Removing oil central heating?

Welly2125

Hello all,
We moved into our new home which we bought in October last year.
it has an old oil tank which is not bunded and needs moving as does not meet legislation.

We were originally going to just replace the tank, however we are coming to realise that it is very difficult to get reliable tradesmen where we live (rural national park/northumberland). Most either say they will come back to you and never do, or simply don’t answer the phone. We are therefore hesitant to stick with a system that needs ongoing maintenance.

We’re now considering removing the whole system and doing either infra red (based on a local recommendation) or doing electric gel filled radiators (again a local recommendation). 

Just wondering about others’ experiences of cost, which is more efficient and cost effective? We are 100% not interested in a heat pump due to age of the house.

thanks all!

QrizB

Direct electric heaters (infra red or "magic gel") will be something like three to four times more expensive to run than oil. Whoever is recommending them can't have to live with them.

If you're dead set against a heat pump (and "age of the house" isn't usually a factor, my sister has one in an 18th century farmhouse) then oil is generally cheapest, followed by LPG and then electric storage heaters.

Welly2125

Thanks, that’s really helpful. I’ve just heard horror stories of people installing heat pumps and ending up with enormous bills and a heating system that doesn’t work. I’m not willing to risk that. I’m sure it works for some people, but it’s not for us.

matelodave

You'll get even worse horror stories from those who have installed gel, magic dust, fairy clay , gold from the Andes etc or infrared than you will from those that fit heat pumps.

As @QrizB suggests,

1kwh of heat of oil is around 6-7p,

1 kwh of heat from a heat pump could be as low as 7p and may get as high as 10-12p depending on settings and lifestyle. If you put some effort in it can be even cheaper with a special heatpump tariff

1kwh of heat from a magic radiator whatever its filling or efficiency claims will be around 25-26p as they have to be used during peak rates. Storage heaters can work out cheaper as they benefit from off-peak electricity.
Be very careful as some of these magic filled rads are mis-described as storage heaters - they are not. They are no more efficient than an oil filled radiator from B&Q despite the extravagant claims.

The ultimate in high cost heating is an electric flow boiler feeding radiators

Be very afraid when people suggest any form of direct electric heating - it may be appropriate in a small area for short time but not for whole house heating

Welly2125

Thanks, really appreciate all the comments. Was hoping to get rid of oil due to the ugly tank and having no where obvious to locate it without it affecting the garden, but this may have to be the way forward. 

FreeBear

Welly2125 said:

Thanks, that’s really helpful. I’ve just heard horror stories of people installing heat pumps and ending up with enormous bills and a heating system that doesn’t work. I’m not willing to risk that. I’m sure it works for some people, but it’s not for us.

In the early days, a number of heat pumps were poorly specified and badly set up leading to excessive running costs. However, training and expertise has improved since then. If you have a system installed by an MCS accredited company, it should be properly specified and only require a few small tweaks to squeeze a little more efficiency out of the system.

Don't be put off by (false) claims that you need a super insulated property - If National Trust can heat Kingston Lacy, you should be able to keep your place warm too. A heat pump is just another source of heat.. Improving insulation and draught proofing will cut running costs regardless of the source of heat - I've been slowly upgrading insulation in *this 1920s semi, and have cut gas consumption by over 60% over the last few years

Reed_Richards

I live in the same area as you, not quite so rural.  I moved from oil heating to a heat pump in 2020 and have not regretted that decision.  The heat pump seems to be a little cheaper to run but there's not much in it.  The only reason a heat pump could not work in an old house is if you cannot get one with enough output to match your house's requirement.  That might be the case if you spend over £2,000 per year on oil at present.  And whatever you spend now, you would spend a lot more on IR heaters or gel-filled radiators; perhaps 3 times as much.

Whilst I was considering getting a heat pump a neighbour warned me off.  He had had a bad experience after installing one in a previous house, high bills and a cold house.  It's certainly possible to make a mess of a heat pump installation but installed to MCS standards it should be okay.  My heat pump works fine and keeps my house perfectly warm.   

FreeBear

Reed_Richards said: The only reason a heat pump could not work in an old house is if you cannot get one with enough output to match your house's requirement.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/our-cause/nature-climate/climate-change-sustainability/heat-pump-energy-at-our-places

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27505207

If you have the funds, there are heat pumps that can keep even stately homes warm. Personally, £600K is a bit outside my budget.

Patrol

In your position I'd consider either replacing the oil tank or a heat pump, at least getting a quote and advice from Octopus as they must have done enough installations to know what they are talking about. The other options mentioned here are crazy and will cost more to run.

If you ever get solar and battery you can reduce the running cost of a heat pump via a smart tariff. e.g. import from the grid at low consumption times (such as 10pm-6am, 11am-3pm) to top up the battery and use that to reduce imports during peak hours typically 4-7pm