Finally I have a mortgage I can start to pay off!

themadvix

Hi RT! Oh, thanks for that - that really helps, especially the bit about the dehumidifier - we also know where they may be one in need of a new home. Wouldn't have considered that either.

Even if our house is substantially bigger, there's hope then that it won't cost quite as much as the EA guesstimated. We won't know for sure until we move in (as we all like different temperatures), but I'll ask the lady owner when we meet too. Just totted up the running costs (my responsibility, vs mortgage, which is DH's) and was having a bit of an OMG moment. I suspect there aren't TRVs on the rads either... so maybe that's a worthwhile investment.

Obviously longer term, we'll be looking to switch away from fossil fuels - waiting to see what the replacement for the RHI is in March next year and for some more alternatives to come to market. Watched the last episode of the Fully Charged Home series on Youtube last night - some great things coming, but expensive at the moment. Off to Fully Charged Outside (live event) on Sunday - DH needs to go for work, but can't go tomorrow because we're away, so I get to go too and the mileage claim will cover the cost of my ticket

While we're on the subject, how much does a chimney sweep tend to cost? I've found a £60 price from a nearby sweep, but someone else on the forums mentioned £45. And it needs doing twice a year? 

(Honestly the fuels are the bit that are doing my head it - there's electric, oil, calor (for cooking and the holiday let has a gas boiler and gas hob) and wood for the fire... - gas and electric are so much simpler!)

Karmacat

Wow!  Good for you for splitting the work of running costs and mortgage, thats a good idea.  And I have no clue on any of the questions you're asking, sorry .... yep, just gas and elec for me.

Glad that your niece is looking forward to school!  I hope all the schools have got their ducks in a row about all this.

themadvix

Thanks Karma, it is all such a faff - stick with G&E!

I've finished my work but after sending a client's AP contact about 4 emails because I got confused about what I had and hadn't been paid, I've decided that I should save my invoicing and accounts for Sunday evening or Monday... it gets embarrassing looking so stupid after a while! It can keep and I'll have more money in my account to pay myself by then too as debtor client should pay tomorrow.

Need to collect key for cat-care on Saturday night shortly. And BIL and fiancee will be popping over for their Olio doughnuts. DH should be home soon - he's been at the NEC today. And then we need to pack, work out a plan for tomorrow and try to get a good night's sleep (all thoughts are consumed by the house at the moment and it makes sleeping virtually impossible). Looking forward to our trip to Oxford tomorrow, then more lovely Indian takeaway with friends on Saturday night.

Quorn casserole with free leeks and carrots for dinner tonight... and dumplings 😋

South_coast

Mmmm, dumplings 😋

Fortune_Smiles

Hi MV 🙂

we have oil-fired central heating/hot water and a 2500 litre tank.  On average we get 3 deliveries of 500 litres each year.  The cost has been about £250 each time so £750 for the year.  In very cold winters that might go up to £1000 a year.  We live in a barn conversion originally built in 1900 with 4 bedrooms.  It has modern insulation but, as you know, draughty windows which we're having replaced/ renovated at the moment.  We also have a log burner but don't use it as our main heating source.

Could you ask the current owners how much they spend in a year?

Fortune x

South_coast

We're on oil here and we spend c£18k a year - there are 50 flats though 🤣!

themadvix

Thanks Fortune, that’s really helpful. Because of the age of the house and the loft conversion there’s no insulation 😳 but I’m beginning to think that £1500 should be more than enough, especially as we’re pretty used to lower temperatures. And there will definitely be draught-proofing going in - chimney sheep, draught excluders and eventually secondary glazing too.

 Thanks SC, that’s also really helpful 🤪

Suffolk_lass

We have oil and a wood burner.

Chimney Sweep
Being a thatched place we have to have the chimney (which contains the fire, which has a stainless steel liner) swept every year. It is a condition of insurance. Our sweep is coming on Saturday and texted me to say it will be £45 because it is straightforward and quite clean. We have previously been charged £75 - just make sure you get someone from the guild of master sweeps as we had a cowboy (just the once!) who claimed to find dead birds trapped. Shame I saw his mate bring it in to show me!

Oil boiler
Oil depends how big the house is, how efficient the boiler is, how much you have the heating on (whether you heat the whole house, if your hot water is on all the time). - We live in a 3 bedroom cottage. There is an Electric aga that heats the dining room, stairs and all the bedrooms sufficiently for us, most of the time. The sitting room gets cold so we have the wood burner (and lots of free local wood, or if needs be a trailer load for £70) - we are low users. Hot water all year, heating probably November to March only - about 800-900 litres a year. If you buy your oil in the winter it is more expensive. I am guessing your 1200l tank may not last you a year so suggest you check when you get there and order immediately to have at least 1000l over winter. Come April or May the price of heating oil drops so worth monitoring it and filling up then (often there is a 500 litre minimum order). Once you are in your community test if there is an oil syndicate. Ours is coming today (but we are not having any this time as we have about 700 left). The boiler has an annual service and the man checks the tank for degradation as part of that. We turn our heating on for a day a month so the pump does not seize (happened twice).

Oil Tank
You also need to know how old your oil tank is and whether it is bunded (double skin) and metal or plastic. We need to replace ours and intend replacing the 2500 (!!) litre metal tank with a bunded steel of 11-1400 litres (size will depend on who supplies it) based on the advice from our oil man. Do not buy plastic. They degrade and split more quickly than steel. We need to lay a concrete plinth 30mm bigger than the footprint of the new tank and intend putting it on a block low wall (so we can see if there is a problem). We will grow a climber over it (oil leeks will kill it, if we are not diligent enough to notice a problem!).

Oil Prices
Check out Boilerjuice (and your local community) - our man always matches the best and then knocks a few points of a penny off and the village has two small tankers coming today. It is about 45p per litre at the moment.

Cooker
If your kitchen has an Aga or Rayburn and it is oil, they need servicing twice a year and at about £150 a go. That is why we bought electric (not cheap to buy or run). The aga website tells you how much they think they cost to run. I would not change it for the world, whatever the cost, the Rayburns can also be your boiler. Our aga isn't a boiler but the heat it puts out is enough for the small cottage. We turn it off from late April/May to end of September and cook on a two burner gas hob - bottled gas (Propane 19kg bottle per year, about £40) and in a built in microwave/grill/fan/combi oven or on the BBQ. With a slow cooker it works for us.

Watty1

Suffolk lass that was a really interesting post.  Thanks

themadvix

Brilliant SL, so much in there. Am en route for night away but will reply fully in due course. Thank you!