Gas v Oil 24 October 2022 at 2:29PM in Energy 9 replies 272 views

turboace

I have a 20 year oil conventional oil boiler in a 3 bed bungalow.  The boiler works Ok but I'm told is 30% inefficient. As we are refurbishing the property now is the time to consider replacing the boiler.  Should I go with gas or oil?

I'm told new oil boilers can run on HVO which is a non fossil fuel and therefore green but more expensive to buy.  Let's assume for the time being I would run on oil.

If I opt for a conventional oil boiler I could in time add solar thermal where solar heat with be retained in a thermal store.  The oil option is a combi boiler which I'm told do not have such a long lifespan.

The other option is a gas combi boiler.

What's the best option please?

molerat

What about ASHP ?  If you are doing a property refurb maybe now is the time to look in that direction.

QrizB

Is mains gas available to your property, or are you comparing oil to LPG?

Personally I'd say the order of preference is:

1. Mains gas
2. Oil
3. LPG

Oil is generally slightly cheaper than LPG, plus you don't have to deal with LPG suppliers ...

EcoScruples

If you were going oil again you would have to have a condensing boiler fitted as per current regs, those are well above 90% efficient now.
I use an oil fired boiler as I don't have access to mains gas although I'd chose that for convenience if I could.

markin

No one uses solar thermal, Its better to just use all roof space for PV and use a diverter for the hot water tank, 8-9 months a year the tank will be hot by 11am and then the roof space can be useful for making power for the rest of the day.

Mister_G

QrizB said:

Is mains gas available to your property, or are you comparing oil to LPG?

Personally I'd say the order of preference is:

1. Mains gas
2. Oil
3. LPG

Oil is generally slightly cheaper than LPG, plus you don't have to deal with LPG suppliers ...

I think that you'll find that LPG is currently cheaper per kWh than oil by about 25-30%.

A lot of LPG users on here are paying 40-45ppl, considerably less than the current oil price of 90ppl.

LPG produces 2/3rds the heat of oil per litre, but that still makes it a lot cheaper per kWh.

I'll concede your point about dealing with the "wild west" LPG market though!

I'm fortunate to have a very good local supplier.

drsquirrel

LPG users pay standing charges, Oil do not.

Their wording of 30% inefficent is odd, you're likely getting 70%+ anyway which isn't abnormal, modern ones only get over 90% in certain circumstances too so its not a sudden 30% leap. 15% mainly? Depends on how well you manage it.

I doubt you're going to save much, from your other post their quote of 8k is crazy, should be closer to 3k maybe less. I still don't think its worth it - if its "getting old" then maybe a burner upgrade.

If you combine this with solid fuel heating or similar I defniately would not push for a new condensing boiler (unless yours actually fails).

armistice

Mister_G said:

QrizB said:

Is mains gas available to your property, or are you comparing oil to LPG?

Personally I'd say the order of preference is:

1. Mains gas
2. Oil
3. LPG

Oil is generally slightly cheaper than LPG, plus you don't have to deal with LPG suppliers ...

I think that you'll find that LPG is currently cheaper per kWh than oil by about 25-30%.

A lot of LPG users on here are paying 40-45ppl, considerably less than the current oil price of 90ppl.

LPG produces 2/3rds the heat of oil per litre, but that still makes it a lot cheaper per kWh.

I'll concede your point about dealing with the "wild west" LPG market though!

I'm fortunate to have a very good local supplier.

Current oil price seems to be 66p / litre

Just to add some number to that for comparison:

1 litre of LPG = 7.08 KWh
1 litre of Heating Oil = 10.35 kWh

Using 45p lpg is 0.45/7.08 = 6.4 p per KWh
A quote from boiler juice (1000l for my local area) = 66p per litre = 0.66/10.35 = 6.4 p per kwh

Didn't expect them to be the same!

Mstty

armistice said:

Mister_G said:

QrizB said:

Is mains gas available to your property, or are you comparing oil to LPG?

Personally I'd say the order of preference is:

1. Mains gas
2. Oil
3. LPG

Oil is generally slightly cheaper than LPG, plus you don't have to deal with LPG suppliers ...

I think that you'll find that LPG is currently cheaper per kWh than oil by about 25-30%.

A lot of LPG users on here are paying 40-45ppl, considerably less than the current oil price of 90ppl.

LPG produces 2/3rds the heat of oil per litre, but that still makes it a lot cheaper per kWh.

I'll concede your point about dealing with the "wild west" LPG market though!

I'm fortunate to have a very good local supplier.

Current oil price seems to be 66p / litre

Just to add some number to that for comparison:

1 litre of LPG = 7.08 KWh
1 litre of Heating Oil = 10.35 kWh

Using 45p lpg is 0.45/7.08 = 6.4 p per KWh
A quote from boiler juice (1000l for my local area) = 66p per litre = 0.66/10.35 = 6.4 p per kwh

Didn't expect them to be the same!

Thanks for the calculation.

So considering not everyone will have a good cheap local supplier for LPG like @Mister_G it is likely oil is in fact the cheaper of the two fuels right now.

macman

If the OP has mains gas available, then the discussion is fairly irrelevant. OP, please clarify. 'Gas' tends to mean mains gas, tank gas is referred to as LPG.