Open fire or heating on - which is more cost effective??

R

Red

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Am determined to cut back on home heating oil consumption and am thinking of lighting the open fire in sittingroom to take chill out of room in the evenings. Not too concerned about heating the bedrooms in the evenings - yet!!

Am I being foolish ? Which is more cost effective, heating on in house for a hour or so or an open fire ??

Also on subject of fire, does anyone know where I can buy a coal bunker to store some bags of coal etc and briquettes.
Louth/Meath/Dublin area
 
I cannot answer your question directly.

But I too wanted to reduce my heating bill (oil and solid fuel). My situation was when I arrived home from work the heating was on but the room with the open fire was always colder. So I would light the fire as well.

In the end I got a Building Energy Improvement Report done on the house by an Energy Assessor which recommended installing a Chimney Closure which reduces the heat loss of the open fire. Apparently, when the open fire was not lit, all my lovely heat from the radiators and other rooms was going up the chimney.

So now what I do is have the heating timed to come on and my Chimney closure is closed which in turn keeps in the heat that was previously going up the chimney in the house....I have not calculated the saving in oil but I know that I have the temperature setting lower then before and its much more cozy.

Then when I want to light my fire I open the chimney closure and light the fire as normal and it also helps retain the heat in the room as well.

Also, I would put thermostats on the radiators. Turn them off for the rooms you don't use, low for the bedroom and maybe high for the sitting room. Also insulation of attic and walls also help keep in the heat but depends on how much you want to spend...hope it helps






therefore I hav This devise you can open and close.
 
Never thought about that approach thanks Den.
How much to install the chimney closure & the energy improvement report cost ?
 
Sturdy Products in Blessington do a good range of bunkers: http://www.sturdyproducts.com/

A happy customer.

I light a small fire most evenings in winter and it works out great. We turn off the rad when we do and I think it does save us money as we don't hit boost on the heating as much.

Will be looking into installing the closure aswell now.
 
I am interested in chimney closure as I use oil heating during day and open fire most evenings in cold weather.

Where can chimney closure be obtained, and what is approx. cost.
Also is it possible to inadvertently light the fire without having opened closure.
Thanks
 
Warm air gets sucked up the chimney.Just block up the fire place when not in use, doesn't have to be expensive or flash, a bit of board is better than nothing.
 
as far as i am concerened the big attraction of a fire is that it makes the room cosy. it is also nice to have to set it and see it light. perhaps i am attracted to this as i was reared in the pre electricity tv radio days and the crackling fire at night brings back happy memories
 
Try an insert convecting stove as another option gives the best of both worlds. I am in the stove business so am biased but the sales of stoves is through the roof at present. Asa rough rule they operate at 70% efficiency and add about 8% to your BER rating.
 
Also, I would put thermostats on the radiators. Turn them off for the rooms you don't use, low for the bedroom and maybe high for the sitting room.

Den,
I am in interested in the above bits, how do I go about this. Where do I get the thermostats and how about the installation. My sitting room is very cold and I do not have a fire place.
Thanks,
 
You can get these themostats from any plumber store (Heatmerchants etc...)
 
Regarding the spring loaded chimney closure device. I have one and while it is effective to a certain extent it does not completely seal your chimney and you will have some draught. Plus it is not that easy to open or close. You tend to have to grab the chain with one hand and hook it on with the other (or the hooking device) to get it down enough.

It is really the only option if you have an open fire.

On the subject of open fires, during these autumn evenings with no heating on, I light the fire using 2 firelighters, 4 pieces of briquettes. Then throw on say 4 or 6 logs over the evening with about another 4 to 6 pieces of briquettes. The cost would be between €3 and €4 for the evenings heat in the living area. The rest of the house would generally be warm enough for sleeping areas/kitchen from the days sunshine loaded up in the concrete walls.
 
Thanks David - very useful information. Approx expediture per month €100.
I think my oil consumption per month would be more expensive
 
Den,

Did you have to pay for the report. According to their website you do. Can they tell you if draughts are coming in certain areas?
 
Red said:
Thanks David - very useful information. Approx expediture per month €100.
I think my oil consumption per month would be more expensive
Click to expand...

You'll have to allow for no sunshine days when there is no sun and the rest of the house would be generally colder which means the heating has to come on. That's where the thermostatic rad valves really come into their own.
 
this question just shows that its all relative....

the more control you have over our heating system, the more efficient it becomes....
 
DesignA...

Yes you do have to pay for the report. It cost €600 approx. to have the Energy Assessor conduct an energy audit of your house. He will use a thermal imaging camera and a smoke gun to determine where the draughts are.

The main problem in my house was the room with the chimney. I had a draught up the chimney taking my heat from the sitting room and other rooms. The heat going up the chimney was being replaced by colder air creating the draught under the doors etc. The Energy Assessor recommended a Chimney Closure, which I fitted and found a huge difference...
 
Try using a Colt Cowl on the chimney.They stop the backdraft and also helps reduce with the upward pull on your chimney.Check loft shop on the net to see what they look like.Around 100 euro.
 
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