Advise on Changing from Oil Boiler to Electric Combi Boiler ?

[Amber22]

We have just purchased a 1970's bungalow, with oil boiler that needs complete replacement.
We have Solar PV - 16 Panel system just fitted and looking at an alternative to Oil Heating ..........unfortunately we are not on the gas grid.
Any suggestion or information in regard to best Electric options for heating & water please.

 

[Leo]

Any suggestion or information in regard to best Electric options for heating & water please.

Tread carefully there. remember, the time you most need heating is the time when PV output will be low. A 3kW system will produce little over 2KWh on a typical December day. If yours is a typical 1970's bungalow, electric heating is going to cost you a fortune.

 

[Amber22]

We are looking to get rid of our hot press and had thought an electric combi boiler was the best solution.

 

[Amber22]

Tread carefully there. remember, the time you most need heating is the time when PV output will be low. A 3kW system will produce little over 2KWh on a typical December day. If yours is a typical 1970's bungalow, electric heating is going to cost you a fortune.

Thanks Leo
Any thoughts on LPG combi boiler as alternative ? Looking at Calor gas with tank as another possible option ? Any info would be much appreciated.

 

[DannyBoyD]

Electric boiler is fine for hot water.

If you have to stick w electric for heating; do all you can first re insulation, double glazing etc.

 

[Leo]

Thanks Leo
Any thoughts on LPG combi boiler as alternative ? Looking at Calor gas with tank as another possible option ? Any info would be much appreciated.

You can get oil combis, might be a cheaper option. If considering LPG, check the details on any contract for supply of the tank and make sure it does not limit you to a single supplier.

 

[Monbretia]

You can get oil combis, might be a cheaper option. If considering LPG, check the details on any contract for supply of the tank and make sure it does not limit you to a single supplier.

If not on piped gas and going the tank route then there are only two providers Calor & Flogas and you can't switch as easily from one to the other as you can with piped gas, existing tank gets taken away and new tank installed, not something you'd be doing yearly! I switched years ago from Calor to Flogas, awful palaver, now it might be a bit easier now but basic tank removal is the same, lot of co-ordination needed.

 

[Leo]

existing tank gets taken away and new tank installed, not something you'd be doing yearly! I switched years ago from Calor to Flogas, awful palaver, now it might be a bit easier now but basic tank removal is the same, lot of co-ordination needed.

I believe many opt for the model where the supplier provides and installs the tank which then locks you into that supplier. From previous threads here I thought there was an option to supply and install your own tank up front and they you could switch more freely.

There are other suppliers of bulk LPG, though perhaps without the same national coverage of the two you mention. There's Tervas, Irish Flame.

 

[Monbretia]

I believe many opt for the model where the supplier provides and installs the tank which then locks you into that supplier. From previous threads here I thought there was an option to supply and install your own tank up front and they you could switch more freely.

There are other suppliers of bulk LPG, though perhaps without the same national coverage of the two you mention. There's Tervas, Irish Flame.

Havent heard of that option, my brother switched about 18 months ago and it was tank removal/replacement etc. I did read something on some of the FB building pages maybe about supplying your own tank but if I remember correctly the gas companies then insisted on very rigorous annual testing of equipment that wasn't theirs so maybe not cost effective either. They certainly don't look at their own tanks annually or even close to it!

I haven't come across the other suppliers either, wonder are they mainly city based, hard enough sometimes to get a delivery here within two weeks from even Flogas when nearest depot is Cork!

 

[Leo]

I did read something on some of the FB building pages maybe about supplying your own tank but if I remember correctly the gas companies then insisted on very rigorous annual testing of equipment that wasn't theirs so maybe not cost effective either. They certainly don't look at their own tanks annually or even close to it!

Yeah, it all seems a little rigged to eliminating competition.

 

[Monbretia]

Yeah, it all seems a little rigged to eliminating competition.

Definitely! That said I am happy enough with the gas tank/heating/cooking etc, I just make sure to order well in advance. I only changed from Calor after 20 odd yrs as they tried to up tank rental massively for 'maintenance', i.e painting it, it had one new coat of paint in the 20 yrs I had it, taking the p I'm afraid.

 

[lff12]

Calor gas sounds like a good option, but its not as cheap as natural gas.
Might be better off overall to look at current options on oil boilers which is probably lower upfront costs.

Depends on the size of the house also, but if your HLI is 2.20 I think you can get the heat pump grant, but it would take a lot of tweaking to get it to the level of efficiency needed to reduce costs overall. Probably still more efficient than an electric boiler, mind.

 

[AJAM]

If an electric combi boiler is similar to a gas one (i.e. it only heats what you need when you need it), I think this would be an expensive way to run your hot water.
Cheapest running costs (excluding a heat pump) would be to get a well insulated emersion tank, (with a PV diverter) and heat it up at night on the cheap rate electricity (10-12c per KWh @ 100% efficiency). In another post Leo provided a link to a study showing the costs of heating hot water, and that study showed night time electricity was cheaper than grid gas.
This is also likely to be the cheapest, upfront install solution too. If you want to push the boat out you could go for a mixergy tank.

By the way, in the winter just gone, I stopped using gas to heat my hot water and relied on my PV hot water diverter plus boosting. It was my attempt at solidarity with Ukraine to reduce my gas usage. My hot water tank usually needs 2.5KWh per day to cover out hot water needs. During the summer the hot water diverter easily covers this. But I was surprised during the winter that the PV hot water diverter still managed to cover that 2.5KWh most days. I think I used the boost about 10 times over the entire winter.