Electricity charges

[davefking]

Thank you for that. Maximum things running together here at home all at once would be a TV, computer, a few light bulbs of an evening and a kettle. ( Oh, and our pond pump and filter !)
We hope to get a villa at least 2 bed with a pool so a pool running would be our biggest usage factor. Based on our visits to Menorca, air con would be on use only at bedtime to cool a room down although a couple of ceiling fans would probably be going full time.
Thanks again for replies

[bini-lizard]

I think it’s fair to say many of us have learnt this lesson the hard way but trust me on this, you need to have a plan for heating your house in the winter. Aircon at night is for 2 or 3 summer months max. Winter heating is possibly for twice that.

[davefking]

Thanks , but our plan for heating is a log burner which seems to be a good recommendation and is in many of the estate agent villas we look at in our price range. Would entertain the idea of storage heating but can say it wouldn't be a preferred option. Ideally, gas central heating but don't see many with that already installed I must admit. I believe Menorca is looking to go to gas from oil anyway.

[Shuggie]

Consider a pellet burner instead of wood burner. Wood can be hard to source in the volume you’ll need and can be expensive. Pellets are readily available and cheap and much cleaner to use. All the decent pellet burners have an automated ignition system so they are trouble free to start and easy to control the heat.

[bini-lizard]

A friend of mine has a pellet burner and another advantage he has over my wood burner is that if you’re for example getting up and only going to be around indoors for half an hour, at the flick of a switch you can give the place a quick warm-up.

[kieronf]

Thanks , but our plan for heating is a log burner which seems to be a good recommendation and is in many of the estate agent villas we look at in our price range. Would entertain the idea of storage heating but can say it wouldn't be a preferred option. Ideally, gas central heating but don't see many with that already installed I must admit. I believe Menorca is looking to go to gas from oil anyway.

The introduction of natural gas will take years - don't make that your focus. Heating is generally by way of electric radiators, portable calor heaters, oil central heating and or wood or pellet burners, each of which has pros and cons.

Wood burners are good for localised heating but don't spread the heat over a wide area in the way that central heating does. Pellet burners are efficient, but require a constant electricity to operate, so no power, no heat. Portable calor gas heaters give localised heat, but are also notorious for the amount of moisture they generate, not a good thin if, like many traditionally built stone properties here, your home is susceptible to damp and mould.

Best advice is to find the area you want to live, then find the house / property that you want to buy and take the heating issue from there.