switching from oil to lpg

[pondy]

Has anyone done the above? I moved into a my first house 18 months ago and it has oil central heating with a 1000l tank. I plan on changing the boiler for various reasons and was seeing if I would be better of with lpg. After calling calor gas it seems I cannot have a bulk tank due to my garden being to small, you need a 3 metre area around the tank ( my neighbour has a bulk tank which is next to the garage?) The only option I have is to have 4 x 47kg bottles. Calor told me that the bottles are £50 each and in the winter months 2 bottles will last 3 weeks then it has an auto change over valve to the next two bottles. Does 3 weeks seem about right? I have A 2 bed with 8 radiators with the heating on for 4 hours every evening at the moment? Seems like it's going to be expensive, £100 every 3 weeks and the hassle is calling regular to arange delivery.
So far I have only needed to order oil twice, 500 litre a time at around £300 a time, admitadly I have not had the heating on as much as I would like due to faults with the boiler, trying to nurse it till I could afford a replacement I would use more oil on a fully working boiler.
The guy from calor Was saying lpg was more efficient and would heat up faster so I use less? it seems unless I had a large bulk tank I would be better off with oil?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Personally I would stick to oil as buying LPG in bottles is expensive!
There are grants available for wood pellet or wood chip boilers through the Renewable Heat Incentive.

 

[MCKDAVID]

as above I'd be tempted to leave it for now, should be right this winter hopefully the price of heating oil should drop, especially with the crude price per barrel dropping. Either way, between bottled gas and oil, there's probably not a lot in it price wise. The mains gas is a lot cheaper, but if your using bottles you're paying a high premium.

You need to work out your heating bill and compare. Add in the cost of the change of boiler etc and compare how long it will take to get back to making a saving.

 

[Rig Pig]

I've had oil for years, there is no way I would have a large ugly gas tank in the garden and the bottled gas is insanely expensive. If you have the option fit a wood burner and insulate to drop your heating costs. A moden oil boiler is far more efficient than the old ones.

 

[normspanners]

Also have to consider the problem with cylinders, the reg freezing up if outside, I had seperate gas fires in my first house and one winter minus 15 for a week---- I know thats cold--- but mum had shingles and that is when we neeeded the heat!! , coz the system is pulling hard on the gas and that causes it to cool the reg. even more . I had to make a box and fitted a lead light in there, to keep it warm.
You are also relient on people to deliver the gas if ya havnt a van in winter there can be some big delays sister in law was 5days with no heat because they couldnt get up the road to her house, whereas if you run out of oil, unlikely because of the amount stored, usually a quarters worth, if desperate you can always bang derv in to see you through.

 

[awemawson]

Locally I'm being charged £65 for 47 kg Propane cylinders - significantly more than your £50 so check the price! We use then for a couple of gas hobs but heat by oil (1x 2500 litres and 2x 1125 litre tanks for 3 oil fired boilers one in each of 3 buildings so when we have oil delivered it hurts! Last oil delivery was over £1200

 

[brewdexta]

LPG has only 66% the calorific value per litre compared to heating oil. Bulk LPG is cheaper per litre than oil but oil still works out about 15% per kWh cheaper than LPG. Given that your buying bottles by weight not bulk by the litre, I would have thought this differential would be bigger, probably closer to 20%

However this assumes the oil and gas boilers have similar efficiency, if your swapping an ancient oil boiler for a modern gas boiler then it may work out better. If you can get a cost effective oil boiler to replace the old one I would stay with it.

 

[captain-destructo]

do you have an open fire or stove? if you do why not fit a backboiler and link it to your heating/hot water system

 

[julianf]

You would be crazy to swap from oil to 47kg cylinders.

There are tables about with costings for various fuels - IIRC, the order goes -

coal
mains gas
oil
wood
bottle gas

...or something like that.

Of course Calor will tell you its better, and that it will only cost you pocket change. Calor have a reputation for just doing what's best for you.

 

[julianf]

ps.

If you have the setup for oil (ie the tank, piping, etc.) then why not just get a new, high efficiency, oil boiler.

We were renting whilst the solicitors messed about - a winter let on a holiday home that was not set up for winter time at all.

I purchased an external oil condensing boiler for, IIRC, £370? Or that may have been including delivery - it was a while back.

Anyhow, external boilers are always more money. Im sure you could get an internal for a couple of hundred quid, used.

(im not talking an old boiler - the one we purchased was a current model, 93% efficient w.bosch etc)

That must be your best option, surely?

 

[brightspark]

[QUOTE="julianf, post:
Calor have a reputation for just doing what's best for you.[/QUOTE]yup thats supplying u with free gas bottles to make wood burners compressors and blast pots with

 

[DAPPH]

Pondy ,
We had our 30 year old oil heating system replaced with the latest all singing all dancing balanced flue oil fired combi heater that now runs seven very effective large double rads and one small double in the bathroom . It has saved us a hell of a lot of money and is very effective compared the old micro-bore system .We were able to site the new boiler in the bottom of the airing cupboard and get rid of the hot tank . This change gave us enough space to remodel a separate kitchen & dining area into a big kitchen diner , able to take a big six seater table with all chairs & still have plenty of space.

Previous to the renewal we had used three thousand litres of oil in twenty six months . In the four & a half years since the update was finished we have used almost exactly the same amount . 54 months of cost that was formerly used up in 26 months that makes for almost half price heating .

We spent the winter of five years ago temporarily living in a badly insulated bungalow that was Jerry built only 15 years ago . We spent £ 1,700 on tanked LPG every two & a half months from the Sept 2010 to March 2011 & froze our butts off most of the time that the wind blew or when snow or frost was on the ground .
The renewals & home insulation were done under the old Warmer home scheme due to me being disabled & the boiler being 30 years old .

Would the latest green deal be of use or applicable to you ??

 

[awemawson]

We've replaced three oil boilers here in the last couple of years - all are now Grant condensing, one is a 'system' boiler and the other two are 'combis' - I don't have definitive figures on improved efficiency as other works such as insulation, double glazing and under floor heating went in at the same time, but my impression so far is that the saving is considerable. Mind you so was the capital expenditure

 

[garethp]

Newer more efficient oil boiler will be cheapest option. Is your house well insulated? Any form of heating continually costs money whereas slowing its escape via better insulation is a one off cost.

 

[pondy]

As the boiler was due for replacment I looked into other fuels but I fid not expect lpg to be so expensive, I didn't kniw anything about it before though.

Im going to get an efficient boiler and stick with oil. Two rooms have too small a radiator and are alwsys cold so correct size ones will be fitted. Loft is getting insulated and boarded out next week and I need to draft proof a door a windows. I plan to replace these in a year or so.

Unfortunately I have no fire or chimney or any easy locate to add one, wife says next house must have one, and a double garage for me.

 

[julianf]

Unfortunately I have no fire or chimney or any easy locate to add one, wife says next house must have one, and a double garage for me.

Its pretty much always possible, if you want it.

Easiest is probably to go out, through a wall, and then up the side of the house with twin wall, but there are options for going through a house also.

If you download the selkirk catalogue (stainless twin wall, not the gas stuff) you can see all the bits that can be used.


As i think i said before, we have an oil boiler but ive not even bothered to plumb it in yet. Its sub-zero outside, but im sitting here, in front of the log burner, and the rayburn is lit in the kitchen. I think the 300ltr thermal store was about 85c last time i looked.

 

[brightspark]

fit trv on your radiators . ive just fitted a new boiler to our house fortunately we have gas. i got the gas fitter to pipe the gas up and comission it to get the 7 year guarantee and i done the rest. its a heat only boiler and y plan system combys are crap. ok in flats thats about it

 

[DAPPH]

As the boiler was due for replacment I looked into other fuels but I fid not expect lpg to be so expensive, I didn't kniw anything about it before though.

Im going to get an efficient boiler and stick with oil. Two rooms have too small a radiator and are alwsys cold so correct size ones will be fitted. Loft is getting insulated and boarded out next week and I need to draft proof a door a windows. I plan to replace these in a year or so.

Unfortunately I have no fire or chimney or any easy locate to add one, wife says next house must have one, and a double garage for me.

There are calculators for radiator size according to the size of the room & the building construction of your home in several on-line sites .


If you are boarding the roof void yourself ....
When you board your loft use loft board stand off's to keep the boarding well above the insulation & take lots of photographs , so you can show that you have the correct approved thickness of insulation under the boards . Having a newspaper front page showing in at least one of the shots is usually acceptable for showing date done. Then print off several copies for future use , this is to help you when it comes to selling your home.

Solicitors ( anagram of O'clitoris ) will try to skin you alive on price reduction these days for non compliance to the old HEP standards every thing seems to need proof of being done certifications . Lots of buyers also try it on as well before & after the sales completion ...make yourself bomb proof in these matters.

 

[garethp]

As the boiler was due for replacment I looked into other fuels but I fid not expect lpg to be so expensive, I didn't kniw anything about it before though.

Im going to get an efficient boiler and stick with oil. Two rooms have too small a radiator and are alwsys cold so correct size ones will be fitted. Loft is getting insulated and boarded out next week and I need to draft proof a door a windows. I plan to replace these in a year or so.

Unfortunately I have no fire or chimney or any easy locate to add one, wife says next house must have one, and a double garage for me.

Loft insulation will improve things and draft proofing makes a big difference, we had a new door into our porch fitted last year and I've just got around to fitting a brush strip around the door edge, its made a huge difference to the temperature in the hall even though there didn't seem to be much of a draft coming round the door. Do you have cavity walls? if you do are they filled? We had ours done and that also made a big difference.

 

[printcom]

Heating with 47kg LPG ? -Been there, done that, and almost lost my shirt. Not recommended.