oil or gas

tessywessy

I am in the middle of buying a house that is run by oil and i am thinking of changing to gas i have no gas connections but i am in an area that people have gas so it is just a matter of getting it run off to the nearest, We are moving into a detached bungalow with 6 rooms in the whole house this is including the garage we are going to fill the cavity walls for extra insulation and we also in the lounge have an open fireplace. would like to know what is my best option as i am unsure what boiler to get and this house is the house i am going to live in until i peg it. I am 41

Thank you

PaulF81

First, I would consider getting a stove rather than an open fire. You will lose more heat up the flue without a stove when the fire is not lit than will be provided by the fire when its lit. Open fires very often have negative efficiencies once the effect of the constant draught is taken into account. Its the same as trying to heat the room with an external door constantly open!

As for boiler, it for me would depend on the efficiency of the existing system. I would stick with the existing if it was newer than about 7 years old, save up for a new system if its newer than 10 years old and replace it straight away if it was older than that!

I would look at loft insulation grants (Npower), glazing if you have single glazed and draft minimisation before going down the new boiler route. THere is no harm in seeing how you fair with oil before switching to gas. Also, be aware a new gas main could set you back upwards of 5 grand with transco before you even look into a new boiler and could cost significantly more if its a long run.

Are the other locals on LPG or mains gas? We are on LPG, love having the ability of a LPG hob but to be honest would prefer cheaper oil if it was originally installed. We get on quite well with BP for LPG although you need to shop around. If you want LPG it has some pretty strict siting regulations and you will need to provide a concrete hard standing for the provider to pop the tank onto.

macman

Mains gas will be much cheaper than oil, but you need first to get a quote for running the mains gas to your property-what is the distance involved? Are you talking a few metres, or hundreds? Without knowing that, it's impossible to advise.

tessywessy

two houses down from me have gas so it isn't far a plumber said it would cost just over 4 hundred quid for national grid to get it sorted for me so that seems ok. The boiler is run from oil , i would need to change it if i am wanting gas in would i? here in Broughton in furness there are a view people that have oil as myself and i could see if there is a community that get oil from same supplier might be cheaper ...just don't know how to go about that. Thanks for the tip on get other areas insulated before getting a boiler. I think the oil is lPG most of the area is of gas, the open fire is needing a total overhaul so maybe i could get a stove that goes straight through the roof, i want a stove that takes wood and coal as wood is expensive

tessywessy

Sorry it is oil not LPG

PaulF81

tessywessy wrote: »

two houses down from me have gas so it isn't far a plumber said it would cost just over 4 hundred quid for national grid to get it sorted for me so that seems ok. The boiler is run from oil , i would need to change it if i am wanting gas in would i? here in Broughton in furness there are a view people that have oil as myself and i could see if there is a community that get oil from same supplier might be cheaper ...just don't know how to go about that. Thanks for the tip on get other areas insulated before getting a boiler. I think the oil is lPG most of the area is of gas, the open fire is needing a total overhaul so maybe i could get a stove that goes straight through the roof, i want a stove that takes wood and coal as wood is expensive

Unless you have local wood to burn (IE free) or knows someone who can get it then go for dual fuel; coal is cheaper per unit of energy although dual stoves are slightly less efficient. I very much doubt transco will do a new main for 400, you need to check this figure I suggest as transco will typically charge a bill 10 times that amount.

macman

Even discounted oil bought in bulk will still be much more than mains gas. So it all depends on the install cost for the gas supply. But if you are planning to stay for the duration, it's by far the best option, though more expensive upfront.