Oil Burner Efficiency

Satyr_The_Great

Hey people.
Have a grant boiler with a riello 40 burner on it. We live in a rented house and both on social welfare due to jobloss.
My question is what is the most efficient way to use the boiler?
It runs on marked gas oil. We worked it out that having it on max of 4 - 5 hours a day is what we can afford if we want a regular supply of heating oil for the winter. Would it be best to use in for say, 2 hours from 2 - 4 and then from 7 til 9, or from 2 - 3 and then from 4 - 5, from 6 - 7 and again from 8 - 9?
May seem like stupid questions as we can not afford to get a number of fills,, 1300 litres max altogether..Just want to work out the most efficient way to make the oil last longer as we dont want to be stuck with no heating and frozen pipes like last year.
Thanks in advance for any help.

dnme

Now I'm no expert but I too live rented with an oil burner. I have found that the simplest and most efficient way to go is to use it manually. Switch it on as and when you need it, and switch it off as soon as. Perhaps a small timer event for mornings / hot water. Letting it run for two hours here and two hours there is not that efficient. I know some will argue this but I do speak from experience.

I have insulated the walls immediately behind each radiator with special foil faced foam material. I would also recommend thermal valves at certain radiators (i.e. spare rooms, halls etc). These effectively give you multiple zones. You don't want to be furnace blasting a spare room for e.g., just enough to keep it dry.

Also, don't be afraid to layer up. A good jumper will allow you to reduce the thermostat by a degree or two. Keep doors closed. Deal with all draughts. Plug your chimney if you have one when not in use. I use an old pillow in a double bin liner - works great. Leave a red ribbon or something tied and dangling from it so if you ever light a fire, you are reminded that it's there).

Check your attic insulation. You need 300mm. If it's old and compacted, get on to your landlord.

All the above = common sense.

Zimmerframe

Might be worth getting a wireless thermostat, you can leave it on the table in the room you spend most of your time. Set the lowest temp you are happy with, keep the room door closed when possible, and it won't burn any oil unless needed.

10-10-20

Oil burner aside, what are you doing to retain heat in the house? There's no point in trying to run the burner minimalistically, only to loose the heat through openings in the windows, walls, roof... etc.

Trying to improve matters without spending isn't too tricky:
Turn off unused radiators.
If the house is zoned, only heat the living zones during the day-time and sleeping zones just before bed... If it's not zoned, turn off radiators in bedrooms during the day-time.
Seal up leaky windows & doors with draft excluders/foam (maintain the wall air-vents where required).
If you have an open fire, don't use it; consider a chimney balloon or similar device (I used a beach-ball) to reduce the heat-loss.
Don't cycle the burner on & off excessively. Some people reckon that 15 mins on and 15 mins off saves heat, but it does not. It's an illusion.
Get the burner serviced now, or learn how to service it yourself.
In the hot-press, invest in lagging and pipe insulation.
If the hot-water-tank is zoned, don't heat the water more than required to do so. That depends on usage etc...
Don't use the immersion - it's more than likely twice the price to heat the same quantity of water.

I'm sure that there are more tips & tricks I just can't think of now... most of all, keep safe & warm.

PeteHeat

Hi,

Ask your landlord to have the boiler serviced properly by an OFTEC registered heating engineer, and insist on receiving the results printed from the analyser showing the boiler efficiency.

While you don't own the property and may think a boiler service is outside your control you may want to remind your landlord that it's your oil that is being wasted and if necessary remind him / her that there are plenty of properties available to rent.

Good advice should come as part of the service which can help you to use the heating system so you get the most out of every litre of oil used.

.