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[From Electrical]switching from gas to oil heating!!!

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  • 26-03-2008 12:38pm
    #1
    pinky82
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭


    Hi!:)
    iv recently bouhgt my own house which came with city gas..i am currently not living in the house and only have the heating on for 2 hours a day...yet i got my gas bill the other day and it was 103e for 58 day period:eek:...what the?!ive rang board gais with a reading so the bill wasnt estimated...and i only use the gas for heat not cooking...
    so what im enquiing to know is..does any one know how much it would cost to switch from gas to oil and is it a messy operation as i just feel oil would suit my situation more than gas does...

    any help would be welcome!!!
    bee.


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    #2
    Mr Magnolia
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,435 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr Magnolia


    €1.78/day doesn't sound too bad, depends on the size of your house though. Why do you run it for 2hrs/day? Is it just to stop damp etc? 1hr would do for that I would have thought?

    There is no way I'd ever consider switching from gas to oil given the way the price of oil is going, and will continue to go. Oil is more expensive to run in my experience too. I imagine a decent oil burner would cost several hundred euro, then there's the labour plus an oil tank.


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    #3
    RoundyMooney
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭RoundyMooney


    Moved.


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    #4
    landydef
    Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭landydef


    the initial 1st hour or so of you turning on the heat is always the most expensive as you've no hot water returning to the boiler,changing to oil is not going to solve that


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    #5
    JamesM
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭JamesM


    pinky82 wrote: »
    Hi!:)
    iv recently bouhgt my own house which came with city gas..i am currently not living in the house and only have the heating on for 2 hours a day...yet i got my gas bill the other day and it was 103e for 58 day period:eek:...what the?!ive rang board gais with a reading so the bill wasnt estimated...and i only use the gas for heat not cooking...
    so what im enquiing to know is..does any one know how much it would cost to switch from gas to oil and is it a messy operation as i just feel oil would suit my situation more than gas does...

    any help would be welcome!!!
    bee.

    That's not the worst story I've heard about gas. But at least with oil, you are only paying for what you are using. With gas, you can end up paying a standing charge right through the summer, even if you use no gas.
    It would cost at least 3000 euro to install a boiler, burner and tank.
    Jim.


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    #6
    slimjimmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,786 ✭✭✭slimjimmc


    JamesM wrote: »
    That's not the worst story I've heard about gas. But at least with oil, you are only paying for what you are using. With gas, you can end up paying a standing charge right through the summer, even if you use no gas.
    It would cost at least 3000 euro to install a boiler, burner and tank.
    Jim.

    Bord Gais Energy Supply's standing charge is €56.75 per annum, thats almost half of what the ESB charge (€104.40 pa) for their meter! Both prices include VAT @13.5%.

    http://www.sei.ie/getFile.asp?FC_ID=3432&docID=645
    This comparison from the SEI shows standard rate gas is significantly cheaper than oil per kWh.
    Natural gas = 5.47 cents per kWh
    Gas Oil = 6.95 cents per kWh
    Kerosene = 7.07 cents per kWh
    These prices include the overall cost of supply plus VAT @13.5%

    Aside from the installation costs of changing to oil, there's also the disruption from replumbing, the necessity to ensure access to the oil tank for filling (somebody has to be home if there's no side entrance) and, unfortunately, the risk of oil leaks/theft.


    Edit:

    Bord Gais tarrifs: http://www.bordgaisenergysupply.ie/htm/residential/3_existing_customer/your_bill/understanding_bill/index.htm

    ESB tarrifs:
    http://www.esb.ie/main/energy_home/urban_charges.jsp


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    #7
    311
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,332 ✭✭✭311


    You would be mad to get rid of the gas ,at least wait until your boiler has reached end of life. Then decide which is the best thing to do.

    I'm taking out oil boilers a lot and replacing with gas ,people seem to be cheesed off with oil prices.


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    #8
    JamesM
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭JamesM


    Even their sample bill is frightening :eek: Over 500 for 2 months.
    I spend less than 1000 euro a year on kerosene. Fair size 4 bed semi, 8 hours a day - fewer rads in the summer, but I still use it for hot water.

    I do agree that it would be foolish to throw out a good system to put in another - there is not that much difference between them.

    In my experience, 10 years ago about half the people who needed to change their boilers went over to gas - now, since gas prices have increased so much over the past 2 years or so, most are sticking with oil. Especially with the modern efficient oil boilers.
    Jim.


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    #9
    landydef
    Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭landydef


    the sad fact is the sharp increase in oil in the past few years has taken the price of gas and electricity with it so changing fuel isint going to help!
    not sure what you only have it on for an hour for but turning the boiler down a few degrees could make a big difference also it might be worth getting a bord gais registered plumber to test your gas line for leaks
    or at least read the meter between uses to see if the numbers move,this wouldn't be a comprehensive test but it might give you an idea to see if you have a sizable leak


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    #10
    mcaul
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,493 ✭✭✭mcaul


    Turn the thermostat down to 68 - 70 degrees and you'll see a massive saving.

    The boiler should also be serviced every year - this can reduce the bills by up to 20%!

    Also as another poster said, the first hour will burn as much oil / gas as the next 2 - 3 hours.

    I went from 3 oil fills last year to 2 fills this year by doing above, and heating is on for approx 6-7 hours a day.

    So a lower overall temperature with the heating on for longer and a well serviced boiler, will probably give a better ambience and lower bills.


    €103 for 58 days - this is cheap believe it or not! As for Cooking, this costs next to nothing, I use a gas hob daily and have had the same large gas cylinder since October 2005 which cost about €90. ( I seriously think some leprechaun fills it up every couple of months!!)


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