Heating: Beginner’s Guide

single storey self build with cladding and complementary decking
(Image credit: Andrew Lee)

Choosing a heating system for your self build or renovation project will present a number of options, and will be one of the most important decisions you make.

Not only is this going to affect your experience of living in the house, but will also determine the running costs of your home.

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FuelCapital Cost*Fuel Price (per kWh)**Annual Running CostRHI IncomeFuel Cost Over 7 YearsTotal Cost Over 7 YearsFuel Cost Over 10 YearsTotal Cost Over 10 Years***
Mains Gas£2,500£0.06£850.50N/A£8,576£11,076£14,916£10,916
Oil£5,000£0.04£630N/A£6,886£11,886£12,544£22,544
LPG£4,000£0.07£1,102.50N/A£12,045£16,045£21,942£29,942
ASHP£7,500£0.15£750£1,049£7,566£7,723£13,161£13,318
GSHP£12,000£0.15£562.50£2,031£5,670£3,453£9,862£7,645
Biomass£15,000£0.06£866.25£1,011£6,839£14,762£10,397£18,320
Tim Pullen

Tim is an expert in sustainable building methods and energy efficiency in residential homes and writes on the subject for magazines and national newspapers. He is the author of The Sustainable Building Bible, Simply Sustainable Homes and Anaerobic Digestion - Making Biogas - Making Energy: The Earthscan Expert Guide.


His interest in renewable energy and sustainability was first inspired by visits to the Royal Festival Hall heat pump and the Edmonton heat-from-waste projects. In 1979

this initial burst of enthusiasm lead to him trying (and failing) to build a biogas digester to convert pig manure into fuel, at a Kent oast-house, his first conversion project.


Moving in 2002 to a small-holding in South Wales, providing as it did access to a wider range of natural resources, fanned his enthusiasm for sustainability. He went on to install renewable technology at the property, including biomass boiler and wind turbine.


He formally ran energy efficiency consultancy WeatherWorks and was a speaker and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows across the country.