With inflation rising and the impact of the austerity cuts imposed by the Government still to fully bear down on the wealth of the nation, the general public can hardly be blamed for getting cold feet about planning any major expenditure. For those moving into a new home, however, there is little choice, necessities such as heating systems, household insurance and council tax must be sorted out quickly.

Fuelling inflation

The aforementioned inflation figures are to a great degree being driven by the spiralling cost of fuel. Most Britons associate the cost of fuel with motoring but in fact expensive fuel prices usually mean expensive heating bills and this affects even more people than does the price of petrol. It is important therefore for homeowners moving into a new home to select the right type of heating.

Which system?

Gas central heating systems are by far the most popular choice of heating for most Britons, but it is not every house that is connected to gas, and for the millions that are not the choice of fuel is definitely more of a complication. Central heating of any kind is welcomed by the majority of homeowners in the UK, as our cold winters mean the entire house needs some sort of heat to make it comfortable. Central heating systems are available in solid fuel, electric and of course oil.

Home insurance claims drop

Nothing looks better than an old fashioned fire place or wood burner and of course an open flame still evokes in many of us warm memories of a childhood where we sat in front of a fire to get warm and even toasted bread there. This no longer happens because open fires are few and far between. It is no coincidence either that home insurance claims have dropped as the number of open fires has diminished in the UK. For all their homely beauty, open fires were the cause of numerous disasters in homes and the cause of many deaths.

Oil central heating is the preferred choice of many but the escalating price of oil at the moment will be enough to put off most people from installing such a system at this time. The cost of benzene, the fuel used in oil central heating, has risen so much this winter that it is actually being investigated by a Government committee this week.

Electric heating has for many years been frowned upon by the general public in the UK because of its expense and the lack of any real aesthetic quality of electric heaters. Both of these problems have now been addressed and systems from countries such as Germany and Sweden which use tiles instead of bricks to store heat, inside radiators which look very much like those used in Gas Central Heating systems, have made them attractive to consumers. These systems make temperature control easier, energy output more controlled and they look much better than the old bulky storage heaters that put many people off choosing electric heating.