Cheaper Oil for Fuel?

oilbaron

Thanks again - I'm just not convinced it's a leak - usage/loss would be consistent, yet I had two tanks of oil disappear in feb/march (cold, windy) and less than half a tank go in April (much milder).

Bizarre - I'll know more after Friday when I have a visit from an engineer, but I'll bet it's my old house and old boiler are just very inefficient! I went for a walk around the roof the other day and there's barely any insulation up there either.

Thanks again, and I'll get to the bottom of it soon I hope.

poe.tuesday

but I live in a 350 year old cottage with mud walls and a straw roof and brick floors straight onto mud, I can assure you I have no insulation and gales blowing through the cottage, I have 8 raideators on full blast and we use 2 x 1000 litre tanks a year - there has to be a reason for this excessive use and it can not be that you live in a drafty house

let us know that the engineer says

bargainbird

Can anybody get to your tank to cyphen it out ?

It does happen

BEANOROX

I am with Oilbaron. our oil costs are on a par with his. We have a 10 year old boiler - not new but not ancient, we have an aga. We have a 3 storey 18th century farmhouse which is poorly insulated BUT we have 2 daughters now left home so their rooms are rarely used and rads are off, we have a log fire for the biggest drawing room so never have the rad on when we are in there whch is not a lot. We have thermostats fitted on the radiators. Our oil tank was replaced last year and there are no leaks. No one lives within a mile and no one could find out oiltank to siphon off (even the tanker driver has difficulty !).. but our oil is approx. 1,000 a month between october-April. We turn the Aga off in July/August and there is no CH then (immersion for hot water) so we save then. I queried the last oil bill and the good company we have used for years for oil supply say they have customers ringing them every other minute saying the bill is wrong .. oil has just gone thrugh the roof. I run a 10 year old VW Golf. 1 ago is cost around £38.00 to fill. Last week it cost £59.
I can see no way round any of this other than turning off rads and lowering therms. We do not have gas anywhere near the house so cannot change to that. Boiler is said to be perfectly OK .. we wouldn`t save much by replacing with new as it is quite efficient. We were advised to check the oil tank regularly for leaks etc. but it`s fine. So Oilbaron is not the only one by a long chalk,

poe.tuesday

that's terrible BEANOROX,

have you always has to fill your tank each month over winter?

the other things is, the aga, both you and oilbaron have one of these, maybe that has something to do with it?

I know that the cost has gone up on oil but the usage surely has stayed the same, it has in my home even though it's now nearly 3 times as expensive to heat as it was 8 years ago, I still only use 2 x 1000 litre tanks a year

mute_posting

Whilst (AFAIK) AGA's use the fuel "efficiently" per se, they are on usually 24/7 so are a big consumer...

Here is the WEEKLY consumption data from AGA if it helps with calculations...

http://www.aga-rayburn.co.uk/agatech/gen1.htm

EDIT

I should add that AFAIK the oil fired AGA's are the worst variety for servicing costs as they need to be done more often than the others.

HTH

MP

arealhighlander

My Trianco boiler supplies all hot water and underfloor heating for a 3 bed detached house. 1300 litres of oil lasts me about 9 months - and that was over winter.

jonmp

fonesolo wrote: »

:cool:Hi all,
just a poser for you. With the government relaxing alittle bit on producing biofuel, (i.e., can now produce 2500 liters annually free of tax) is it possible to use as home heating oil. Could it be done? Would any modifications have to take place in the boiler? I ask this cos there are some affordable units on the market for producing biodiesel. If l was producing it to run my car on it, what problems are likely to occur should l try to run it in my oil boiler?

Just researching boilers this evening and found Atlantic boilers make one that takes a whole range of fuel with "minor adjustment" including rape seed oil. Seem to be mostly aimed at institutions and big users but do a domestic range.

I only know what their web site says so I'm not recommending them but might be worth finding out more. Anyone got an Atlantic boiler?

bobmedley

jonmp wrote: »

Just researching boilers this evening and found Atlantic boilers make one that takes a whole range of fuel with "minor adjustment" including rape seed oil. Seem to be mostly aimed at institutions and big users but do a domestic range.

I only know what their web site says so I'm not recommending them but might be worth finding out more. Anyone got an Atlantic boiler?

But rapeseed oil is around 75p a litre at the moment, so unless you grow the stuff surely it's a non starter:rolleyes:

Making your own bio-diesel is possibly a way forward, but you have to invest in the processor and dangerous chemicals, find a reliable source of suitable oil to put in it & the stuff gels in cold weather, so there has to be some sort of pre-heating (using more energy). It is also an excellent solvent, so any gunk in the tank/pipes will be transferred to the burner (which may have to be altered as well) with potential issues there.

Possibly worth it for cars with diesel at £1.26 litre, but not sure for heating at 60p litre.

Lotus-eater

I had a shock when I saw the price is now 60p a litre!
I almost had a heart attack at 50p....

Wheres Oilbaron gone anyway?

Glad I never got that oil fired aga a couple of years ago....