Save Money On Home Heating Oil

Oil is at an all time high and continuing to rise. It is now around £500 (April 2008) for 900 litres of 28sec home heating oil.

It is going to increase even more!

What can you do about it?

If you live in a house with oil-fired central heating, you just have to grin and bare it. If your home heating is powered by gas, you are probably in the same situation.

One alternative is to become more energy efficient and making sure, when you do heat your house, it stays in the house for as long as possible. You can do this by reading the tips and advice below. Another alternative is to install a renewable energy source, such as solar power or wind power. There are some good grants available at present to move toward these options.

Unfortunately, if you are stuck with Oil heating at present, try some of this advice and handy tips.

Have your boiler serviced at least once a year:
Boilers are not 100% efficient - around 20% of the heat generated is lost up the chimney. Heat loss can increase to 30% or more if the boiler is poorly maintained.

Regularly check your heating system for leaks:
Water or oil leaks prevent your system from working efficiently. Check for signs of leakage from your tank, pipe work, valves, flanges and boiler.

Have your boiler and distribution pipes insulated:
Boilers which are not insulated lose heat to surrounding areas - heat loss from pipes can be reduced by over 70% by insulation.

Fill up your oil tank during the Summer months:
Take advantage of the seasonal variations in oil prices by filling up your tank when the market price is most likely to be at its lowest.

Never run out of oil:
Apart from the discomfort and inconvenience, some oil will be wasted if your system needs bled to restart it. It will also cost more to heat your home to the required temperature again.

Do not overheat your home:
The recommended temperature for your home is 18 degrees centigrade (21 degrees for homes with elderly persons or young children). Your Heating costs will rise by about 8% for each 1 degree Centigrade of overheating.

Keep radiators free from obstructions:
Having radiators obstructed by furniture etc. will reduce their output and lead to poor performance

Avoid opening windows/doors when heating is on:
Money is wasted each time heat is lost through an open window or door.
Increase your comfort by turning the heating down instead.

How To Save Money When Purchasing Oil

The last tip that I can give you is the best. If you live in Northern Ireland in the greater Belfast area, you can save about £20 per 900L fill. The cheapest way to order oil is online. I use Maxoldirect.com. Over the last few years, they have been consistently cheaper than other oil companies in this area.

Try them yourself. Ring around the local oil distributors and get a few quotes. Then go to Maxoldirect.com and look at their online price. It is always about £20 cheaper than a telephone quote and about £10 cheaper than other online oil distributors.

If you can find it cheaper anywhere else, let me know through the Contact Us page. I will then add it to this post.

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