aerothermal energy, the most efficient, has the problem of requiring more space and a large investment of around 8,000 euros, “but it generates savings of 60%-70% of consumption,” explains De la Hera. Above all, combined with radiant floors. Thus, the most efficient can be the most expensive to install, although in the long run it leaves less expense…
The characteristics of the home will always be defining to know what can be done. It is seen precisely in the impulse in pellet and wood stoves. Despite the boom, they fit more in single-family homes because in flats they require work for the installation of the draft. The former also have expensive equipment -hundreds or thousands of euros- and use electricity. The wood ones are cheaper, with an average of 1,460 euros, according to Idealo.
With these data, it is time to review the aid and subsidy programs, since you can opt for them if there is an improvement in the energy certificate of the home.
