Heating Oil Consumption
Discussion
Pinkie15 said:
Must be doing something wrong, seem to get through 5,500 litres/yr, equates to about £170/month
Rebuilt/extended 1950s bungalow, approx. 200 sq metres, mix of UFH & rads
UFH set at 23 degs, any lower and there seems to be no heat at all
Thermostat for rads (located in coldest part of house) set at 25 degs, any lower then the women of the house claim it's arctic.
Assuming there's no fault, I'm fairly sure it's the temps nailing you. 25deg is hot! Rebuilt/extended 1950s bungalow, approx. 200 sq metres, mix of UFH & rads
UFH set at 23 degs, any lower and there seems to be no heat at all
Thermostat for rads (located in coldest part of house) set at 25 degs, any lower then the women of the house claim it's arctic.
Ours is 21deg typically. Without having the wood burner raging I don't think I could get our lounge up to 25!
Bit of a thread resurrection, but curious of people's current oil consumption this winter. We have a 4 bed detached 80s house, insulation is there but likely a bit suspect - thread on this here if interested Double glazing throughout.
We recently replaced our old c1995 oil boiler with a new Worcester external, hoping this would also improve consumption. However at the moment we're getting through approx. 120L per week which is the highest I've seen the consumption. It's obviously colder outside, but even though we only run the heating a couple of hours in the morning and for around 5 hours in the afternoon/evening each day, consumption seems high compared to the beginning of the year when we moved in (particularly as we were running the old boiler). Hot water runs 30 mins twice a day. Was hoping with the new boiler we'd see a drastic improvement in consumption but this doesn't seem the case.
Thoughts welcome.
We recently replaced our old c1995 oil boiler with a new Worcester external, hoping this would also improve consumption. However at the moment we're getting through approx. 120L per week which is the highest I've seen the consumption. It's obviously colder outside, but even though we only run the heating a couple of hours in the morning and for around 5 hours in the afternoon/evening each day, consumption seems high compared to the beginning of the year when we moved in (particularly as we were running the old boiler). Hot water runs 30 mins twice a day. Was hoping with the new boiler we'd see a drastic improvement in consumption but this doesn't seem the case.
Thoughts welcome.
juggsy said:
Bit of a thread resurrection, but curious of people's current oil consumption this winter. We have a 4 bed detached 80s house, insulation is there but likely a bit suspect - thread on this here if interested Double glazing throughout.
We recently replaced our old c1995 oil boiler with a new Worcester external, hoping this would also improve consumption. However at the moment we're getting through approx. 120L per week which is the highest I've seen the consumption. It's obviously colder outside, but even though we only run the heating a couple of hours in the morning and for around 5 hours in the afternoon/evening each day, consumption seems high compared to the beginning of the year when we moved in (particularly as we were running the old boiler). Hot water runs 30 mins twice a day. Was hoping with the new boiler we'd see a drastic improvement in consumption but this doesn't seem the case.
Thoughts welcome.
That deffo doesn't seem right. Boiler should be more efficient if it is condensing properly.We recently replaced our old c1995 oil boiler with a new Worcester external, hoping this would also improve consumption. However at the moment we're getting through approx. 120L per week which is the highest I've seen the consumption. It's obviously colder outside, but even though we only run the heating a couple of hours in the morning and for around 5 hours in the afternoon/evening each day, consumption seems high compared to the beginning of the year when we moved in (particularly as we were running the old boiler). Hot water runs 30 mins twice a day. Was hoping with the new boiler we'd see a drastic improvement in consumption but this doesn't seem the case.
Thoughts welcome.
First thoughts are boiler output temperature and potential leaks. Check everything the fitter touched for leaks then check your tank to see if that is leaking - especially if it is metal or oldish plastic.
As for the boiler temperature you need to check your user manual for the most efficient setting and see if that is what your boiler is set at. Some modern boiler efficiency graphs are a little misleading as they hit the high numbers for a specific setting and can vary wildly in terms of efficiency if set outside this band.
I recon on about 100l for both CH and HW with a modern boiler a week during a cold snap in our old 3 bed cottage. Windows are mostly single glazed and insulation is poor by modern standards. Log burner lit most afternoons and kept burning low to supplement the heating downstairs 'till bedtime. We're both at home all day and keep it toasty. 
Our previous 4 bed also had oil heating. It was a '60s open plan design with huge floor to ceiling windows, a much bigger footprint and larger rooms. It was constantly bloody freezing downstairs and like a sauna upstairs. I'd easily burn double that in really cold weather every week trying to keep it warm.
Our previous 4 bed also had oil heating. It was a '60s open plan design with huge floor to ceiling windows, a much bigger footprint and larger rooms. It was constantly bloody freezing downstairs and like a sauna upstairs. I'd easily burn double that in really cold weather every week trying to keep it warm.
Edited by Jaguar steve on Wednesday 8th December 12:52
Thanks for replies so far. Should also point out we have a Wiser heating system which in theory should reduce consumption further as rooms are controlled per zone and we're not heating unoccupied rooms (basically the spare room at this stage). We also had our old gravity system replaced with an unvented HW system, although CH remains vented. We also have a log burner in the lounge we use probably once a week.
gfreeman said:
That deffo doesn't seem right. Boiler should be more efficient if it is condensing properly.
First thoughts are boiler output temperature and potential leaks. Check everything the fitter touched for leaks then check your tank to see if that is leaking - especially if it is metal or oldish plastic.
As for the boiler temperature you need to check your user manual for the most efficient setting and see if that is what your boiler is set at. Some modern boiler efficiency graphs are a little misleading as they hit the high numbers for a specific setting and can vary wildly in terms of efficiency if set outside this band.
Thanks - I can't see any leaks as yet, and they're coming on Friday anyway to do some snagging, so will ask on this.First thoughts are boiler output temperature and potential leaks. Check everything the fitter touched for leaks then check your tank to see if that is leaking - especially if it is metal or oldish plastic.
As for the boiler temperature you need to check your user manual for the most efficient setting and see if that is what your boiler is set at. Some modern boiler efficiency graphs are a little misleading as they hit the high numbers for a specific setting and can vary wildly in terms of efficiency if set outside this band.
eltawater said:
Sounds like us before we had the cavity wall insulation put in.
Currently getting through about 60L per week.
Do bear in mind that it's not just lower temperatures you have to be wary of, it's these strong winds which are cooling your house down almost as fast as you can heat it.
It's a good point and the house is exposed, but 60L/week would be a dream! Currently getting through about 60L per week.
Do bear in mind that it's not just lower temperatures you have to be wary of, it's these strong winds which are cooling your house down almost as fast as you can heat it.
Jaguar steve said:
I recon on about 100l for both CH and HW with a modern boiler a week during a cold snap in our old 3 bed cottage. Windows are mostly single glazed and insulation is poor by modern standards. Log burner lit most afternoons and kept burning low to supplement the heating downstairs 'till bedtime. We're both at home all day and keep it toasty.
Our previous 4 bed also had oil heating. It was a '60s open plan design with huge floor to ceiling windows, a much bigger footprint and larger rooms. It was constantly bloody freezing downstairs and like a sauna upstairs. I'd easily burn double that in really cold weather every week trying to keep it warm.
Given you have it on all day and are single glazed, seems more efficient than ours.Our previous 4 bed also had oil heating. It was a '60s open plan design with huge floor to ceiling windows, a much bigger footprint and larger rooms. It was constantly bloody freezing downstairs and like a sauna upstairs. I'd easily burn double that in really cold weather every week trying to keep it warm.
Edited by Jaguar steve on Wednesday 8th December 12:52
juggsy said:
Thanks for replies so far. Should also point out we have a Wiser heating system which in theory should reduce consumption further as rooms are controlled per zone and we're not heating unoccupied rooms (basically the spare room at this stage). We also had our old gravity system replaced with an unvented HW system, although CH remains vented. We also have a log burner in the lounge we use probably once a week.
How does that work? Is it 'zoned' per room? I.e. does the heating come on to heat one radiator if that particular room is below that setpoint? If thats the case its going to be using much more oil to fire up maintaining all the different zones individually, oil boilers don't regulate, they are on or off.Volare said:
How does that work? Is it 'zoned' per room? I.e. does the heating come on to heat one radiator if that particular room is below that setpoint? If thats the case its going to be using much more oil to fire up maintaining all the different zones individually, oil boilers don't regulate, they are on or off.
It uses smart TRVs to call for heat, motorised so that the rads only come on if the room is cooler than the set point. In reality, most the house is on/off at the same time, but it means for example the spare room isn't heated when unoccupied, and the living room won't come on if we've got the log burner going. We also don't have the bedrooms come on until a bit later. So it's more shutting zones off rather than heating individual zones at different times, which in theory should save some energy? Otherwise the bedrooms would get heated up, and would still need to come on a bit later anyway as they cool down.Do you know it's using that much for sure? Our level sender is nowhere near accurate enough to be able to tell.
I've been keeping measurements from our sender for a decade now, so know roughly how much it will drop at given times of year. Ours goes from '0' to 'F' and the increments are nowhere near even. It's accurate enough so I know when to call the oil people, and also to spot an issue in the house such as a stuck valve (though only over several months)...but I wouldn't want to try and gauge weekly consumption off the cuff from it.
Ref issues in the house...IME stuck valves are a potential issue. You'll either have a 3-way or a couple of 2-way valves to switch between 'off', 'CH only', 'HW only' or 'both'. Testing these is very easy, but takes a bit of time as you need to let the system cool/heat up. Just be methodical. If there's an issue, you then need to look at the valve(s).
We noticed our downstairs loo being warm all day, and it just happens that the main supply pipe from the boiler runs through it. A 2-way valve was stuck open. Cost about £100 to have replaced and saved multiples of that each year.
TRVs are fine and do help consumption as well as comfort, BUT the supply pipes for the rads will still be "charged" with hot water unless the system is properly zoned. Our place is quite spread out and has convoluted pipe runs, so it still takes a decent amount of energy just to warm the supply water.
I've been keeping measurements from our sender for a decade now, so know roughly how much it will drop at given times of year. Ours goes from '0' to 'F' and the increments are nowhere near even. It's accurate enough so I know when to call the oil people, and also to spot an issue in the house such as a stuck valve (though only over several months)...but I wouldn't want to try and gauge weekly consumption off the cuff from it.
Ref issues in the house...IME stuck valves are a potential issue. You'll either have a 3-way or a couple of 2-way valves to switch between 'off', 'CH only', 'HW only' or 'both'. Testing these is very easy, but takes a bit of time as you need to let the system cool/heat up. Just be methodical. If there's an issue, you then need to look at the valve(s).
We noticed our downstairs loo being warm all day, and it just happens that the main supply pipe from the boiler runs through it. A 2-way valve was stuck open. Cost about £100 to have replaced and saved multiples of that each year.
TRVs are fine and do help consumption as well as comfort, BUT the supply pipes for the rads will still be "charged" with hot water unless the system is properly zoned. Our place is quite spread out and has convoluted pipe runs, so it still takes a decent amount of energy just to warm the supply water.
Murph7355 said:
Do you know it's using that much for sure? Our level sender is nowhere near accurate enough to be able to tell.
It’s a fair point but we know it’s accurate to the point it’s nearly empty given the size of tank and the amount which gets filled up when we have a delivery, and I’m going by full tanks we’ve used up over the year.Murph7355 said:
Ref issues in the house...IME stuck valves are a potential issue. You'll either have a 3-way or a couple of 2-way valves to switch between 'off', 'CH only', 'HW only' or 'both'. Testing these is very easy, but takes a bit of time as you need to let the system cool/heat up. Just be methodical. If there's an issue, you then need to look at the valve(s).
We noticed our downstairs loo being warm all day, and it just happens that the main supply pipe from the boiler runs through it. A 2-way valve was stuck open. Cost about £100 to have replaced and saved multiples of that each year.
TRVs are fine and do help consumption as well as comfort, BUT the supply pipes for the rads will still be "charged" with hot water unless the system is properly zoned. Our place is quite spread out and has convoluted pipe runs, so it still takes a decent amount of energy just to warm the supply water.
We’re not having issues with TRVs or the valves, might have been another poster?We noticed our downstairs loo being warm all day, and it just happens that the main supply pipe from the boiler runs through it. A 2-way valve was stuck open. Cost about £100 to have replaced and saved multiples of that each year.
TRVs are fine and do help consumption as well as comfort, BUT the supply pipes for the rads will still be "charged" with hot water unless the system is properly zoned. Our place is quite spread out and has convoluted pipe runs, so it still takes a decent amount of energy just to warm the supply water.
juggsy said:
Volare said:
How does that work? Is it 'zoned' per room? I.e. does the heating come on to heat one radiator if that particular room is below that setpoint? If thats the case its going to be using much more oil to fire up maintaining all the different zones individually, oil boilers don't regulate, they are on or off.
It uses smart TRVs to call for heat, motorised so that the rads only come on if the room is cooler than the set point. In reality, most the house is on/off at the same time, but it means for example the spare room isn't heated when unoccupied, and the living room won't come on if we've got the log burner going. We also don't have the bedrooms come on until a bit later. So it's more shutting zones off rather than heating individual zones at different times, which in theory should save some energy? Otherwise the bedrooms would get heated up, and would still need to come on a bit later anyway as they cool down.We're about 1800 litres every 11 months. So around 160 per month.
As others have mentioned I do try turning things down and even off, but then the grumbling starts from Mrs eps...
Our house is around 15-16 years old, well insulated, but fairly sizeable and with underfloor heating downstairs throughout and radiators upstairs.
Boiler is in since the house was first built - which reminds me it needs a service.
As others have mentioned I do try turning things down and even off, but then the grumbling starts from Mrs eps...
Our house is around 15-16 years old, well insulated, but fairly sizeable and with underfloor heating downstairs throughout and radiators upstairs.
Boiler is in since the house was first built - which reminds me it needs a service.
We use about 10 litres a week during the summer for hot water. Goes up to around 90 litres a week during the winter. 5 bed detached built in 1879 in stone. During winter, we spend evening in the snug with the log burner lit, so generally we have the thermostat set to 20 degrees with heating on from 4pm to 10pm. Override gets hit around 10am on cold days!
In the 18 months we've been here, oil price has gone from under 30p/ litre to over 60p/ litre!!
In the 18 months we've been here, oil price has gone from under 30p/ litre to over 60p/ litre!!
moved in in August and have been watching the Watchman like a hawk
7 - 11th October
6 - 6th November
5 - 26th November
4 - 9th December
2500L tank, so mildly concerned but it has been cold and I’ve probably got a bit more optimising to do (sorry kids)
Still, assuming it’s linear, 125 litres / week is more than I expected but it has been around 0 degrees for quite a bit. Barn conversion with stone walls and thin loft ins, Evohome for room control.
7 - 11th October
6 - 6th November
5 - 26th November
4 - 9th December
2500L tank, so mildly concerned but it has been cold and I’ve probably got a bit more optimising to do (sorry kids)
Still, assuming it’s linear, 125 litres / week is more than I expected but it has been around 0 degrees for quite a bit. Barn conversion with stone walls and thin loft ins, Evohome for room control.
Edited by essayer on Thursday 9th December 21:19
Very interesting chat with our plumber today who came to look at things. Rebalanced all the rads, but noticed some of our wiser TRVs weren’t open all the way when calling for heat, which could be causing the rads to heat up slowly and potentially consume more oil.
Debating whether our smart TRVs are part of the problem, either not working properly or having some rooms some
Cold becoming a diminishing return (as suggested above by another poster, cold rooms will suck the heat out the warmer ones).
Also suggested we keep hot water on for longer, rather than 30 mins 2x day, have it for longer so tank is topping up when water is used in the morning after the shower. Apparently modern boilers work better this way rather than filling a colder depleted tank.
All stuff for me to try
Debating whether our smart TRVs are part of the problem, either not working properly or having some rooms some
Cold becoming a diminishing return (as suggested above by another poster, cold rooms will suck the heat out the warmer ones).
Also suggested we keep hot water on for longer, rather than 30 mins 2x day, have it for longer so tank is topping up when water is used in the morning after the shower. Apparently modern boilers work better this way rather than filling a colder depleted tank.
All stuff for me to try
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