Is this a bad time to convert from oil to gas heating

martianmartian

Hi all,

I am scheduled to convert my house from oil to gas heating. I have a big oil tank in my garden and just thought gas would be a cleaner and cheaper option. However, with oil prices plummeting, does this still make sense. Am I being foolish by converting the house and buying a new boiler for the gas system?

Thanks for any help making the calculations, or advice on the two options.

Andy_WSM

The first question is "what will be the source of your gas?".

Bottles?
Bulk LPG?
Mains gas?

HUGE difference in prices!

martianmartian

Ah, sorry. It would be mains gas. And my current oil supply is delivery into a ~1000 litre tank.

Cardew

With people reporting prices under 40p/litre, currently oil is roughly the same price per kWh as gas.


1 litre oil is approx. 10kWh


How long it will remain that way is questionable

martianmartian

Cardew wrote: »

With people reporting prices under 40p/litre, currently oil is roughly the same price per kWh as gas.


1 litre oil is approx. 10kWh


How long it will remain that way is questionable

Thanks. So this means that if oil gets cheaper then, it becomes actually stupid to convert to gas. But if oil gets more expensive then it will be a worthwhile move?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

martianmartian wrote: »

Thanks. So this means that if oil gets cheaper then, it becomes actually stupid to convert to gas. But if oil gets more expensive then it will be a worthwhile move?

Correct. Will oil prices really get lower/stay lower for any length of time? I would also think the conversion will add value to your home. IMHO if you can get mains gas, get it.

Pincher

If it's some kind of local monopoly, so you can't switch to Ovo, Co-Op etc. whenever you want to, then you need to think whether you will get a fair deal on gas.

With gas, you have more choice on appliances.
Gas hob, the only way to stir fry.

matelodave

The obvious advantage of mains gas is that it's there when you want it, you don't have to store or fill up the tank so you don't run out.

Boilers are cheaper to buy and cheaper to service.

Gas will probably add value to your house and make it easier to sell when the time comes and, last but not least, oil is usually more expensive than gas - the fact it's dropped in price at the moment is a bit of an anomaly, oil prices are a lot more volatile than gas.