What system to go for

Firblog

Hi

My combi gas boiler is about to pack in and I need advice as to what way would be best to go. The gas supply is metred from a communal tank on the estate, and I think it is fairly expensive - although I do like the availability of instant hot water.

There is no hot water tank, 9 rads, house about 100sqm. The house has a flat below it. My garden is separate from the house with the garden belonging to the flat in between.

My options as I see them are

Just change to new gas combi boiler (will be more efficient as mine was >10years old)

Pro's
- Easier/quicker fix
- Cheapest option?
Cons
- stay with expensive gas supply & daily standing charge

Changing to combi Oil boiler , but that would mean putting a tank in the garden and running a pipe 20ft along the neighbour's garden wall (should be no issue with permission) up the outside of his place, along my back wall and into the house?

Pros
- Lower running costs.
Cons
- Bigger initial expense
- Bigger/longer Job

Put in small stove with back boiler in sitting room, means putting in tank for hot water

Pros
- Lower running costs
- Nice to have a fire in sitting room
Cons
- Bigger upheaval
- no instant/timer heating
- More expensive

I'd appreciate if anyone could give me rough ideas on costs I'd be facing with these options, or if anyone would have any other ideas that I could go with.

Cheers

Lenar3556

What are you paying per litre for gas at the moment?

Firblog

I have calor gas, bulk to the estate.

latest bill was for 82 days

Usage was 92 cubic metres @ €2.6439 per m3
Carbon tax @ €0.15514
Standing charge @ €0.295 per day

total was €318.00

I once found out that the calorific value of m3 of gas was 25.8927Kwh?

Appreciate your input in this,

Cheers

Lenar3556

Firblog wrote: »

I have calor gas, bulk to the estate.

latest bill was for 82 days

Usage was 92 cubic metres @ €2.6439 per m3
Carbon tax @ €0.15514
Standing charge @ €0.295 per day

total was €318.00

I once found out that the calorific value of m3 of gas was 25.8927Kwh?

Appreciate your input in this,

Cheers

I thought it was slightly higher, but in any case home heating oil should work out at less than half the fuel cost per KW at those prices.

Bear in mind that oil is currently remarkably cheap and is likely to fluctuate in future.

The problem with those bulk tank metered installations is that you have little or no scope to shop around. If it was a one off tank, you can play the two suppliers off against each other and would get that unit rate down quite a bit. You could always give Calor a prod, see what they can do.

Is the logistics of oil an option? Space for tank? You could be into €4K there by the time you have it installed. I am in a similar boat. I have LPG, which I find great. I am not paying quite as much per litre but am toying with the notion of putting in oil.

I like stoves, but wouldn’t suggest for central heating. Great as a room heater.

Firblog

Don't believe I'd have any issue with space for tank.


From looking online replacement of gas boiler would be about €2k, so twice that for oil boiler; would probably pay for itself in 5 or 6 years..

rn

Avoid stove with back boiler at all costs. It will not be cheap to run, unless you've access to ultra cheap fuel. It's the least convenient option. It's the most environmentally unfriendly. You'll have lots of ashes to dispose of.

Room heater stoves are much more economic, but again produce PM pollution.

Idbatterim

If sticking with gas, I'd certainly get attic properly Insulated ig it isn't and deal with any other low hanging fruit improvement you can...