oil fired central heating yearly costs

[Cocolove]

my partner and I have fallen in love with 13th century farmhouse, It is already slightly above our rent limit that we had planned on but it so beautiful and can already see ourselves in there. the only problem we have is it has oil fired central heating. does anyone know roughly the yearly cost to fill tank etc and is the heating problematic etc. this seems very daunting to me as have until now always lived in characterless new builds until now

oil is only slightly more expensive per unit heat than mains gas - the idea that oil = very expensive is nonsense. You need to keep an eye on the price and top up when it is lower. There is no seasonal rhyme or reason to this.

You need to look at insulation etc in the property. If it is old and draughty, you'll use more oil. It is as you see it now.

as you will be renting; find out how old the boiler is (an old one will guzzle the stuff and may be less reliable). Confirm that there WILL be a yearly service. I don't think there's a legal requirement for a safety certificate in the same way as there is for gas, but it is good practice.

also confirm that you will arrive to a full tank and leave a full one, and who is responsible if the oil is stolen because someone needs to insure it.

oh, cost: currently about 55p a litre. We used about 1500 litres in a year but had a new boiler last year so hope that will drop. But my house is not all old and we are working on improving insulation, and we have a log-burner too, and don't expect to sit around in shorts in winter.

How big is the house? That will make a difference.

Used to cost us approx £1300 a year to heat a 3 beds semi (2 x 1000 litres, Nov and Feb).

We have a four bed well insulated semi. Costs about £1500 a year. No problems at all apart from keeping an eye on the levels in the tank and not running out of oil, as it costs to have the system re-primed (experience!!)

We spent about 800 last year HOWEVER, this was for only 3-4 hours a day in the winter (Oct to April) and to heat the water for 1.5 hours per day year round and we used the woodburner a lot. We don't have all the radiators on (keep doors closed on rooms we don't use) so that was literally for radiators in 3 bedrooms, hall, 1 bathroom and the kitchen

You can buy in bulk with other people nearby. Brings the cost down a bit.

Expect the price to go up at Winter time.

cost does not necessarily go up in winter (check the graphs) and the bulk buy schemes are not necessarily cheaper, although they may be. What does bump up the price is needing it delivered quickly.

this is the site I use to monitor price trends, although it hasn't been updated in a month.

www.heatingoilshop.com/price.php

The price should go down the more litres you buy at the one time. Last year we used about £700 for the year for a 3 bed semi, very well insulated and I keep a very close eye on how long the radiators are on for!

Boilerjuice are another oil comparison website. We do about £1500 per tear in a two bed bungalow, tgat is well insulated. However i constantly hace the heating on in winter. But i woukdnt go near anywhere witout doubke glazing!!

Bloody phone!!! Apologies for the poor spelling

£550/yr over last 10 yrs. I have no idea why. Well-insulated Big modern detached house in windy location.

I think a really old house will use more because presumably it is listed and may not have double glazing or other heat saving insulation. Our house was more like £2500 a year. Now have air source heat pumps as our oil boiler was nearing the end of its life. Agree a newer boiler will be more efficient but size of the house and insulation are major factors.

Mine is more like £2500 a year too ! Ok - it's a big house and very old - but it's still bloomin expensive !! And once the thieves have pinched it once - you can expect them to be back !!! So we've got CCTV so we can see it at all times ! To be honest - I wouldn't have oil again if I ever move !!!

We've lived here 16 years and we recon on filling our 2000l tank once a year. About £1400 last year.

Old, largish, mostly double glazed, part stone part brick, three bed detached house. Exposed, but south facing location. Heating on 24/7 in winter.

If you budget for £1500 you should get some change.

We have a 25 year old detatched 5 bed, good attic insulation, poor wall insulation, new windows. We use about 2000L a year.

Thanks all it's a 6 bedroom listed building, has solid brick walls and as listed no double glazing. We are due to go back at the weekend and look again I've got a list of questions as long as my arm. We are hoping to just stay the 2 years see if the country living is right for us. My partner is so love with the house. While I'm trying to think practical I don't want cold kids come a freezing British winter. The main of putting thing for me is the cost of oil as he hasnt even factored this in. £1500 a year doesn't seem to bad but I'm expecting due to age of property and windows that it's guna be extortionate. Maybe I should just stock up on thermals now lol

with a house like that you will need to learn to dress properly as otherwise you WILL spend a fortune heating it, whatever the fuel. Other things make a difference; thick curtains, sunny aspect, but it isn't going to turn into a magical warm house and as it is listed there is nothing to be done.

you say 'British winter' - does that mean you are used to warmer climes?

no reason not to do it- but go in with eyes open.

Coco we've just had double glazing put in a listed house. It's special, very slim glass as recommended by Heritage. We needed new windows so had them made to order.

I still think its cheaper than gas and definitely cheaper than electricity.

About £1300 a year, fill up 1000 litre tank twice a year.

interesting that things can be done to listed properties - I learn!

but this is a rental, the landlord is not going to replace windows unless it makes business sense or the current windows are at the end of their lives.

Sorry, should've read the full thread .
Agree with thick curtains & thick rugs and thermals.

A house like that will be freezing cold in winter (I know, because we've recently moved to one). You could have the heating on 24/7 and never be warm. It will cost a lot more than £1500/annum if there's no double glazing, insulation etc.

Thermals, jumpers, good socks, thick insulated curtains, lots of rugs, hot water bottles in every bed every night, wood burners are essential, ime!

We are in a 4 bed listed building. You adapt and learn - as MrsJohnDeere says thermals, socks, curtains (£££££), hot water bottles and a lot more than £1500 per annum. Having said that, does it have wood burners to use as an alternative? We tend to burn a lot of wood through the winter to heat the downstairs rooms and avoid having heating on all day. Another thing I would be mindful of, particularly in a rental property, would be damp (unavoidable but manageable in a lot of listed buildings - and it's not going to be obvious at this time of year)

rhubarbcrumble are you in England? I knew that was possible in Scotland but hadn't heard of it in England. I will seriously look into it!

Our grade II listed is double glazed. Our last place was grade II and double glazed.