Does anyone use LPG in their home?

sammiboo

Good evening

I have just moved house and we have an LPG tank for heating and cooking. We moved about a month ago and we have to use Flogas as our suppliers. It costs about £800 to fill the tank up :eek:

Does anyone else use LPG and how much does you bill work out a month?

THanks

david29dpo

I have had LPG for the last 12 years, pay 30p pre litre. Two filling a year work out at £62 a month.

jonboy13

morning...I'm currently trying to sort out new contract between Flogas and Calor....Flogas are currently 39.3 pence + 5%vat and 3 yr contract and Calor are ofering me a new customer deal of 31.15 1st yr and 34.5pence 2nd year, cheaper standing charge of £60yr and replace Flogas tank free of charge. (2yr contract). Problem is my tanks is about 25% full and with a 6 week wait to change over I don't think I'll last out...seems only Flogas can fill up tank (despite no contract as yet) Was hoping to get local company to do a minimum fill to give me breathing space but not confident. As for running costs I'm a bit stunned too at how expensive it is...after paying £25/month for natural gas, a hike to £50-£70 is worrying hence halogen heaters. There are loads of posts on how to energy save here so have a read through - I'm tempted to get a multifuel stove installed but I think we're only planning to stay for a few years so gotta weigh up the costs.

All the best - stay warm !!!:D

jonboy13

:j
UPDATE

Blimey - just phoned around again - quoted Calor's rates to the flogas sales team and without a pause the guy offered me 33pence/litre instead of the 39.30/litre I was originally told. Pretty chuffed as won't have hassle of exchanging tanks, worrying about running out of fuel etc etc. The calor guy did say a couple of interesting things :

1. The new legislation will come into effect next spring - the consequences being that although I'll sign a 3 year contract now it will become a 2 yr contract by then - the maximum allowed.

2. If I want to change suppliers within my flogas contract period I will soon be able to as Calor will buy the tank off flogas - at the moment the companies are working on asset values of tanks etc between them. he said that it woul dbe free for the customer but I suppose the reality is that they will have to claw back some of the money somehow or another.

Hope that helps:D

Jonboy

sammiboo

Evening

Thanks for the replies

We have been told (by neighbours) that we cant use other companies as flogas own the tank. The house we have moved into is 7 years old.

The small estate across the road was built by the same firm and i am pretty sure their supplier is Shell I would have thought the builders would have used the same company!?!

£62 seems a lot a month, We have been told a full tank should last us over a year. The people over the road and next door are bith retired couples so i would have thought they might use it more than we do?

Its early days yet though i suppose, we have just been here a month and the tank was already 45% full when we moved in

ffym

The LPG market is widely regarded as a carve up between suppliers. They have made it extremely difficult to change suppliers - not like mains gas. The Competition Commission has completed an enquiry into the state of the LPG domestic market and you may find some useful information here - http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/current/gas/

david29dpo

sammiboo wrote: »

Evening

Thanks for the replies

We have been told (by neighbours) that we cant use other companies as flogas own the tank. The house we have moved into is 7 years old.

The small estate across the road was built by the same firm and i am pretty sure their supplier is Shell I would have thought the builders would have used the same company!?!

£62 seems a lot a month, We have been told a full tank should last us over a year. The people over the road and next door are bith retired couples so i would have thought they might use it more than we do?

Its early days yet though i suppose, we have just been here a month and the tank was already 45% full when we moved in

Correct. Nowever, i do know of some companies that will fill other companies tanks!! I have never done this because i do ring listers, the company i am with, when i find out i could get it cheaper and they match the price to keep my custom.
£62 a month is not bad for the size of the house. It depends on the size of the tank!! Mine is 1500 litres, but can only ever be filled 75% = 1250 litres. Two fillings a year

muymalestado

Similar to david29dpo, 1500L tank possibly two fills of about 600L - 800L each. Also like others we resent the tie-in and the Calor price. Mind, though, Calor paid £500 toward a new condensing boiler making that a free installation.

BUT, alternatives? Would oil really be less costly? Oil boiler would smell and this house has no corner to hide one.

Gas also does the cooking, oil wouldn't.

Suggestions? If you are young enough to see future savings mount up then INSULATE and INSULATE some more. Enlarge south facing windows. Wear big socks and a jersey indoors (without totally eschewing comfort). We have halved the gas burn over 5 or 6 years investment.

The biggest single improvement / gas burn reduction was installing '2+1' windows.