What is your preferred heating system in a rented house?

Old_Git

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Oil for me - no rational reasoning for that, but I'd want to install a signalman as well and have the oil automatically topped-up when low.

As for the level on entering & leaving - usually full, on both dates

This is not how its done with oil .As landlord you dont worry about how much oil is in the tank when you rent it out or when its moving out day . Yes the tenant will leave it as low as possible the next one will buy and do the same .

If you say the tank has to be full or 1/2 full the tenant can fill it with water and the gage will show full.

With oil you rent as seen and leave as seen .

Debt_Free_Chick

Old_Git wrote: »

With oil you rent as seen and leave as seen .

I get that - but often you can't "see" the oil level - it's difficult to know whether it's half-full or only quarter-full.

Completely full is just an easier level to guage - well, for me anyway :rotfl:

Also, tenants should not be tempted to run the oil level down to very low - as if it runs out, you'll need to get boiler bled and that's generally not a DIY job.

Been living on oil heating for more than 10 years now and having run out on more than one occasion in the past, I'm now wedded to the signalman system, so the tank just gets topped up. It's just a tranmitter on the tank, a thingie on your phone line and a weekly dialup via an 0800 number to register the oil level. Convenient for LLs & tenants

Debt_Free_Chick

Old_Git wrote: »

as the parkray is already installed how about a dual system .Install oil and leave the parkray . This would give the tenant an option for heating and a back up if one breaks.

That would work for me

just need to make it clear to the tenants which fuel can and can not be used ...!

Old_Git

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

I get that - but often you can't "see" the oil level - it's difficult to know whether it's half-full or only quarter-full.

Completely full is just an easier level to guage - well, for me anyway :rotfl:

Also, tenants should not be tempted to run the oil level down to very low - as if it runs out, you'll need to get boiler bled and that's generally not a DIY job.

you need a tigerloop .It stops airlocks if you run out off oil .
If you tell the tenant the tank must be left full ,they will top it up with water .The landlord in not responsible for the oil,the same as a LL is not responsible for mains gas .Yes the LL must maintain the boiler but not the fuel. A tiger loop cost £50 and prevents airlocks

agrinnall

The problem with a signalman on your oil supply is that you have no choice of supplier, and certainly around here the price does vary, sometimes by over 10%, which for a full tank can be a big cost difference. It's no big effort to check the gauge every couple of weeks and then more frequently if you want it to get very low before ringing round to find the lowest price.

Electric boilers run on a two tariff system, so while they will cost a lot if you use peak rate it's much less if the lower rate is used. The two neighbours who have installed it also have a solid fuel alternative for maintaining heat in the main living area (and one still has a back boiler to heat some of the radiators).