Change to Electric Boiler or keep oil?

Dewsy

Hi all,
I have found this thread very interesting. We are just coming to the end of a self build with underfloor heating. No mains gas, so have been looking at alternatives to oil prior to final decision re fuel and boiler. Ground source sounds a good idea but initial outlay seems daunting.

Highlandlady

I recently moved from a traditional village house which had expensive oil heating and in my new house opted for a multi-fuel stove in the sitting room which links with the oil-fired heating system via a neutraliser. Took me a while to get the hang of it but now, with a healthy wood-pile outside, I don't need to use my oil boiler ever - except perhaps when my daughters come to stay and need lots of showers at strange times of the day and night. There's a ready supply of wood up here in the Highlands, often free, so it's a great heating system. And the exercise I get in collecting, splitting and stacking logs is much better than what many pay hundreds for in city gyms! (I do have a mechanical log-splitter, though)

amtrakuk

MountainMan101 wrote: »

I live in the East Midlands area and am in a similar position to you. I have radiators in place from a wood burner boiler and am having either electric or oil boiler installed in the next few week.

I started wanting oil, then when trying to find space for the tank and having an unrealistic quote of £6k for the boiler, tank and installation, I decided to look at electric.

Was going to go ahead with electric, but the plumber suggested a requote from his mate for oil.

Economy 10 (Scottish and Southern) is different from other Economy 10 type things. S&S is cheap elec 13:30-16:30, 20:00-22:00, 0:00-5:00 (about 6p / kWh) + standing charge.

Oil is 65p a litre x 10.5 (ish) kW per litre x 0.92 (92% efficiency of a new combi condensing boiler) = 6.7p / kWh. However, oil is the same price whatever time of day you use it, whereas the elec is only cheap at sometimes.

If you switch Oil->Elec you may have to rethink how you power your bath/shower if you currently rely on high pressure on-demand.

Also, if 10 hours a day at 12kwh is enough power to warm the hosue then you're okay. If you need anything more than 10hours you start paying premium price.

Philip

It also depends on your lifestyle. I did consider E7 and other tariffs but I I thought why would I want to heat the house and a tank of hot water if I wasn't in the house? Thats why I kept with standard tariff, so I can control my energy usage. I haven't personally had experience of storage heaters, my father has and all was going OK last autumn until the cold snap we had when it came apparent the storage heaters started to show they hadn't stored enough heat, or the heating requirements were underspeced.

amtrakuk

Highlandlady wrote: »

I recently moved from a traditional village house which had expensive oil heating and in my new house opted for a multi-fuel stove in the sitting room which links with the oil-fired heating system via a neutraliser. Took me a while to get the hang of it but now, with a healthy wood-pile outside, I don't need to use my oil boiler ever - except perhaps when my daughters come to stay and need lots of showers at strange times of the day and night. There's a ready supply of wood up here in the Highlands, often free, so it's a great heating system. And the exercise I get in collecting, splitting and stacking logs is much better than what many pay hundreds for in city gyms! (I do have a mechanical log-splitter, though)

Its OK if you have got a natural supply of wood - you're lucky. I know someone who has built a "wood burner" basically modeled on a steam engine. 2 very large horizontally mounted metal cylinders inside each other with a jacket of water between. He has loads of scrap wood from his business and just throws it in and burns in, The burner is built beside an external garage with a big chimney to take the smoke away. The water is pumped through underground pipes they have buried between the a Hot water cylinder or radiators via a 3 way valve in the house and the boiler. very good idea but wondering its legality.

amtrakuk

After reading on the web I've found they are called hydronic wood burners

pedder63

I realise this is well out of date, but i was interested that no one had mentioned multi fuel boiler stoves. I have just bought a house with no central heating or gas supply and we are installing a hunter 14 multi-fuel boiler stove and combining it with a gas boiler for instant heating. I'm now interesrted in comparing the cost of this with gas central heating. If anyone is interested, i will report back on my research.

Cardew

pedder63 wrote: »

I realise this is well out of date, but i was interested that no one had mentioned multi fuel boiler stoves. I have just bought a house with no central heating or gas supply and we are installing a hunter 14 multi-fuel boiler stove and combining it with a gas boiler for instant heating. I'm now interesrted in comparing the cost of this with gas central heating. If anyone is interested, i will report back on my research.

Welcome to the forum.

I take it you are getting it done by qualified installers?

There are big safety problems combining a multifuel boiler with a gas boiler.
They can be overcome, but it is quite complicated.

The subject has been discussed on MSE.

dwood

Hi, I wonder if anyone on this site could possibly give me a recommendation or point me in the right direction.

I live in Spain and am looking to get Solar to provide the Electricity for the entire house (useage is circa 4 KW).

I have an Italian diesel fired boiler which is nothing but problems.

Therefore before I get the Solat put in, I'd like to find a long term reliable electric boiler that could be used to replace or sit along side the diesel boiler using the existing plumbing / rads etc

Any ideas / recommendations ?

Many thanks in advance

Cardew

dwood wrote: »

Hi, I wonder if anyone on this site could possibly give me a recommendation or point me in the right direction.

I live in Spain and am looking to get Solar to provide the Electricity for the entire house (useage is circa 4 KW).

I have an Italian diesel fired boiler which is nothing but problems.

Therefore before I get the Solat put in, I'd like to find a long term reliable electric boiler that could be used to replace or sit along side the diesel boiler using the existing plumbing / rads etc

Any ideas / recommendations ?

Many thanks in advance

How will solar provide electricity at night?

The only way solar is financially viable is if you get massive governments subsidies as are proposed in UK.

tugsale

Cardew wrote: »

How will solar provide electricity at night?

The only way solar is financially viable is if you get massive governments subsidies as are proposed in UK.

I have a Worcester HeatSlave 15/19 very old on last legs.
I have 7 radiators and underfloor heating in lkitchen.
The system drinks oil.
I have been advised the boiler is underpowered for the system.
I cannot have a more powerful combi because there is no room to get it through the boiler cubooard door.
I have been quoted £3500 to install a new boiler and water storage tank.
Would it be cheaper and more efficient to scrap the oil and go for an electric combi boiler.