Comments on: Your top tips for saving heating oil

By: mick langton

mick langton — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:10:06 +0000

can you run rayburn along normal house oil boiler

By: Ez

Ez — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:42:09 +0000

Hi, my house has a solid fule heating system and I wasnt to replace it with an Oil fired boiler system. its a three bedroom house and the existing radiator can be used as they are in decent condition. Does anyone know the going rate for boiler instalation? I have got a quote from a local OFTEC registered lad who quoted £500 labour fee to install the boiler and connect to the oil tank and provide us with the relevent safety cirtification. would this be an acceptable price if I am providing him with the boiler and all requred parts for installation? Any advise would be appreciated as I dont have a clue about this stuff..

Many thanks!

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:49:40 +0000

We also moved into a four bedroom, 17th century stone farm house in July 2010 complete with a reasonably efficient oil fired central heating and serviced Aga. In the nine months to end of March 2011, we used 4,337 litres of oil. Since then, we have not used the Aga or central heating. Instead, we use an electric oven, hob, fan heaters (in all bedrooms) and an 8KW multi-fuel stove which heats all of the rooms we use downstairs. It may sound bizarre to use fan heaters (at 2KW per hour) but it’s actually worked out cheaper and warmer going down this route (given the house is big and drafty). Since April 2011, we have used 700 litres of oil (to heat the hot water), spent approx £190 extra on electricity and £170 on coal and wood. Compare that to the 3,000 litres (£1,800) of oil we would have used during April, May, September, October and November on the central heating and Aga. So we’ve saved £1,440 in the past eight months alone by switching from oil to electricity.

By: COLIN

COLIN — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:52:12 +0000

I have a Firebird oil boiler (garage) 14 years old gravity/hot water tank. My problem is the boiler cycles continuously 4 mins on, 4 mins off all the time it is on. Whats that all about ?? I turn it off and on manually or it would cost a mint. Can anyone tell me what might be causing this to happen please ?

By: S Knapp

S Knapp — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:33:13 +0000

I would be 99% it would work our more expensive heating with electric heaters than vs using oil. Electric is the single most expensive form of heating even on an cheap rate economy 7 overnight tariff so switching on electric heaters on a normal tariff would cost a small fortune. Oil may be expensive these days compared to gas but still cheaper than electric.

By: Simon Rolfe

Simon Rolfe — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:32:24 +0000

We have just moved into a very large drafty (single glazed) c.1900 house in Scotland and are concerned about the amount of oil we will use this winter. The oil-fired boiler is large and old but apparently quite efficient and we have an oil Aga which keeps the kitchen nice and warm as well as open fires/stoves in the living spaces. The house thermostats are very old and not programmable. Given we are ‘warm’ until it is time for us to go to our respective bedrooms, I was wondering whether it would be cheaper to heat the bedrooms for an hour or so before bed with electric room heaters, rather than crank up the oil boiler just so bedtime is more pleasant. The same would apply in the mornings as we just get dressed and then are pretty much out or downstairs for the rest of the day. When the temperature really dips of course we will put the central heating on but until then, does anyone know if we will save money by going electric?

By: Rachael

Rachael — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:44:39 +0000

We have a small 2 bed terrace built in 2007. We have oil underfloro heating with one thermostat in each room and then a timer on the main boiler control.

Last winter we only ever used the UFH in the living room. Kitchen gets heated up when the oven goes on and our bedroom doesnt need heating. We had it switched off on the mains all summer and only had it on from Nov-Feb when we probably used it three times a week for 3-4 hours in an evening to warm the living room. The following days we didnt need it as it retained the heat from the day before!

We put 500L in our tank in August 2010 and still have plenty left!

By: Gill Roberts

Gill Roberts — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:12:07 +0000

We have moved into our 1935 detached solid brick built house in 2006. 3 Beds with old boiler heating system. We used around 2000ltrs per annum. We have installed new condensing boiler, TVRs on rads and timer control and a wireless thermostat., new hot water tank. This change has saved us at least the usage of 400ltrs per annum. We have extended back of house with new cavity insulated walls using internally Thermalite Blocks. We have taken off render from original exposed walls at front and sides of house in order to put insulation sheets on before re-rendering. We are installing wood burning stove with back boiler to feed rads and hot water. With a growing family and increased costs of running our home, we are hoping that this is the right way forward. Loft well insulated and new double glazing fitted. There’s little more we can do, will let you know how we get on! Wish us luck!!

By: SaraH

SaraH — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:34:35 +0000

Thanks for the interesting info Keith – looks like I need to get on with some serious insulating….If only I had realised the need before decorating and laying new carpets last year!!

By: Keith B

Keith B — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:24:34 +0000

I’m no expert but I have/had a similar problem to you and I also used electric heaters to heat during the day, to heat the room I was in. I moved into my house four years ago. There was no insulation. Insulating the central heating pipes made a noticeable difference, as the radiator got hot quicker rather than lose heat in the pipes. I also insulated the solid nine inch brick walls in two rooms that face North and east. This paid for itself in just one winter and made the house more comfortable. I used Sempatap on two external walls in one room. Its easy to put up DIY, if you can hang wall paper you can put this stuff up. In another room I used insulation board on one very cold wall, that needed expert help to install and re-plaster, so it cost more. But it is even more effective. I now leave TVR’s on a very low setting in rooms I am not using and I leave the heating on rather than use electric. It works and despite having the heating on longer, I use less Oil.