DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I live alone in a bungalow and need hot water for a shave and a bath in the evening and to wash up the dishes in the evening.

I do not need hot water for other times as I wash with warm water in the morning and am out the the property during the day 7 days a week.

Which is the most economical way to heat the water in the evenings, by using my open vent condensing boiler which is almost 18 months old
or to use the immersion heater?

open vent condensing boiler would most likely the best. You don't say what fuel it runs off. Both systems heat the same water in the same place the only difference is the boiler also heats the pipe work to the hot coil so if very long run or using oil, solid fuel, or LPG it could become more expensive. But with natural gas it is so much cheaper than electricity that it is very unlikely that electricity used to heat whole cylinder could be cheaper than gas. If an instant heater similar to the shower units or the very small approx 7 litres boilers were used very local to where you shave and wash in morning then they may be slightly cheaper.

Sorry I forgot to mention that it is a gas fired open vent condensing boiler which was installed in October 2006 before I moved here. I have heard that combi boilers are a better choice but will make do with this one.

The pipework is not very long, it's about 3 feet from the boiler in the Kitchen to the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard in the hall plus the piping which I guess is another 4 feet down the wall.

I am sure your gas boiler will be better that electric.

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