Has anyone changed over from oil ch to calorgas

the optimist

We are thinking of changing over from oil central heating to calorgas. Have you done the same and were you glad you did.
How much did it cost to changeover?
Are you glad you changed?
Do you find the running costs cheaper.
Is your house warmer?
What are customer services like once you up and running

We have a rep coming out this week and would like some feedback if poss.
We have a 5 bed dormer detached with 13 radiators.

heinbloed

As an LPG user:
Ask the rep. what type of boiler he recommends for your situation and let us know. We'll have a look at it.

the optimist

Ok Heinblood
I will do but I was hoping to do some research first

Buford T Justice

Last job I was at, they actually had changed from gas to oil.

the optimist

I have paid 2000 euro for oil since last september and we are empty again. Thats as well as lighting a fire most days. I would like to know would gas be cheaper and more efficient. We have to do something we are spending too much on heating oil

heinbloed

I have paid 2000 euro for oil since last september and we are empty again.

Well, that's quite a lot.
LPG isn't cheaper than oil per kWh delivered. About the same price as oil provided one buys on the free market i.e. without delivery- and tank access contract.

Buying LPG with a rented tank is not only uneconomical but against the consumer's interest. Imagine you rent or lease a car (the tank) but are only allowed to buy the fuel at a certain pump - economical madness. You never know what the fuel price would be for the next fill. But they always know that you'll be dependant on them since you can't afford to go anywhere else.

Like a junky depending on the one-and-only dealer/drug.

Here are the prices which I enquired last week:

Flogas € 0.9642/liter
Calorgas € 0.8484/liter
Tervas € 0.7089/liter

Tervas used to be around 50% cheaper than the others, now they're going into the tank business they are getting more expensive. But still 20-40% cheaper.

Time to get a new supplier into the market.



Tervas is selling tanks, being a owner means you can shop anywhere. No contract, just market forces. Like buying beer from the tap you like.

DoneDL

I doubt the change over of fuel will help that much, get someone to review the insulation and ventilation of the property, then look at your system as regards boiler output, zone controls and thermostatic control.

the optimist

DoneDL wrote: »

I doubt the change over of fuel will help that much, get someone to review the insulation and ventilation of the property, then look at your system as regards boiler output, zone controls and thermostatic control.

We have a rep coming out soon to discuss insulation but there is a promotion with calorgas at the moment so I would still like to hear from someone who can answer the above questions .

Solair

LPG is pretty pricy in my experience of it. I don't think it gives you much advantage over oil unless you want to have gas fires or use it for cooking.

Definitely don't get tied into a single contract supplier either. It really can reduce your options. With oil or if you own your own LPG tank you can shop around. Likewise, if you're an urban natural gas customer you have options too. If you contract to a single LPG supplier you're stuck with them for a while!

You certainly won't experience any difference in terms of your house being warmer. That is entirely down to the level of insulation of your house, ventilation and also the efficiency of the system. Any type of boiler; oil, natural gas, LPG gas or even wood pellet, will provide heat to the system and exactly the same result in your house. All they do is heat water which is pumped around your radiators.


You might be better off, as another poster said, getting your system upgraded e.g. more efficient oil boiler, better controls and an upgrade to your insulation.

You might be eligible for an Sustainable Energy Ireland grant too. Check out www.sei.ie for details. There are lots of possibilities for upgrading your insulation etc (depending on the design of your house)

ntpm

During the last year, I have taken out around 10 LPG Boilers( mixer of bulk tank and large bottle systems) and replaced them with oil boilers.

Most customers have had issues with:
being tied down to one supplier( unable to shop around for cheaper costs),:mad:
Having to pay rental on tank,
costs of minimum delivery amounts,:(

A LPG customer couldn't get delivery of LPG during recent snowand had to organise for temporary propane bottlesto be installed ( at their own cost).:eek:
Supplier was not helpful..etc.
I am due to rip out LPG system in spring.


As stated by earlier post, replacing oil for LPG won't reduce fuel cost... probably increase in my view.

If your oil boiler is relatively in good condition get it serviced properly, ensure you have proper boiler controls and boiler interlock, separate time and temperature control of separate heating and hot water zones, fit TRV's to radiators.
Add more insulation in to attic and walls etc...

The rep will probably advice most of the above mods but he will recommend LPG High efficiency condensing boiler installation and of course he has then tied you into a contract...:rolleyes:.

I do not recommend customers to replace a perfectly good working non-condensing boiler ( whatever fuel it is running on) for a Condensing model. The relative increase in efficiency between "non- condensing" and "HE condensing" boilers approx 10-12% , would not justify the labour and materials costs of a boiler change out only....IMHO.

poppers

the optimist wrote: »

We are thinking of changing over from oil central heating to calorgas. Have you done the same and were you glad you did.
How much did it cost to changeover?
Are you glad you changed?
Do you find the running costs cheaper.
Is your house warmer?
What are customer services like once you up and running

We have a rep coming out this week and would like some feedback if poss.
We have a 5 bed dormer detached with 13 radiators.

i rang calor and their rep in my area rang me back and advised me not to change over unless my oil burner had to be changed, reckons the cost would be 3-4k, he said there would be no significant saving price wise in ammount of fuel used.

Solair

poppers wrote: »

i rang calor and their rep in my area rang me back and advised me not to change over unless my oil burner had to be changed, reckons the cost would be 3-4k, he said there would be no significant saving price wise in ammount of fuel used.

At least he's being honest.

I would definitely investigate various options for making your house and heating more efficient though!
There are loads of options re: insulation, control upgrades, etc etc that wouldn't necessarily break the bank.

A full clean and service of older oil boilers can also have a huge impact as the heat-transfer surfaces become caked up with soot over a long period of time. This reduces their efficiency.

Also, it's worth making sure that the air intake is correctly set etc to ensure clean burning and better efficiency.

All that would be taken care of in a service.

heinbloed

Well said, Solair.
@ poppers:
Good maintenance and efficient usage of an existing system is usually more economical than turning to a new thermal supply.
The man was honest, something not frequently found in the trade. Maybe you could engage him for further advise on efficient and economical home heating.