They say the three most important things about buying a house are Location, Location and Location. Well the three most important things about keeping your house warm are Insulation, Insulation and Insulation (although I guess you need a boiler too!).
I was doing some more insulation yesterday, I put glass wool between the joists on my ground floor. Why? Well I have a vaulted floor with about 450mm of space below it, and this space, as with all houses, is vented to the outside via some vent bricks to allow air to flow and to keep the space dry. Well at the moment I don't have carpet down so two things happened when it was cold or windy. Firstly, you get drafts coming through any gaps in the floorboards (the boards are tongue-and-groove but there are still spaces in some places). The other is simply that heat from the living room is conducted downwards into the cold void. Even carpet does not insulate that well, although it can reduce drafts, otherwise we would just use carpet to insulate our lofts.
To fill the cavities, I made a hole in the floor and crawled under the void. I pushed the glass wool into the gaps and then covered the underside with a large tarpaulin which I nailed into the joists to hold the glass wool in place. Note that my floor joists are only 100mm because they are supported by a small wall in the middle and I assumed that they would be 200mm because they were floor joists so I had to cram the glass wool in a bit. Better check the size and get the correct insulation because if you crush too much air out of the wool, it doesn't insulate as well.
Another area I insulated was the floor void between ground and first floor, particularly the part next to the outside wall where it is common to have gaps between the inside of the void and the external wall cavity - another place for drafts and cold. I stuffed some more glass wool into these gaps and it should make a bit of difference.
I also bought a couple of curtains to cover my front and back doors which although U-PVC do leak drafts around the edge. The curtains help to remove the drafts and slow convection of the warm air inside the house onto the door which then conducts outside.
Once the loft is insulated, none of these other fixes make a big difference by themselves but once added up, they do make a noticeable difference.
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Monday 20 December 2010
Outrageously Bad Roads
I live in Cheltenham and the roads during this snow are quite simply outrageously bad. Now Gloucestershire does not have many big towns and cities, Cheltenham and Gloucester are the main two so why has nothing happened in Cheltenham? Why are people skidding and crashing all over the place? Why have all the traffic light detectors stopped working and more important where are the council who are supposed to manage all this?
I came in to work today and the motorway was totally clear, the surface was good and slightly wet but otherwise great but every other road in Cheltenham is covered in pack ice. I've seen cars skidding when stopping and pulling away (especially the rear-wheel drive ones) and I've seen people stranded on inclines.
Quite simply, people need to get to work. Most employers do not give free days for people who claim they can't get in and most of us cannot afford to have a day unpaid.
Where are you Gloucestershire County Council? Where are the gritters? Are you going to make excuses? Are the managers going to claim lack of funding or equipment? Are you going to claim that you don't have enough staff?
I'm sorry but this situation is unacceptable. If gritting doesn't work because of the temperatures then do something else. Get snow-ploughs out; pay farmers to plow roads; get your staff (including managers) out with shovels at major junctions to clear the ice away; give us grit so we can treat our own roads; switch traffic lights off since people can't stop anyway and when they do they can't pull away. Just do something and don't make crap excuses!
I came in to work today and the motorway was totally clear, the surface was good and slightly wet but otherwise great but every other road in Cheltenham is covered in pack ice. I've seen cars skidding when stopping and pulling away (especially the rear-wheel drive ones) and I've seen people stranded on inclines.
Quite simply, people need to get to work. Most employers do not give free days for people who claim they can't get in and most of us cannot afford to have a day unpaid.
Where are you Gloucestershire County Council? Where are the gritters? Are you going to make excuses? Are the managers going to claim lack of funding or equipment? Are you going to claim that you don't have enough staff?
I'm sorry but this situation is unacceptable. If gritting doesn't work because of the temperatures then do something else. Get snow-ploughs out; pay farmers to plow roads; get your staff (including managers) out with shovels at major junctions to clear the ice away; give us grit so we can treat our own roads; switch traffic lights off since people can't stop anyway and when they do they can't pull away. Just do something and don't make crap excuses!
Wednesday 15 December 2010
So what should we cut?
More boring opinions on the bbc news web site about why the government should or should not cut certain budgets. My simple response to most people? What on earth are they supposed to do?
It is all very well saying we shouldn't cut X or Y because they are really useful and no-doubt they are. We can all claim that the benefit to society is large for the investment but sadly people, in reality, these things cost money and not only do we not have any, we owe so much money to our creditors that we have to find £132M per DAY on top of our budget to pay for things (and getting worse under Labour). Even if one of these systems is ONLY £2M per year - small in the scheme of it, it is £2M less than what we spend at the minute. There is no one place we can cut enough money to save what we need to save. People revolt at the thought of more tax (and income tax penalises working people more than people on benefits) so what are we supposed to do? Don't bother rioting and protesting, the money is not being held back, it simply doesn't exist, it is CREDIT.
The other thing you sometimes hear is people saying that the government could pay less into something like Trident submarines or Aircraft Carriers and to an extent this is true but again the reality is much more complex. Large contracts are agreed in these industries so that large companies don't invest millions to build something that is then cancelled. If it costs almost as much to build something as to cancel then you have to go ahead. That is a reality of government that, to be honest, most people have absolutely no idea about (even people going for election who make all sorts of promises about what they will or won't do).
Another argument is very weak and concerns things like MPs claiming too much expenses where to be honest, it is such small potatos that people's assumption that it could pay for all the shortfall is incredibly naive. Sure there is waste and sure we should do something about it but only in conjunction with everything else.
If your 18 year old son earned £12K per year and owed £6000 to a credit card and started talking about borrowing more money or simply spending more than he was earning so he couldn't afford to pay the credit card back, you would tell him he was foolish even if he told you this new laptop would REALLY help him with something. That is where our government is so please stop complaining about a situation that the current government has to deal with as best as possible, stop accusing them of Conservative austerity (especially since Labour got us in a mess during times when we had money to save as a country) and try doing things for yourself instead!
Maybe I should work for the Daily Mail!
It is all very well saying we shouldn't cut X or Y because they are really useful and no-doubt they are. We can all claim that the benefit to society is large for the investment but sadly people, in reality, these things cost money and not only do we not have any, we owe so much money to our creditors that we have to find £132M per DAY on top of our budget to pay for things (and getting worse under Labour). Even if one of these systems is ONLY £2M per year - small in the scheme of it, it is £2M less than what we spend at the minute. There is no one place we can cut enough money to save what we need to save. People revolt at the thought of more tax (and income tax penalises working people more than people on benefits) so what are we supposed to do? Don't bother rioting and protesting, the money is not being held back, it simply doesn't exist, it is CREDIT.
The other thing you sometimes hear is people saying that the government could pay less into something like Trident submarines or Aircraft Carriers and to an extent this is true but again the reality is much more complex. Large contracts are agreed in these industries so that large companies don't invest millions to build something that is then cancelled. If it costs almost as much to build something as to cancel then you have to go ahead. That is a reality of government that, to be honest, most people have absolutely no idea about (even people going for election who make all sorts of promises about what they will or won't do).
Another argument is very weak and concerns things like MPs claiming too much expenses where to be honest, it is such small potatos that people's assumption that it could pay for all the shortfall is incredibly naive. Sure there is waste and sure we should do something about it but only in conjunction with everything else.
If your 18 year old son earned £12K per year and owed £6000 to a credit card and started talking about borrowing more money or simply spending more than he was earning so he couldn't afford to pay the credit card back, you would tell him he was foolish even if he told you this new laptop would REALLY help him with something. That is where our government is so please stop complaining about a situation that the current government has to deal with as best as possible, stop accusing them of Conservative austerity (especially since Labour got us in a mess during times when we had money to save as a country) and try doing things for yourself instead!
Maybe I should work for the Daily Mail!
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Local Decisions or National Decisions?
I was just reading the debate about the "de-centralisation" of government starting to happen under the new government. What is funny-ironic is that the plethora of opinions about the subject prove the whole problem with the debate - too many opinions.
It might be stating the obvious but it is too common for people with important roles to miss these important facets to goverment whether local or national.
Firstly, the national government is useful for providing management over a larger geographical area. Railways and motorways cannot be managed locally because they are too large. Likewise for more localised services, these are too far removed from central government and are better handled locally to suit localised needs. The needs in the Highlands of Scotland are not the same as those in London. However, the real crunch point is that there is no black and white line between what should be managed locally and what should be managed nationally. Traffic lights on motorways although part of a larger plan can cause problems locally so the local is affected by decisions made hundreds of miles away.
Of course, the other problem whether local or national is how you decide on actions to carry out. Should this building be allowed planning permission? Well the people who live nearby probably say no, the council should not reasonably object and if there is something commerical involved, the council will want the extra money that it will bring in to the area ditto for schools, hospitals and industrial estates.
This then alludes to the age-old question as to who decides? How do you give weight or merit to someones opinion? If I object to a gas pumping station because it will "spoil the countryside", especially if I live nearby, is my opinion anything other than a "not in my backyard" (nimby) view or is it reasonable and important? Of course, one of the things that should happen is people should not be allowed to object without alternatives. You should not be allowed to object to a building or planning application etc without specifying what the applicant can do instead. For instance, "they should build it on that land instead of in the country" which the applicant can counter with, "that would cost £50M more" which leads to objective argument. If people object to a planning application such as "I don't want him to build an extension, he should buy a larger house elsewhere", then the objection might be upheld even if the house move would cost more.
It might be stating the obvious but it is too common for people with important roles to miss these important facets to goverment whether local or national.
Firstly, the national government is useful for providing management over a larger geographical area. Railways and motorways cannot be managed locally because they are too large. Likewise for more localised services, these are too far removed from central government and are better handled locally to suit localised needs. The needs in the Highlands of Scotland are not the same as those in London. However, the real crunch point is that there is no black and white line between what should be managed locally and what should be managed nationally. Traffic lights on motorways although part of a larger plan can cause problems locally so the local is affected by decisions made hundreds of miles away.
Of course, the other problem whether local or national is how you decide on actions to carry out. Should this building be allowed planning permission? Well the people who live nearby probably say no, the council should not reasonably object and if there is something commerical involved, the council will want the extra money that it will bring in to the area ditto for schools, hospitals and industrial estates.
This then alludes to the age-old question as to who decides? How do you give weight or merit to someones opinion? If I object to a gas pumping station because it will "spoil the countryside", especially if I live nearby, is my opinion anything other than a "not in my backyard" (nimby) view or is it reasonable and important? Of course, one of the things that should happen is people should not be allowed to object without alternatives. You should not be allowed to object to a building or planning application etc without specifying what the applicant can do instead. For instance, "they should build it on that land instead of in the country" which the applicant can counter with, "that would cost £50M more" which leads to objective argument. If people object to a planning application such as "I don't want him to build an extension, he should buy a larger house elsewhere", then the objection might be upheld even if the house move would cost more.
Monday 13 December 2010
Water in your engine
My brother's car has problems with the cooling system in the engine but how many of you know how the whole cooling thing works? What's the difference between the thermostat and the fan switch? What is the radiator for and why isn't it always hot?
As you might imagine, water is used to keep the engine block cool since all those miniature explosions cause heat build-up which if uncontrolled would quickly lead to the engine going out of shape and things going bang. Something that is important however is that we don't want the engine to be too cold either. Too cold and the oil does not flow well and also the engine parts are not at design temperature causing leaking of fluids around pistons which makes the engine less efficient.
The block is simply not able to regulate its temperature. Although you could design it well for moving, if you were stuck in traffic, there would be little moving air and quick failure of the engine.
OK, if we add water to the engine and make it circulate via a radiator, this allows us to cool the engine. We need a pump - called the water pump - to be fixed directly to the engine so that it always turns when the engine turns. It doesn't have to be very big and will probably be fitted directly to the engine block where the large rubber hose is. This will pump the water to the top of the radiator where it will naturally cool and fall through the radiator where it will return to the engine block. As mentioned before, in traffic where there is a lot of heat build up and little cooling, a fan-switch in the side of the radiator will switch on and cause the fan to pull larger amounts of air across the radiator causing it to cool quickly. Some cars have more than one fan and more than one switch. The fan should always be able to keep the engine cool (well 80-90 degrees!) even when staionary.
Remember how we also don't want the engine too cold? Well there is another gadget in the circuit called a thermostat. This remains closed when the engine water is cool and ensures the water in the engine does not go to the radiator, it just circulates round the engine. This allows the engine to warm up as quickly as possible without cooling it right from the word "go". Once the water gets hotter (because the engine has warmed up) the thermostat opens and allows the water into the radiator.
OK so how can we fault-find?
As you might imagine, water is used to keep the engine block cool since all those miniature explosions cause heat build-up which if uncontrolled would quickly lead to the engine going out of shape and things going bang. Something that is important however is that we don't want the engine to be too cold either. Too cold and the oil does not flow well and also the engine parts are not at design temperature causing leaking of fluids around pistons which makes the engine less efficient.
The block is simply not able to regulate its temperature. Although you could design it well for moving, if you were stuck in traffic, there would be little moving air and quick failure of the engine.
OK, if we add water to the engine and make it circulate via a radiator, this allows us to cool the engine. We need a pump - called the water pump - to be fixed directly to the engine so that it always turns when the engine turns. It doesn't have to be very big and will probably be fitted directly to the engine block where the large rubber hose is. This will pump the water to the top of the radiator where it will naturally cool and fall through the radiator where it will return to the engine block. As mentioned before, in traffic where there is a lot of heat build up and little cooling, a fan-switch in the side of the radiator will switch on and cause the fan to pull larger amounts of air across the radiator causing it to cool quickly. Some cars have more than one fan and more than one switch. The fan should always be able to keep the engine cool (well 80-90 degrees!) even when staionary.
Remember how we also don't want the engine too cold? Well there is another gadget in the circuit called a thermostat. This remains closed when the engine water is cool and ensures the water in the engine does not go to the radiator, it just circulates round the engine. This allows the engine to warm up as quickly as possible without cooling it right from the word "go". Once the water gets hotter (because the engine has warmed up) the thermostat opens and allows the water into the radiator.
OK so how can we fault-find?
- Please don't burn yourself! The engine can get to around 100 degrees C or more if the cooling is not working properly.
- Does the water system have enough water in it? There should be a small expansion tank under the bonnet with min and max marks on it (and dirty looking water). You need some space to allow for expansion and steam build-up so don't overfill it.
- If your car overheats, does the hose to the radiator and the radiator itself get hot? If neither then the thermostat might be broken or seized. If the hose is hot but not the radiator then the thermostat is open and possibly the water pump itself is not working.
- If the radiator is hot but you are still overheating then perhaps the fan-switch (or less commonly the fan itself) has broken/fuse blown. You can check this with a multi-meter if you have basic electrical skills.
- If all is hot and the fan is switching in but you are still overheating then there might be a blockage in the water system, especially if someone has used "Rad weld" incorrectly to attempt to fix a hole in the radiator. This would cause the water to circulate poorly and therefore the cooling to be less than 100%.
- Worst case and the garage will have to strip the engine down which is not going to be cheap especially since anything that breaks in the process needs repairing (and things will usually break!) and anything else they find will be recommended for repair (broken piston rings etc).
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Pressure in your heating system
If you have a combi-boiler, chances are your heating system is unvented and pressurised. If the pressure drops, this can cause inefficient heating and ultimately the boiler should detect low pressure and shut down.
Why is the system pressurised? Basically to allow air to be purged from the selaed system as the water circulates and to prevent the system taking in air which can cause the pump to run dry and burn out.
How much? In most domestic systems, 1-2 bar is normal but this can increase slightly when the water is hot.
How can I tell what the pressure is? Your boiler should have a small pressure gauge fitted, usually on the front panel and marked green and red for the acceptable range of system pressure.
How can I increase it/top it up? There is usually a flexible filling loop under the boiler with a valve at one or both ends. It should by law contain a non-return valve so that the water in the heating system cannot go back into the drinking water main. By opening these valves, water from the mains (usually 3-5 bar pressure) will go into the heating system and increase the pressure until it reaches 1-2 bar when you close the valves. When you first do this into an empty system. it can take a while to fill up, especially as you bleed radiators and any auto-vents release trapped air.
Why does my pressure go up a lot when the heating is on? There is a pressure vessel inside the combi which is supposed to balance the pressure of the water so that as the pressure increases due to heat, this vessel expands and avoids the system becoming over-stressed. If this vessel is broken or the "charge" in it has leaked out, then it won't do its job and any increase in pressure due to heating will be reflected on the gauge.
Why is the pressure dropping over time? Either the system was never bled properly and the air is slowly working its way out of the system or you have a leak. The leak might only be in one place and of course could be under a floor. It is also possible that a faulty boiler is causing the water to boil and the leak is actually steam being vented from a safety valve. This is hard to check but if the flow pipe from your boiler is stupidly hot, you might want to get a plumber to check it. Basically the flow temperature should be touchable briefly without burning yourself (about 70 degrees) and the return temperature should be virtually holdable (about 60).
Why is the system pressurised? Basically to allow air to be purged from the selaed system as the water circulates and to prevent the system taking in air which can cause the pump to run dry and burn out.
How much? In most domestic systems, 1-2 bar is normal but this can increase slightly when the water is hot.
How can I tell what the pressure is? Your boiler should have a small pressure gauge fitted, usually on the front panel and marked green and red for the acceptable range of system pressure.
How can I increase it/top it up? There is usually a flexible filling loop under the boiler with a valve at one or both ends. It should by law contain a non-return valve so that the water in the heating system cannot go back into the drinking water main. By opening these valves, water from the mains (usually 3-5 bar pressure) will go into the heating system and increase the pressure until it reaches 1-2 bar when you close the valves. When you first do this into an empty system. it can take a while to fill up, especially as you bleed radiators and any auto-vents release trapped air.
Why does my pressure go up a lot when the heating is on? There is a pressure vessel inside the combi which is supposed to balance the pressure of the water so that as the pressure increases due to heat, this vessel expands and avoids the system becoming over-stressed. If this vessel is broken or the "charge" in it has leaked out, then it won't do its job and any increase in pressure due to heating will be reflected on the gauge.
Why is the pressure dropping over time? Either the system was never bled properly and the air is slowly working its way out of the system or you have a leak. The leak might only be in one place and of course could be under a floor. It is also possible that a faulty boiler is causing the water to boil and the leak is actually steam being vented from a safety valve. This is hard to check but if the flow pipe from your boiler is stupidly hot, you might want to get a plumber to check it. Basically the flow temperature should be touchable briefly without burning yourself (about 70 degrees) and the return temperature should be virtually holdable (about 60).
Thursday 2 December 2010
Indirect Taxation and Olympics etc
6 years ago when we were all supposed to "Back the Bid" for the 2012 Olympics, we were told it was a no-brainer. Despite the fact that most of the population were somewhere between indifferent and anti-Olympic hosting, we won the bid and committed to spending 10 billion to build all the infrastructure (although surprise, surprise, the initial figure was much lower!).
We were told that it would not only bring a good feeling but would bring much needed investment into sports and the areas that would be used. The stupid thing was, this "investment" was our tax pounds! So the Olympics didn't bring any investment it was just a ploy for the government to spend more money and pretend they were supporting the country.
Anyway, today I realised another subtle economic issue which has avoided the headlines. We could be convinced that all the money brought in by foreign visitors goes to "the country" and this injection of money is good for the country but the truth is this money does not go to "the country" it goes to a handful of companies that are involved in the Olympics and actually costs money to the rest of us who are not involved in any way, it is indirect taxation, it is moving money from all taxpayers into the hands of a few people. Nice. Again, this wouldn't be the end of the world since you could argue overall that society would benefit by foreign money but another trick has been missed. This money that has been spent is not our money, it is BORROWED from foreign banks and countries. This means that not only do we have to pay this money back to the foreign country, but we also have to pay back massive amounts of interest on top of it. This would be perhaps ok if we didn't have much national debt and could pay it back in a year but the government is riddled with debts and massive interest payments (£132M per day!) so how much will this £10 billion end up costing us if it takes 10 years to pay back? Another £1 billion? More? How does that compare to the amount that foreign visitors will bring in when they visit the Olympics? Is it still worth it?
No, probably not, but it was the way for the government to find support in our hard-working and under-valued athletes and abuse their energies and popularity to draw attention away from a sloppy Labour government who didn't have the money to back the bid in the first place.
As always, we were the ones at fault because we were sucked into the hype and didn't consider the results before all the hundreds of people started waving banners saying, "Back the Bid". Shame on us.
We were told that it would not only bring a good feeling but would bring much needed investment into sports and the areas that would be used. The stupid thing was, this "investment" was our tax pounds! So the Olympics didn't bring any investment it was just a ploy for the government to spend more money and pretend they were supporting the country.
Anyway, today I realised another subtle economic issue which has avoided the headlines. We could be convinced that all the money brought in by foreign visitors goes to "the country" and this injection of money is good for the country but the truth is this money does not go to "the country" it goes to a handful of companies that are involved in the Olympics and actually costs money to the rest of us who are not involved in any way, it is indirect taxation, it is moving money from all taxpayers into the hands of a few people. Nice. Again, this wouldn't be the end of the world since you could argue overall that society would benefit by foreign money but another trick has been missed. This money that has been spent is not our money, it is BORROWED from foreign banks and countries. This means that not only do we have to pay this money back to the foreign country, but we also have to pay back massive amounts of interest on top of it. This would be perhaps ok if we didn't have much national debt and could pay it back in a year but the government is riddled with debts and massive interest payments (£132M per day!) so how much will this £10 billion end up costing us if it takes 10 years to pay back? Another £1 billion? More? How does that compare to the amount that foreign visitors will bring in when they visit the Olympics? Is it still worth it?
No, probably not, but it was the way for the government to find support in our hard-working and under-valued athletes and abuse their energies and popularity to draw attention away from a sloppy Labour government who didn't have the money to back the bid in the first place.
As always, we were the ones at fault because we were sucked into the hype and didn't consider the results before all the hundreds of people started waving banners saying, "Back the Bid". Shame on us.
Heating Efficiency
Whether you are heating hot water for the sink/bath or radiators for your heating, the same basic rules apply and if you understand these, it will help you decide what system is the most efficient or the most cost effective. Generally the two are related but there are two other factors that need to be considered. The general expression to understand efficiency is:
Hopefully most of these will make sense but what is worth noting is that some of these you have control over and some you don't.
The Average Energy Unit Cost (£/Kwh) is the amount it costs you for 1 unit of energy (gas/oil/electricity) for your system. Although the unit costs are different for each fuel type (and bottled gas is more expensive than mains gas) the unfortunate truth is these prices generally increase all the time so an average cannot really be based on todays price but perhaps double todays rate for something that might last 20 years.
The Size of system (Kw) is not something that is likely to vary, you need X amount of heat for a given size building and trying to save some money here is unlikely to be helpful. Likewise a bona-fide heating engineer should not over-spec the system so much that it costs you lots)
Time used (Hrs) is something that you can vary. This is the total hours over the lifetime of the system. For example 20 years at 8 hours per day over 6 winter/spring months = 29,200 hours. Obviously the less the system is running, the cheaper it will cost. It is NEVER cheaper to keep the system on 24 hours as opposed to letting it cool down during the day if you are out. Work out roughly how long it takes to heat up from cold (usually about an hour) and time it to come on. The system loses less energy when it is colder so it is more efficient.
Efficiency is a ratio of how much energy you put in via your energy source is turned into heat. Electrical appliances might be close to 100% efficient. Gas systems vary from around 70% to 90% but should be specified on the boiler on in the boiler manual.
The installation cost (£) is a one-off but is usually higher for gas systems which require gas work, plumbing and water whereas electrical systems are easier to install. If you are considering work, there is no harm in getting a few prices for electrical vs gas to see what the difference is here. It is also worth mentioning that you might want to spend extra on a system which will involve a longer payback period but which is more efficient just to lessen your reliance on fuel and the price increases.
Maintenance Cost (£) is something else worth considering. Electrical heating is often fit-and-forget and you generally don't get these units regularly serviced (unless you are a school/hospital in which case proactive work might benefit) whereas a boiler is worth having serviced once per year to ensure it is in good condition. You can find out how much a single service or an ongoing contract costs by contacting a plumber or gas company like British Gas.
My own view is that electricity will eventually be cheaper than gas since natural gas is running out whereas electricity can be produced using renewables and nuclear. However, for the time being, I like gas systems. They are well understood and you can fit a lot of heating power into a smaller space. I also like the idea, however, of keeping hot water cylinders (which most people remove) and using solar panels and wood-burning stoves to heat water in order to save gas or electricity costs.
Total Cost = (Average Energy Unit Cost x Size of system x Time used x Efficiency) + Installation Cost + Maintenance Cost
Hopefully most of these will make sense but what is worth noting is that some of these you have control over and some you don't.
The Average Energy Unit Cost (£/Kwh) is the amount it costs you for 1 unit of energy (gas/oil/electricity) for your system. Although the unit costs are different for each fuel type (and bottled gas is more expensive than mains gas) the unfortunate truth is these prices generally increase all the time so an average cannot really be based on todays price but perhaps double todays rate for something that might last 20 years.
The Size of system (Kw) is not something that is likely to vary, you need X amount of heat for a given size building and trying to save some money here is unlikely to be helpful. Likewise a bona-fide heating engineer should not over-spec the system so much that it costs you lots)
Time used (Hrs) is something that you can vary. This is the total hours over the lifetime of the system. For example 20 years at 8 hours per day over 6 winter/spring months = 29,200 hours. Obviously the less the system is running, the cheaper it will cost. It is NEVER cheaper to keep the system on 24 hours as opposed to letting it cool down during the day if you are out. Work out roughly how long it takes to heat up from cold (usually about an hour) and time it to come on. The system loses less energy when it is colder so it is more efficient.
Efficiency is a ratio of how much energy you put in via your energy source is turned into heat. Electrical appliances might be close to 100% efficient. Gas systems vary from around 70% to 90% but should be specified on the boiler on in the boiler manual.
The installation cost (£) is a one-off but is usually higher for gas systems which require gas work, plumbing and water whereas electrical systems are easier to install. If you are considering work, there is no harm in getting a few prices for electrical vs gas to see what the difference is here. It is also worth mentioning that you might want to spend extra on a system which will involve a longer payback period but which is more efficient just to lessen your reliance on fuel and the price increases.
Maintenance Cost (£) is something else worth considering. Electrical heating is often fit-and-forget and you generally don't get these units regularly serviced (unless you are a school/hospital in which case proactive work might benefit) whereas a boiler is worth having serviced once per year to ensure it is in good condition. You can find out how much a single service or an ongoing contract costs by contacting a plumber or gas company like British Gas.
My own view is that electricity will eventually be cheaper than gas since natural gas is running out whereas electricity can be produced using renewables and nuclear. However, for the time being, I like gas systems. They are well understood and you can fit a lot of heating power into a smaller space. I also like the idea, however, of keeping hot water cylinders (which most people remove) and using solar panels and wood-burning stoves to heat water in order to save gas or electricity costs.
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