Switching from Oil to Gas

newbieni

Hi All,

I live in Northern Ireland and I am in the process of buying a new house. The house is currently heated with oil but the oil tank is cracked and needs to be replaced and the oil burner is very old and will likely soon need to be replaced. This also contributes to the house having a very low energy performance rating.

I thought it would make more sense at this stage to switch from oil to gas. Has anyone else made this transition and do you recommend it, also what are the costs associated with it?

Thanks in advance. 

casper_gutman

Is mains gas available where you are? Perhaps not, otherwise why would the current system use oil? Would you be looking at having LPG delivered to on-site storage? The issues with the two options are quite different!

tekie

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

newbieni

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

QrizB

newbieni said:

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

Whoever told you that (a heating engineer? a random middle aged bloke in a pub?) was wrong.

newbieni

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

Whoever told you that (a heating engineer? a random middle aged bloke in a pub?) was wrong.

It was a heat engineer who fits pumps. He also advised that he encountered many problems with them.

QrizB

newbieni said:

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

Whoever told you that (a heating engineer? a random middle aged bloke in a pub?) was wrong.

It was a heat engineer who fits pumps. He also advised that he encountered many problems with them.

He's still wrong.

It works in a 17th century stately home. It will work in a 1965 house.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/palace-of-art-leaves-oil-in-the-past-as-national-trust-switches-on-historic-heat-pump

Also, if the systems he fits have "many problems", it suggests he doesn't know what he's doing.

Rodders53

Look through the correct Energy sub forums to read up on it all.
Energy — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Grants towards Heat Pumps vs full costs of any alternative.

LPG Bulk tank unregulated pricing vs the known NI Kerosene supplies.
Cost of connection into mains Gas if available nearby.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate and draught-proof the home first... Quickest payback and reduces energy used from whatever system you go for.

FreeBear

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

Whoever told you that (a heating engineer? a random middle aged bloke in a pub?) was wrong.

It was a heat engineer who fits pumps. He also advised that he encountered many problems with them.

He's still wrong.

It works in a 17th century stately home. It will work in a 1965 house.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/palace-of-art-leaves-oil-in-the-past-as-national-trust-switches-on-historic-heat-pump

Also, if the systems he fits have "many problems", it suggests he doesn't know what he's doing.

Yup. A heat pump is just another source of heat. Correctly sized for the property (along with radiators & pipework), it would keep the place warm. Whilst some will tell you that a property needs to be well insulated before installing a HP, the same could be said for a gas or oil boiler - Reduce the heat loss through the fabric of the building, and heating costs fall.

Properly specified and configured, a HP (on the right tariff) will be as cheap to run - On warmer days, quite likely to be a lot cheaper, and only on exceptionally cold days, more expensive. Play the averages game, and you'll come out on top.

newbieni

FreeBear said:

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

QrizB said:

newbieni said:

tekie said:

Are you considering heat pump solutions as well?

I was told that the house (1965) was too old for this to work.

Whoever told you that (a heating engineer? a random middle aged bloke in a pub?) was wrong.

It was a heat engineer who fits pumps. He also advised that he encountered many problems with them.

He's still wrong.

It works in a 17th century stately home. It will work in a 1965 house.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/palace-of-art-leaves-oil-in-the-past-as-national-trust-switches-on-historic-heat-pump

Also, if the systems he fits have "many problems", it suggests he doesn't know what he's doing.

Yup. A heat pump is just another source of heat. Correctly sized for the property (along with radiators & pipework), it would keep the place warm. Whilst some will tell you that a property needs to be well insulated before installing a HP, the same could be said for a gas or oil boiler - Reduce the heat loss through the fabric of the building, and heating costs fall.

Properly specified and configured, a HP (on the right tariff) will be as cheap to run - On warmer days, quite likely to be a lot cheaper, and only on exceptionally cold days, more expensive. Play the averages game, and you'll come out on top.

I am going to get a second opinion on heat pumps, how does the cost of installation compare with gas?

QrizB

You're in Northern Ireland. Do you get the £7500 "boiler upgrade scheme" grant when switching to a heat pump, like the rest of the UK does? If you do, fitting a heat pump could work out cheaper than fitting a gas boiler plus storage tank. (Bottled gas is cheaper to install than a bulk tank but usually more expensive in ongoing costs. Still likely to be more expensive than a heat pump.)