"Jimmy" wrote
| I've got this flat that has no gas supply of its own. I think it would
| cost me a few hundred pounds to have a gas main laid on.

Which is peanuts. *GAS* C/H will add considerably more value to your flat.

| After that, I'd need to fork out another few hundred to install a combi
| boiler to heat the DHW and the C/H radiators. I can imagine the total
| cost amounting to way over £1000. I'm wondering if there are other
| avenues I could consider for heating.

Any boiler form of heating, you will still have to pay for the boiler and
rads.

| There's electricity of course but it's obviously expensive to run.

It can be feasible on Economy 7 tariff if the flat is well-insulated, and
might have a lower installation cost. However even modern storage heaters
are bulky and the system is less flexible than instant heating from
radiators, so buyers will be discouraged.

One advantage of a gas combi is that it removes the need for hot water
storage cylinder, which releases space - which again can have a financial
value in a flat. Gas combi will also give a reasonably good shower (in most
circumstances), which most flat dwellers will prefer.

| What other fuels could I use that would eliminate that expense of a
| gas main installation?
| What about (a) oil

Requires a tank. This may be a major problem with a flat.

| and (b)coal or coke?

For a flat??? Are you crazy??? Buyers will walk away. NO flat buyer wants to
carry coal about or dispose of the ash. Hint: Queen Victoria has died. Women
go out to work and want to keep their fingernails smart. Maids-of-all-work
can no longer be hired for thruppence a month all found.

| There seems to be a likelihood that gas will get more expensive in the
| future too, which is another reason I'm keen to know about any viable
| alternatives.

From that point of view, the best power source to go for would be
electricity, as it can be generated from the cheapest fuel available at the
time, including increasing 'renewables'. However, current gas supplies are
likely to last, and cheap renewables won't come on stream, until maybe 15 or
20 years in the future, by which time a gas boiler will be due for replacing
anyway, whether by a new one or something else.

Owain