We’re looking at a new house and it has an oil fired boiler. I know nowt about them but been told that oil is supposed to be more efficient than gas but the fuel costs more to buy when time you fill up the tank.
Does anyone have experience of living with one? and funding the fuel?
How does it compare to gas?

Also the house has underfloor heating – how does this compare to a “normal” central heating system?

Oil fired heating is hellishly expensive. If I were tossing up between two identical houses, one oil and one gas I’d go with the latter every time. However I imagine that the house in question is in a vaguely moved location and that is more important to you than mains utilities.

Oil fired heating is hellishly expensive

more expensive yes – hellishly so?

http://www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk/portal/page?_pageid=75,59188&_dad=portal

We run oil + solar thermal + wood back boiler

Oil is more expensive, but you are also more engaged with the process of buying it, and so more aware of how much you are using and so probably use less. If I could have mains gas I would, but it’s only a marginal inconvenience if you plan your deliveries properly.

thanks – house is 50m off main road so I reckon the developer wouldn’t pay the £000s to get a new gas main connection

If it is more efficient to burn then it could offset some of the extra fuel cost, maybe?

So £216/year extra for an average property (18000kWh)
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documents1/domestic%20energy%20consump%20fig%20FS.pdf

Not going to kill you is it?

If it is more efficient to burn then it could offset some of the extra fuel cost, maybe?

I think that the figures above are corrected for different fuel efficiencies, but boiler technology is changing all the time, and an inch or isnulation here, or higher specced double glazing there, could have a similar affect.

Edit: Of course there are the cooking implications too 😯

Im on oil and have been at 3 different houses now

I prefer it for the visual effect it gives the mrs when she has been using the heating alot , basically its an if you use it alot during this bad weather instead of using the wood burner then youll have none left if the oil truck cant get in to deliver…..

As for cost – the house i had gas in cost a bucket load to heat due to being badly constructed and poorly insulated.

The las 2 houses have been insulated to the highest standard and im doing the same with my current house a the moment.

My neighbour spends 2 x 700 quid fills a year but never uses the wood burner and doesnt have even a 1/4 of the insulation i have – so far year to date ive used about 300 quid. – and thats with a 70% efficient boiler that was heating a tank of water. Next weekend a 91% efficient condensing combi is going in.

And yes geoff i do miss my gas hob 🙁

I’m assuming new/modern house, well insulated, highish EPC rating (although they can vary from utter bollocks to something mildly credible) and the underfloor heating will be a new thing too. So overall it shouldn’t be too expensive. If we get cold, we can wear jumpers.

If we get the house I’d miss a gas hob but overall it’s all small change compared to house prices nowadays.

If you have ufh then look at air or ground source heat pumps.

We have oil fired central heating and hot water in a pretty big terrace thats well insulated.
This year it will have cost us about £650 in oil which isn’t too bad.
The boiler has a small tank for the hot water and instead of leaving it to fire up whenever the water temp drops we just turn it on in a morning,runs for about 10 mins,turn it off,and theres enough hot water for a full day.Seems to have cut down on the amount of oil we use.

We spend upwards of £200 per month feeding an Aga, that also supplies water – no C/H, but it does warm half the house by itself.

We also have the tank connected to a supplier through the phone, they ensure we never run out.

We spend upwards of £200 per month feeding an Aga

yikes! 😯

On oil in the current house cant compare directly to gas as the house is twice as big.
Dosnt seem excessively expensive just have to remember to put a bit by each month as when it comes round to refilling the tank its a big ass single bill. Also get a watchman or similar tank level gauge in the house to help avoid running out. Refill i’n summer aswell winter prices go up.

Might not be wise to get a heat pump unless your underfloor was designed for use with one.

Running costs are slightly higher than gas, biomass would be a better option especially if domestic RHI becomes available, BUT capital outlay is considerable.

Oil is less efficient as gas boiler technology is greatly superior due to a far bigger market. There’s nothing good about oil, very high carbon emissions and very expensive. I looked at a school once who were on gas. Would cost around £1000000 to put them on the gas main, payback was under 5 years!

yeah … but how big was the school compared to a 3-bed house?
That’s like comparing the running costs of a cross channel ferry versus a jet-ski

The size of the tank is key. Over 1000 l and you generally get a discount. We had a 2000l tank but it was scary to fill. However if you can cope with it (invest on day 1 and put aside monthly) try and keep an eye on the price and buy when it’s cheap (mostly summer) avoid shopping in the week before Christmas. It can vary 5-10p/l normally or up to 15-20p when there is snow on the ground and the takers can’t get round.

We’re on LPG bottles! 😥

I think it’ll have to be oil soon but were putting in a wood burner which will have a major effect.

The 1960s converted oil AGA devours fuel; don’t think it will be with us much longer.

Our fuel costs are astronomical at the moment but I’ve just had new windows fitted and am
Hoping our LPG costs come down now.

We spend upwards of £200 per month feeding an Aga

yikes!

But if you break it down, it looks reasonable…

30 days * 24 hours = 720 hours and oil is currently at £0.61 pl

So £200/0.61 = 330l which gives approx consumption of 0.5 lph or £0.30 ph

We’ve had oil fired heating for about the last 15 years in 4 different houses. It’s impossible to compute the cost as like any other heating source it will depend on the size and insulation efficiency of the particular building. My perception is that it is a bit more expensive than mains gas, but much cheaper than delivered gas.

As said above, get a big tank (ours is 2500l) so that you can do your one main fill up when the price is at its cheapest in the middle of summer. If you do that, its probably pretty similar to gas in price

And yes geoff i do miss my gas hob

You can still have a gas hob. At our last house we had oil for all the heating but had a gas range connected to a couple of small gas bottles outside the kitchen. Worked perfectly and the bottles only needed replacing about every 9 months. All cookers have the option to run on propane rather than natural gas

Just found out the property is oil fired central boiler for the water and a couple of towel radiators but an air-source heat pump (electric) for the underfloor heating

Didn’t consider running gas from a propane source – good idea
I’d prefer this as I hate cooking on electric or ceramic thingy hobs
thanks

Air source should be about a fair bit less than oil but not as cheap as mains gas (alot cheaper than bottled gas).

Using an efficient air/air heat pump (COP 3) will cost about the same as gas but a low-temperature, ground/underfloor system will have a COP of 4.5 or better and be cheaper to run than gas or fuel oil. It will cost more to install though. If you’re an eco-warrior it also has the advantage that you’re only using the proportion of fossil fuel generated electricity that your electricity provider does.

In my area and for most commercial organisations electricity is four times the price of gas so you need a COP of over 4 to match gas, COPs of 3 are I understand realistic for air source, 4.5 sounds enthusiastic to me. However, I only model ground source systems. Carbon saving is approx 33% at cop of 3.

Edukator – it’s a house were thinking of buying so it is already installed

If I’d been really enthusiatic I’d have quoted a COP of 6 for water/water heat pumps. COPS up to 6 are possible with vertical drilling to find ground at 12-15°C all year round and feeding under-floor heating running at 25-30°C.

I’d understood that, EL Shalimo. If the cost of running the oil-fired house is putting you off buying it and there’s no mains gas then a heat pump is a viable way of heating a house for similar running costs to gas.

I have never seen a COP of 6 on ground source and more than 3.5 for air source and I have seen the numbers for the some of the largest installations in Europe.

And if you want to run your underfloor on such a low temperature you will need to have had the system designed to do so.

Well there are plenty in France. Many don’t quote COPS at all because the ground is warm enough to provide water that doesn’t need heating. Some use the heat pump to gain only 10°C. The projects are on the scale of a whole community. My original 4.5 COP suggestion for water/water was very conservative and 6 is possible. COP 5 for an individual house using low-temperature, under-floor heating connected to a heat pump drawing on shallow vertical drilling is realistic, 4.5 is a conservative figure I can easily defend on STW.

Anyhow, Google will provide the answers for anyone who doubts what I’ve said.

Or insulate the house a bit better so 25-35°C water in the under-floor system is all that’s needed, Bear. I’ve taken the central heating out of my own home. A small wood burner and a 2m3 of wood is all we need.

Your original 4.5 appeared to be for air source hence my disbelief, I agree 4.5 is easily possible on ground source but the OP is looking at air source. Your ground source numbers are still toppy in my view but it is pretty irrelevant to the OP. Google provides marketing rubbish in the main and some academic studies of varying quality. I generally rely on the numbers monitored in commercially installed systems measured on a daily basis.

As a lay person could you please recommend a good objective source of information without the marketing bull?

Here looks realistic for figures, anyone not selling one technolgy has a better chance of being impartial.

If you want to see some indepedent figures re ASHP look no further than the Energy Saving Trust study that used figures from real installations. The average COP was 2.2 with very few reaching 3+.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/08/heat-pumps-green-heating

I’d stick to the oil its cheaper to run and cheaper to install.

yet the RHI consultation has proposed higher tariffs for them than biomass? Work that out!

when we rennovated 4 years ago we put oil in, we’re in the sticks so no gas, i figured that bio-fuel would kick in quite soon.

what a huge mistake.

our first fill of 1000l cost way less than 500 does now. and because the house has rubbish insulation, listed so i’m stuffed as to the measures i can take to minimise, it costs a fortune.

hate it.

gav – biomass. any heat pump won’t really work in old leaky properties.

I know your listed but until you sort out your insulation issues anythings going to cost a fortune.

As ive said in the past on here . Me and my neighbour have identical properties. We are semi detached.

She told me she uses 2 fills oil per year to heat her house at 1k per fill and she has a less than 5yo boiler and vented tank system

So far to date this year ( moved in in february) ive not even used 300 quids worth of oil yet. –

Where we are not identical is that ive spent a little on insulating my house.

Is internal insulation not an option for you ? My last house was turn of the century and was internally drylined and it was worth the spaceloss for the cost reduction and the place just felt warmer.