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Install OFCH to help sell house?

  • 06-01-2019 3:37am
    #1
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    We live in a 3 bed mid terrace house, mid 1950s built.
    Currently it has only solid fuel central heating powered by a hunter stove.
    We are thinking of selling this year.
    We were going to get an oil fired boiler installed in parallel with the stove .
    My question is would this help us sell quicker?

    Would you buy a house that has only solid fuel heating?


Comments

  • #2
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,278 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    demanufactured wrote: »
    Would you buy a house that has only solid fuel heating?

    Honestly- I'd buy a house with solid fuel heating- faster than I'd buy one with OFCH. OFCH is going the way of the dodo- heat exchangers and other technologies, such as solar heating- are the way to go. Its not massively difficult to retrofit a heat exchanger into an older property- however, obviously it will depend on the specific property.

    Improvements that significantly improve the BER of the property- e.g. additional insulation etc- would be far more likely to help you sell the property- than would a new oil fired boiler.

    Its as likely as not that any prospective buyer might simply rip out an oil boiler before they even move in- regardless of the fact that its new.

    I would suggest save your money- its not the sort of improvement that is going to help you sell your property.


  • #3
    PhoenixParker
    Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭PhoenixParker


    +1 to conductor.

    Also if there's no cental heating I'm gonna guess everything else needs doing too - bathrooms, kitchen, plumbing, wiring, insulation.

    If someone is buying a fixer upper the presence of ofch isnt going to make or break the sale.


  • #4
    Graham
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 17,642 Mod ✭✭✭✭Graham


    Talk to your (intended) estate agent. They should be able to give you a reasonable idea whether it's likely to add more value than it costs, or reduce the chances of a sale in its absence.

    If the house is going to be sold as a fixer-upper, I probably wouldn't change the heating. If the house is going to be sold as a ready-to-go family home, I would.


  • #5
    listermint
    Registered Users Posts: 33,604 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Ofch isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It still has a place in the market .

    If there is a gas supply to the road however then that's he obviouslm choice.

    There's a big hullabaloo about solar and heat exchangers but the people who would advocate for them don't tell you about the thousands you'd have to pour into the house in insulation and airtightness to reap any benefits.



    There isn't one size fits all. Anyone that tells you that doesn't have a clue


  • #6
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    PhoenixParker wrote: »
    +1 to conductor.

    Also if there's no cental heating I'm gonna guess everything else needs doing too - bathrooms, kitchen, plumbing, wiring, insulation.

    If someone is buying a fixer upper the presence of ofch isnt going to make or break the sale.

    There is central heating, the stove drives all the rads and hot water.


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  • #7
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Honestly- I'd buy a house with solid fuel heating- faster than I'd buy one with OFCH. OFCH is going the way of the dodo- heat exchangers and other technologies, such as solar heating- are the way to go. Its not massively difficult to retrofit a heat exchanger into an older property- however, obviously it will depend on the specific property.

    Improvements that significantly improve the BER of the property- e.g. additional insulation etc- would be far more likely to help you sell the property- than would a new oil fired boiler.

    Its as likely as not that any prospective buyer might simply rip out an oil boiler before they even move in- regardless of the fact that its new.

    I would suggest save your money- its not the sort of improvement that is going to help you sell your property.

    Well, to give a better picture.

    The house is heated by The stove which is driving alll the rads and hot water.

    The walls were pumped in 2012, as well as additional insulation in the attic space.

    We often thought about adding an oil fired boiler over the years but never got to it due to cost etc.


  • #8
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,278 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Is gas in the area?
    Its far preferable than oil.
    Also- and I know its a personal preference- but there are SEI grants available for the likes of a heat pump- have you considered something like this? It would definitely make me very happy as a prospective purchaser- however, this is a personal preference on my part.


  • #9
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Is gas in the area?
    Its far preferable than oil.
    Also- and I know its a personal preference- but there are SEI grants available for the likes of a heat pump- have you considered something like this? It would definitely make me very happy as a prospective purchaser- however, this is a personal preference on my part.

    Hi,
    No gas in the area, nor room for a heat pump.
    Very small "yard" at the rear, not much room for anything, one of the main reasons we want to move .


  • #10
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,278 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Heat pump is like a large A/C unit- its not massive by any means- and is relatively easy to retrofit into a pre-existing system.


  • #11
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Heat pump is like a large A/C unit- its not massive by any means- and is relatively easy to retrofit into a pre-existing system.

    Thanks, may look into it.


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  • #12
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Honestly- I'd buy a house with solid fuel heating- faster than I'd buy one with OFCH. OFCH is going the way of the dodo- heat exchangers and other technologies, such as solar heating- are the way to go. Its not massively difficult to retrofit a heat exchanger into an older property- however, obviously it will depend on the specific property.

    Improvements that significantly improve the BER of the property- e.g. additional insulation etc- would be far more likely to help you sell the property- than would a new oil fired boiler.

    Its as likely as not that any prospective buyer might simply rip out an oil boiler before they even move in- regardless of the fact that its new.

    I would suggest save your money- its not the sort of improvement that is going to help you sell your property.

    Most new houses build away from piped gas still install ofch so it’s far from going the way of the dodo. The jury is still out on the value of heat exchangers etc (solar heating is pretty much proven to not be worth the install cost) so many people are still opting for the traditional and realiable oil.

    Also retrofitting air to water etc is an absolute money pit compared to installing it in a new house.


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