Pellet stove or replace gas boiler

Hannaho

My gas boiler is 22 years old. Going fine at moment, and serviced every year. Is a Riallo boiler. We're tired to Calor tank gas in the estate - it's expensive. Should I replace the gas boiler with a consensing boiler - would our bills be lower, or should I invest in a pellet stove - it's a small timber frame house so was hoping it would heat the whole of the open plan area downstairs, with gas heating just on for an hour before bedtime. Would this work out cheaper than using gas for sole heating during winter. I wanted to get a wood burning stove, but the stove installer stated this would be a fire risk in a timber framed house as it was radiated heat, rather than the convection heat form a pellet stove. The cost of boiler replacement is 2800 - Worcester Bosch condensing boiler. The pellet stove as the house is timber framed is 4300 including 1900 for stove. If I was to get a wood burning stove, they said the work to make the house safe and the stove would come to 7,400.

cillo2000

Hey Hannah,

Thinking about the same for my mam. Is the €7400 installed or just the stove, it sounds expensive for just the stove. The energy density of 1 litre of oil = 10kwh, 1 litre of LPG = 7kwh and two KGs of would pellets = 10kwh. My mams gas from the bulk tank is costing nearly €1.20/L at the moment. Must figure out if this includes the tank rental or not.Buying pellets in bulk, I reckon the same energy would cost about €0.50.

Things to consider, pellets would require storage space in a shed. There are automated augers to feed the boiler, but this kind of set up would require further set-up and money. Alternatively, you can manually dump a 15-20kg of pellets into the stove every 3-4 days.

Gas will only continue to increase with carbon taxes, pellets arent subjected to carbon tax.

eusap

Looking at the Waterford Stanly pellet stoves and they quote consumption for non-boiler pellet stoves at 11kg for 10hrs so assuming average use a 15kg bag might last two days @ €6.50 per bag is around €100 per month

their boiler stoves say 30kg per 27hrs so assuming average usage, 30kgs might last two days of usage, @ €6.50 per bag is around €195 per month

1 liter of oil = 10kwh, cost €1.49 two KGs of would pellets = 10kwh cost .87cent, on average usage of 1000litres a saving of around €620 per year

My Mother and I are in the same situation, we've been meaning to change the heating since we moved in but to what is the question I just can't answer, whatever I decide could end up being an expensive mistake.

I would like to get off oil, needing 2 - 2.5 tanks a year it's gone expensive and likely to get worse, there are issues regarding replacing the Oil boiler, ideally I would like a pellet stove to replace the Oil stove in the Kitchen but this doesn't feed the rads the boiler outside does this, the Effel Oil stove is just brilliant, it will run for as long as their is oil in the tank with no maintenance, lifting bags of fuel or storage issues.

I'd nearly go back to coal at this stage, simple and just works and can get a tonne of Doubles for 450-500 Euro's delivered. That should last a fair while.

When the previous owners changed the heating from solid fuel cooker they kind of converted the attic, changed the pluming and water tank location so where the oil stove is now the tanks are not directly over head so that's a problem. The other solution is replace the oil boiler with external pellet boiler I don't have anywhere suitable to store them so would have to invest in a silo. But don't know if that's suitable in our humid climate ?

I just feel that the cost of pellets will go through the roof or if something happens the boiler it could take months to get fixed.

My Mother is on Gas, almost 20 year old boiler, but Gas is very expensive and getting more expensive and there could be supply issues in the future, alternatively she could change to pellets but it might be a lot of maintenance at her age, she's 75 now so would have to be easy fuel and maintain. Another advantage of pellets is she wouldn't be ripped off with standing charges when it's not being used.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119169085#Comment_119169085

This is a useful link to get an idea of the difference in cost between the different sources of fuel per Kwh.

https://www.seai.ie/publications/Domestic-Fuel-Cost-Comparison.pdf

You'd need to look at "gas oil schedule" @1.48 c/Ltr thought it's up to around 1.55 a litre now because you can only get between 300 and 500 litres of oil.

But in reality Wood pellets work out around half or less than oil at current prices per Kwh + the pdf bases this on 90% pellet boiler efficiency but you can get 95% efficient stoves.

babyducklings1

Not sure how it’ll do in the open plan but you can get pellet stoves with different outputs, size etc. No expert but put one in a few months back and it’s brilliant, heats up really quickly, and very clean, a quick hoover out every three or four days, takes about two minutes. But you have to store the pellets carefully so they don’t go damp, No experience with gas so couldn’t compare. I’d say you need to be careful( with a timber frame house) and get good advice from an engineer/ professional etc. Good luck with it anyway.