British Gas v Oil.

[BUSHWHACKER]

Anyone on here used both as a central heating fuel?
Almost all the rural properties we've been looking at with a view to buy have oil fired central heating. What we want to know is how it compares to gas from a financial point of view over 12 months.
I'm guessing oil is more expensive?

TIA.

[MWS]

Anyone on here used both as a central heating fuel?
Almost all the rural properties we've been looking at with a view to buy have oil fired central heating. What we want to know is how it compares to gas from a financial point of view over 12 months.
I'm guessing oil is more expensive?

TIA.

Hey Vince, have you considered the viability of using WVO as an alternative, or a supplementary to mineral heating oil?....Cheers....Mick.

[Apache]

I'm guessing that oil is more expensive as there is an ongoing delivery charge, whereas the delivery mechanism for the gas is already there.

Plus you have a ###### great tank in your garden!

[biosurf]

I don't know how rural you're going but what's your reasoning against a woodburner? Get a property with some free fuel growing on it.

Re oil tank. You could bury it if you don't want to look at at.

Or replace all it's working parts with shinier, go faster ones and polish it up

[flounderbout]

Anyone on here used both as a central heating fuel?
Almost all the rural properties we've been looking at with a view to buy have oil fired central heating. What we want to know is how it compares to gas from a financial point of view over 12 months.
I'm guessing oil is more expensive?

TIA.

We have oil, and I'd say the delivery charge is a pretty trivial part of the price provided you don't let the tank run out and so require an emergency delivery (which I would never be so disorganised as to do, err, ahem). We have found the oil itself very expensive though - our heating and cooking is all through an oil fired Aga (well a Heritage, but much the same thing), and the costs are pretty astronomical. But then I was previously used to heating a relatively modern flat (with gas) compared to a much bigger and old farmhouse, so there is no fair comparison. I suspect the cost is much more dependent on the size, type and "eco-efficiency" of the house and heating system than the fuel type.

My mum has built herself an eco-house - ground source heat pumps and PVs etc. The capital cost is expensive but there are lots of good subsidies etc and feed in tariffs which can actually mean they pay for themselves fairly quickly if you are going to be in a property for a reasonable time. Having said that, microgeneration is a total nightmare for the grid system as it currently stands, so it is difficult to believe that the feed-in tariffs will survive at present levels for any great length of time, and people who budget based on them remaining in place indefinitely may find themselves in for a nasty surprise in a few years IMHO.

Woodburners are definitely a big plus, especially if you have access to a ready supply. Commercial logs are now ludicrously expensive, but if you are rural you should be able to source them cheaply or for free. Befriending a local tree surgeon is ideal - they are often desperate to get rid of wood and will happily unload it for free. I believe that there are still grants for installing woodburners available to through e.g. the Warm Front scheme, so that might be an attractive option. Plus which nothing beats a roaring woodburner...

[slobodan]

I am using heat pumps and woodburners more and more,
Still use a normal fuel for the 'first thing in the morning' heat up.

[flounderbout]

That's it Gra. I'm leaving, and never coming back.

[flounderbout]

Ever.

[jotto]

We have oil fired heating/hot water and use about 1000 litres a year(4 bed semi). Price of oil can vary greatly on when you buy it and how much you order. The last 500L we got in February was about 57p per litre and at the moment I can get it for 55 ppl.

[flounderbout]

We have oil fired heating/hot water and use about 1000 litres a year(4 bed semi). Price of oil can vary greatly on when you buy it and how much you order. The last 500L we got in February was about 57p per litre and at the moment I can get it for 55 ppl.

Very true - you can reduce prices by;
a) getting competing quotes and playing them off;
b) never going on their top up schemes;
c) getting a full tank when you do top up; and
d) trying to arrange things so that you are ordering at the beginning of the summer.

[GBV8]

The last 500L we got in February was about 57p per litre and at the moment I can get it for 55 ppl.

Compared to oil prices over here that's cheap. In Feb 500L was approx £520 and it's not much cheaper at the moment.

We had a WhisperGen installed about 4 years ago. Uses about £20 a week in gas for a 3 bedroom terrace and we haven't had an electric bill from it went in. Only drawback is they cost big bucks to set up compared to other heating systems but we didn't have to worry about that thanks to the Carbon Trust

[Diezel Weazel]

Hey Vince we have a guy down the road from us a bit like ya self inovational & inspirational he used to run his own garage Workshops business a few years ago. (that's where he got the idea as they used the old engine oil to fire the Garage heaters)
He used to have Gas central Heating Boiler (now disconnected) he made up from a small Gas bottle (i'd say similar to a home made wood burner & a door) it's in his garage attached to the house (Flue n all the gubbings)
He collects waste engine oil from garages (free) n heats the hole house n Garage (slightly bigger than yours) from it all for nothing.
Next time I down his I'll get some pics ..
Good Luck with ya new project mate

[yoshie]

Anyone on here used both as a central heating fuel?
Almost all the rural properties we've been looking at with a view to buy have oil fired central heating. What we want to know is how it compares to gas from a financial point of view over 12 months.
I'm guessing oil is more expensive?

TIA.

Vince I have family who run oil at home and they say Oil has climbed sharply in price and is a very costly way of heating a large house.

[Albannach]

I, personally, would go with oil; irrespective of the cost difference. I wouldn't want a PLPG tank close to my property.

[slobodan]

I, personally, would go with oil; irrespective of the cost difference. I wouldn't want a PLPG tank close to my property.

He said "British Gas" I assumed that was the stuff out of a pipe.



I think the PLPG tank would be good for English owners (in Wales), They would be easier to light up.