I have an old gas combi boiler (Vaillant) that runs on LPG. It has had a good innings but must be nearing the end of its life now at 27 years old.
There is no mains gas supply here and I am not a great fan of LPG. My wife worries about a tank full of gas in the garden and I worry about the price that Calor Gas charges me, which has trebled in the last 9 years. I know all forms of fuel have increased in price but it would be nice to be free of the tyranny of the LPG supplier's contract racket, with no option but to take whatever price increases they impose until the end of the contract period. I know that nowadays you can switch supplier when "out of contract" but I expect that once another supplier has signed you up with an attractive price, they will also raise it through the roof at the earliest opportunity.
So my question is: If I have to update the boiler anyway, is there any merit in considering a switch to oil?
I realise that this would involve the installation of a new tank as well as the boiler but I believe that oil is more energy efficient than LPG. I understand that oil fired, through-the-wall combi boilers are now available (it would need to be a combi in my case) but are they any good or would I just be asking for trouble?
Any expert advice gratefully received.
Regards
Mike
There is no mains gas supply here and I am not a great fan of LPG. My wife worries about a tank full of gas in the garden and I worry about the price that Calor Gas charges me, which has trebled in the last 9 years. I know all forms of fuel have increased in price but it would be nice to be free of the tyranny of the LPG supplier's contract racket, with no option but to take whatever price increases they impose until the end of the contract period. I know that nowadays you can switch supplier when "out of contract" but I expect that once another supplier has signed you up with an attractive price, they will also raise it through the roof at the earliest opportunity.
So my question is: If I have to update the boiler anyway, is there any merit in considering a switch to oil?
I realise that this would involve the installation of a new tank as well as the boiler but I believe that oil is more energy efficient than LPG. I understand that oil fired, through-the-wall combi boilers are now available (it would need to be a combi in my case) but are they any good or would I just be asking for trouble?
Any expert advice gratefully received.
Regards
Mike