Do I need a new boiler, or just a service...?

[muggles]

I’m beginning to wonder if oil is just an inherently expensive way of heating your home… sadly we have no gas in my area

Going to check if my roof insulation can be improved – seems to be maybe 4” of fibreglass at present.

Oil is actually a very similar price in terms of running cost to mains gas at the moment. Improving your insulation will certainly help - when I increased mine from less than 4" to over 10" my oil usage reduced by about 8%.

Still staggered by both yours and your friend's usage though... this is mine. As I've said before, I know I'm a little frugal and a fan of the pullover, but our house definitely isn't cold and the difference is huge - my average consumption is less than two litres per day through the year to provide heating and hot water. 4 beds, 1500sq ft late 1960s ex council house. The 1340 litres delivered at the bottom was the first fill on the new installation

 

[Roger465]

Very good of you to post that, thanks. So… I see, very roughly, you’re using a tankful a year. Now, speaking to other people in this country, 2 tankfuls a year is about the norm. Don’t underestimate the temperature difference, and wind-chill – I grew up here, and it’s always been bloody freezing. When I was a kid we had ice on the insides of the bedroom windows.



The 35 years I lived in London/Glos (till just under two months ago), I hardly ever had the heating on, and sat around in shorts and no shirt most of the time – here I’m wearing a jumper!



I haven't had the new boiler long enough yet to measure things accurately, so I’m just using marks on the sight-pipe. But, very roughly, as Pontias Pilate said in the Life of Brian, it’s gone down about 3” in two weeks, and there's about 14” left to go, so maybe 9 weeks to go till the next refill

 

[muggles]

About half a tank a year actually - look at the amount delivered (IE what they could actually fit into the tank) rather than the amount ordered, and also note the dates. 911 litres used in 16 months equates to 680 litres a year out of a 1340 litre tank = £265.00 @39p/litre. I'm on the Oxfordshire Wiltshire border in a small village, so probably a similar climate to your friend in Somerset who's also managing to burn rather a lot, but his old cottage might be draughty and badly insulated

 

[oilboffin]

If you see were I live and my house is poured concrete and I use 1 1/4 tank fuels a year boiler is heatslave II 8rads all new system. Now you get over10kw per litre and if oil was 70p a litre
that's only7p a kw.with electric costing12-13p a unit you'll see oil is a lot cheaper.glad your all sorted now and best wishes to you and your for the future.Bob

 

[Roger465]

About half a tank a year actually - look at the amount delivered (IE what they could actually fit into the tank) rather than the amount ordered, and also note the dates. 911 litres used in 16 months equates to 680 litres a year out of a 1340 litre tank = £265.00 @39p/litre. I'm on the Oxfordshire Wiltshire border in a small village, so probably a similar climate to your friend in Somerset who's also managing to burn rather a lot, but his old cottage might be draughty and badly insulated

Errr yes. Sadly my brain wasn't fitted with the optional maths co-processor by the manufacturer. His cottage is cold, no two ways about it. And he has a woman living with him now, so that will triple the heat required

Anyway, I'm going to gradually investigate things like my loft insulation, cavity walls etc. Sometimes they do grants for that sort of thing here, as per the £700 I got towards my new boiler

 

[Roger465]

Was up in the attic today for something else, and surveyed the insulation... fibreglass, loose (ie not in rolls), seems to have settled a lot over the years, down to 1" thick in places - probably no more than 2" anywhere.

There's one problem anyway

 

[Nige F]

Loose not in rolls ? 2" not seen that Maybe it's a blown in substance.

 

[Roger465]

Definitely normal yellow fibreglass, but maybe blown or something as you say... if I wanted better, would all that stuff have to be removed first?

 

[Nige F]

No , just go over it with rolls , remember not to block the eaves though