Anyone cutting back on the oil central heating usage?

anotherquestion

Hi folks,

Though oil is no where as high a price as it was currently £416 for 500 litres at highest it was £669 for same, I have cut back on using it, just have it on, until room or house heats up, then off for a while.

I also use a 1500 watt oil filled rad a lot to save on oil, that will work out about 30p an hour if I have both settings on, has to be cheaper than oil, usually then in evening we will treat ourselves to oil on.

Done anything like this? would like to hear your views.

Ticked

We fitted a Hive thermostat in the hall and thermostatic radiator valves in the rest of the rooms. Now that everything is set we just leave it alone and the system is doing a good job. Using circa 1000 litres annually, 3 bed detached in windy location. 

motorguy

Yes.

We've underfloor heating and every room is zoned, so we've dropped the stat temps and peared back on the hours its on in any given room and also cut back on the rooms its on in.

We'd have had it on in the bedroom at night and in the morning as a "nice to have", but its quite mild now so we've knocked that off entirely.

We also dropped the oil boiler temp too.

If the weather gets a little milder (so hopefully in the next couple of weeks) we should be able to pretty much knock it off entirely.

I also check prices via

https://www.cheapestoil.co.uk/Heating-Oil-NI

They've been trending downwards from £660 for 500 litres 9th March to now £413.

I think it will remain low over the summer now, but i could forsee it going well up again from October onwards both with increased usage, scaremongering by the press and profiteering. 

qwert_yuiop

and war, where the aggressor is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

RikM

Boiler Juice shows the price spiking in March, and now slowly trending downwards...

qwert_yuiop

Up again today - Europe making noise about stopping importing Russian oil.

The Financial Times last week apparently had a tip on how to beat fuel price rises - invest in shell and bp shares. Fine advice if you’re not struggling and have loads of savings. 

motorguy

RikM said:

Boiler Juice shows the price spiking in March, and now slowly trending downwards...

Yes, continuing to drop slowly.  I track it via Cheapest Oil UK, for Northern Ireland.  

Dropping just under a penny per litre per day now, but still tracking downwards.

motorguy

qwert_yuiop said:

Up again today - Europe making noise about stopping importing Russian oil.

The Financial Times last week apparently had a tip on how to beat fuel price rises - invest in shell and bp shares. Fine advice if you’re not struggling and have loads of savings. 

I think prices of heating oil will remain reasonably static or continue to drop slowly between now and September given everyones usage will be down naturally anyway.

Its what happens then and after that that is the big worry.  I could easily see it return to the high we saw or greater, compounded then by providers limiting supply to 500 litres (and thus charging 500 litre prices).

Jumpers, extra layers, heat on only in essential rooms and for limited times and lower room temps are going to become the normal for many, i think, ourselves included.

qwert_yuiop

Apparently US driving season, which sounds like it ought to be something akin to marching season, causes oil prices to rise in the summer.

motorguy

qwert_yuiop said:

Apparently US driving season, which sounds like it ought to be something akin to marching season, causes oil prices to rise in the summer.

Interesting point.  I just had a google and that seems to be a european and asian phenomenon too

"The volume of vehicle traffic in the US, Europe and Asia has started to intensify with the summer driving season, according to news reports, giving overall consumption a boost in major economies on these continents."

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/stock-market/oil-prices-gain-as-demand-picks-up-with-summer-season/29691

I see a lot of uproar on facebook groups about the government needing to step in on fuel prices in particular, but when someone asks on the group have they cut down on their driving the almost unanimous response is "why should i?"

qwert_yuiop

Round here the bungalow bourgeoisie are out mowing the verges up and down the road next to their houses, some of them 100 yards in each direction. Petrol is just too cheap.