Heating Oil Price Rocketing
Discussion
Purosangue said:
I was looking at Oil as an alternative , as our existing gas boiler will need replacing .
obviously cost of new oil boiler / oil storage tank etc.
what would be a rough cost for the oil for a 4 bedroom house in Hampshire and how much oil do you use a year ? prefer to install a large tank that would see us through the year
4 bed in Cornwall, averaged around 900 litres a year in the 13 years that I've lived here. CH only - previous owner didn't plumb in the hot water tank, and I just use the immersion heater on cheap rate electricobviously cost of new oil boiler / oil storage tank etc.
what would be a rough cost for the oil for a 4 bedroom house in Hampshire and how much oil do you use a year ? prefer to install a large tank that would see us through the year
Oil and gas are pretty much the same price per kWH these days. Not sure I'd switch from mains gas to oil.
clockworks said:
Oil and gas are pretty much the same price per kWH these days. Not sure I'd switch from mains gas to oil.
This. If you've got mains gas, use it. - You can't run out.
- You don't have the cost, inconvenience, and eyesore of a huge tank.
- Gas boilers are actually more efficient than oil
- Nobody's going to steal your gas
Disclosure: Every house we've owned has had oil CH!
Think about siting too. Depends where you have your gas boiler at the moment but ideally an oil boiler sits outside or in the garage. They can be a bit more noisy and smelly. I can hear mine right now while sat in the lounge the other side of an exterior wall - it's in the garage.
For our 4 bed house we're probably using around 1800l a year for CH and HW. Just had 1024l delivered last week which cost 69p a litre plus vat = around £740.
For our 4 bed house we're probably using around 1800l a year for CH and HW. Just had 1024l delivered last week which cost 69p a litre plus vat = around £740.
Jobbo said:
How easy is it to fit a second tank, I wonder?
Not difficult from what I found, just need to make sure to be aware of line isolations & levels. I added a 2nd tank & got it plumbed in when the boiler was being serviced anyway. My main gripe is I would like to have a watchman on both/see levels from both on one screen but not sure if its possible/i've not investigated fully.I run one tank or the other & close the isolation on the one not being used, sticking a post-it on the watchman if i'm using the other tank, dip regularly, & make sure to annotate order instructions with how I want the delivery split & have to bear in mind that the 500L minimum applies to both tanks when you're splitting a larger delivery.
trixical said:
have to bear in mind that the 500L minimum applies to both tanks when you're splitting a larger delivery.
Ah, that’s interesting - I think that alone would make it annoying and worthwhile just putting in a single bigger tank. Thank you very much indeed for the detail though; really useful.
silentbrown said:
clockworks said:
Oil and gas are pretty much the same price per kWH these days. Not sure I'd switch from mains gas to oil.
This. If you've got mains gas, use it. - You can't run out.
- You don't have the cost, inconvenience, and eyesore of a huge tank.
- Gas boilers are actually more efficient than oil
- Nobody's going to steal your gas
Disclosure: Every house we've owned has had oil CH!
eltawater said:
Seems to be a bit of a promotional drive on at the moment, local supplier vs NRG are both quoting around 64ppl but with NRG "gifting" a £10 discount per order.
They had their fun during the cold snap, tensions in the shipping corridor etc and they tried to put their hand in the cookie jar. I'm sure they rinsed plenty of panic buyers though. 
silentbrown said:
clockworks said:
Oil and gas are pretty much the same price per kWH these days. Not sure I'd switch from mains gas to oil.
This. If you've got mains gas, use it. - You can't run out.
- You don't have the cost, inconvenience, and eyesore of a huge tank.
- Gas boilers are actually more efficient than oil
- Nobody's going to steal your gas
Disclosure: Every house we've owned has had oil CH!
I would go back to mains gas in an instant but the nearest gas main is 3 miles away.
It's not that hard.
Keep a chart of use, after 18 months you'll know your number for the year Eg 2000ltrs, 2400 litres.
Then just buy that volume across the year in bulk. You won't run out. You know how much you use.
If you're clever you can even buy in real bulk when it's cheap and beat the market. Go for 1500litrs in one go.
Theft: make it a bit hard for them and they won't bother, and it's pretty uncommon. Between our family, three houses totaling 60 years, we've never had one.
Gas prices in our market is theft!
Keep a chart of use, after 18 months you'll know your number for the year Eg 2000ltrs, 2400 litres.
Then just buy that volume across the year in bulk. You won't run out. You know how much you use.
If you're clever you can even buy in real bulk when it's cheap and beat the market. Go for 1500litrs in one go.
Theft: make it a bit hard for them and they won't bother, and it's pretty uncommon. Between our family, three houses totaling 60 years, we've never had one.
Gas prices in our market is theft!
I ran out - once. When we moved in here, first time oil users. No meter for the tank - previous owners relied on a stick (!) so we did too.
Until the day we ran out - the stick was in 1 part of the tank and was ok but the oil was too low to get out into the pipe elsewhere in the tank. Lesson learned, bought a meter. Easy enough to fit and set. Fortunately the oil delivery company we use are quick and the driver helped me clear the boiler inlet of air.
Only a 1200 litre tank and we use 18-1900 a year so we inevitably end up buying when the price is higher at some point.
Until the day we ran out - the stick was in 1 part of the tank and was ok but the oil was too low to get out into the pipe elsewhere in the tank. Lesson learned, bought a meter. Easy enough to fit and set. Fortunately the oil delivery company we use are quick and the driver helped me clear the boiler inlet of air.
Only a 1200 litre tank and we use 18-1900 a year so we inevitably end up buying when the price is higher at some point.
FMOB said:
Compared to gas CH, oil fired is a complete pain in the backside. The house I have is the first one to use oil for the CH and compared to gas it is high maintenance with purchasing fuel, trying not to run out, worries about the tank and the affect of it leaking, oil theft, etc.
I would go back to mains gas in an instant but the nearest gas main is 3 miles away.
But with oil you don't have to worry that your house might unexpectedly explode.I would go back to mains gas in an instant but the nearest gas main is 3 miles away.
sparkythecat said:
FMOB said:
Compared to gas CH, oil fired is a complete pain in the backside. The house I have is the first one to use oil for the CH and compared to gas it is high maintenance with purchasing fuel, trying not to run out, worries about the tank and the affect of it leaking, oil theft, etc.
I would go back to mains gas in an instant but the nearest gas main is 3 miles away.
But with oil you don't have to worry that your house might unexpectedly explode.I would go back to mains gas in an instant but the nearest gas main is 3 miles away.
An ex colleague had a tank leak after being filled, lost ~100 litres resulting in the necessary new tank, excavation of several cubic metres of contaminated soil, etc and a really big bill.
Not all house insurance policies cover the risks of an oil tank leaking and the cleanup.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff