LPG or OFCH in an older house?

blarb · 22-03-2023 5:01pm #1

Hi there,

Hoping for some advice. We have just bought an old house, we need to change the boiler. Currently oil. We were hoping to go with mains gas (for handiness) but turns out we can't get connected where we are.

Plumber has mentioned LPG as a viable option, saying its currently the cheapest fuel out of oil and gas, but I don't know anyone who has an LPG tank. I've only ever known oil or main gas in older houses.

He also said it's the first time LPG has been the cheapest but I don't want to make a decision based purely on that as prices of all these fuels can obviously fluctuate.

Does anyone have experience with LPG? I'm inclined to stick with oil since it's what I know.

Thanks in advance

Wearb · 22-03-2023 5:12pm

I'd mostly advise to run a mile from LPG. There's so many ways that they have of charging the customer that its a nightmare to work out what your potential annual cost will be.

Edit: I just checked the SEAI price comparison info (-January- and oil has fallen about 15% since then). LPG is a lot more expensive. I wonde where your plumber is getting their info from.

MicktheMan · 22-03-2023 5:23pm

Is lpg the cheapest?

Not according to this.

blarb · 22-03-2023 10:24pm

Wow, I guess not! This is very helpful, thank you. Think I'll be sticking with oil so.

phormium · 22-03-2023 10:50pm

I have LPG for many years, very happy with it. I always hear oil is cheaper but yet my annual bill for LPG fill is no more than my two relatives who have oil and I actually have a bigger house and also a gas hob.

I'm no expert on this stuff but always feel that while the unit cost may be higher it seems to provide 'more bang for my buck' as such. I have a very old but good boiler and I never have to turn the dial past 1 to get plenty heat and hot water, most times it's about three quarters between 0 and 1, not sure what the dial goes to, maybe 5, I've never had to use it anyway so doesn't use that much gas to produce good heat. My father also had LPG and his boiler had to be kept at around 3 in a much smaller house!

Now that said with all the present increases/decreases it's hard to compare but I did go back through all my gas purchases for years lately as Flogas were offering a fixed rate for 12 month contract and I wanted to compare it with previous prices, I noticed gas started going up several years back, long before Ukraine etc and the fixed rate they were offering me was below even what I was paying back then.

Anyway I'm still happy with it, no messing with running out and no one can steal the gas from your tank!

blarb · 23-03-2023 9:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120389933#Comment_120389933

Thanks for this, great to hear someone's experience of using it. I guess there's a big difference depending the actual boiler installed and/or how it's installed then! Gas cooking would be a nice bonus alright.